Cincinnati’s Procter & Gamble is making a multibillion-dollar bet on the booming wellness aisle, agreeing to acquire supplements maker Thorne for $3.8 billion. The deal would give P&G a fast-growing premium vitamin brand alongside its familiar lineup of household and over-the-counter health products. For the Queen City company, it is a major move deeper into the business of selling better mornings, better sleep and, presumably, fewer excuses.
P&G CEO Shailesh Jejurikar disclosed the planned acquisition during an interview with CNBC, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Jejurikar said the price was appropriate for Thorne’s growth rate and indicated that additional transaction details would be disclosed later Tuesday.
Why Cincinnati’s Consumer Giant Wants Thorne
P&G’s health care business generated $12.5 billion in sales in the fiscal year ended June 30, according to the company’s latest SEC filing. Its personal health portfolio already includes Vicks, Metamucil, Pepto-Bismol, Align, New Chapter and other brands, giving Thorne a natural place inside a business built around everyday health routines.
The acquisition also follows P&G’s January addition of Wonderbelly, an Austin-based digestive-health brand positioned around cleaner-label antacid products. That move, along with the company’s continued emphasis on personal health, suggests P&G is looking beyond traditional drugstore staples and toward brands that can command premium prices online and through specialty retailers.
Thorne Turned Practitioner Trust Into A Big Wellness Business
Founded in 1984, Thorne markets supplements built around clinical research, ingredient testing and practitioner recommendations. The company says it operates its own manufacturing facility in South Carolina and serves more than seven million consumers, while recent coverage put it on pace for roughly $650 million in sales this year, according to Thorne and the Cincinnati Enquirer.
That growth is a sharp change from Thorne’s recent private-equity chapter. L Catterton acquired the company for about $680 million in 2023, and Reuters reported in June that Haleon had bid for Thorne as the brand attracted interest from major consumer-health companies.
P&G’s New Health Push Starts At Home In Cincinnati
P&G’s headquarters remain at One P&G Plaza in downtown Cincinnati, where the company’s corporate strategy and leadership decisions carry an outsized regional profile. Hoodline previously reported on the company’s handoff of its health care leadership to Paul Gama, a move that put fresh attention on one of P&G’s largest growth areas.
The biggest open questions are what happens next for Thorne’s management, South Carolina operations and brand identity. P&G has not yet detailed the expected closing timeline or explained whether Thorne will remain a standalone label, but the price tag makes clear that Cincinnati’s consumer-products giant sees serious staying power in vitamins and personalized wellness.
