Novae
Brand foundations for a cycle-aware functional chocolate, from social listening to concept testing.
Brand Strategy | Social Listening | Audience Research | Brand Direction
The full working board for Functional Indulgence: strategy, references, palette, wordmark, and packaging studies.
Overview
I watch culture closely to spot categories before they peak. I identified women’s cycle support as an emerging category early and tracked it for years as it moved from niche wellness to the mainstream. So I jumped at the chance to help build Novae, a functional chocolate designed to support women through their cycle. I led its foundational strategy, from audience and psychology to positioning and visual direction.
Search interest, United States
Flat for years, then a sharp climb from 2022. Google Trends, indexed 0 to 100, October 2015 to September 2026.
01
Listen
I scraped and analyzed thousands of TikTok and Instagram comments on PMS and cycle syncing, then studied the most engaged commenters to separate mainstream PMS sufferers from the premium wellness buyer. In parallel, I audited 10 competitors across chocolate, supplements, tea, ceremonial cacao, and functional drinks, comparing positioning, price per use, Meta ad strategy, and customer reviews.
Full competitive analysis available on request.
“TikTok teaches me more than my doctor.”
“I need something to soften the week before.”
“I want to feel like myself.”
From the comments
02
Synthesize
From that research, a clear audience emerged: millennial to late Gen Z women, fluent in wellness and already investing in premium self-care. Traditional PMS relief treats her body as a set of symptoms to manage. She's looking for a new relationship with her body, where support is nourishing, pleasurable, and designed around women.
- Pain pointConventional relief feels clinical and synthetic, built to suppress symptoms rather than support the body.
- NeedSupport that works with her cycle, not against it.
- DesireCare that nourishes her body and feels genuinely enjoyable.
- GapPeriod chocolates lacked formulation and taste. Supplements lacked pleasure. No one combined efficacy and indulgence.
03
Position
Painkillers teach the body to be quiet. Novae teaches it to be heard.
A purpose-driven alternative to symptom suppression, with messaging grounded in the language her community already uses.
04
Explore
I developed four brand directions and narrowed them to three, each translating the strategy into a distinct emotional and visual world.
01
Functional Indulgence
Nourishment that is both effective and pleasurable, with support that feels intelligent, luxurious, and loving.
View board ↗
02
Grounded Support
A modern, science-informed approach to cycle support, focused on effectiveness, clarity, and real-world use.
View board ↗
03
Return to Nature
Cyclical wisdom, plant allies, and whole-body harmony, rooted in the body’s own intelligence.
View board ↗
05
Test
I tested three directions with the target audience through a survey that went beyond aesthetic preference, measuring which one people would actually try, trust with their body, and feel understood by.
Which direction…
Drew them in most
Would actually try
Most trustworthy
Understands them
Top hesitations
- DesireFunctional Indulgence drew in about three in four people, and it was the direction most would actually try.
- TrustGrounded Support was the most trusted for something that affects the body.
- InsightPeople wanted both. As one respondent put it: “a luxurious look with clinical data.”
- NextLead with indulgence, earn trust with evidence: Functional Indulgence’s look and feel, backed by Grounded Support’s science and clarity.
Novae is currently pre-launch.
