Lab data guide

Business models for labs and data owners: which route fits you

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 13 October 2026 · Reading time: 8 min

In short

For follow-up products built on your data, Novogenia offers three business models: a partner shop where your customers order and you earn a commission on every order, with no setup fees; white label, where product, packaging and shipping carry your brand; and your own product development. As a data partner, you can also bring in the genetic or blood data you already hold – we interpret it and make the product. Which route fits depends on your brand, the effort you want to invest and how much control you want. The routes can be combined.

We sell only through partners – the only question is how

Novogenia sells exclusively through partners, today in 69 countries. That is not a detail; it is the core of our model. We take care of the lab, the formula and production. You take care of what we do not have – your customers and their trust.

So whether a follow-up product suits you is rarely the real question. The more interesting ones are: under whose name will it be sold, how much work do you want to put in, and how much of it should truly be yours?

A picture helps. Think of it like housing: you can move into a fully furnished apartment, furnish an apartment in a finished building to your own taste, or build your own house – with us as the construction company. All three routes lead to a home. They differ in effort, creative freedom and responsibility. The same goes for the partner shop, white label and your own product development.

The three models compared

Criterion	Partner shop	White label	Own product development
What you get	your own online shop with Novogenia analyses and products	analyses, reports and follow-up products under your brand	a product based on your idea, developed and made by Novogenia
Effort	low, no setup fees	medium: brand, design, your own communication	higher: concept, coordination, development, marketing
Brand	your shop; analysis and product come from Novogenia	your brand	your brand
Control	Novogenia’s range and processes	you set the look, the price and the sales channel	you also set the formula or the calculation logic
How you earn	a commission on every order	through your own retail price	through your own retail price
Fits if …	you want to test demand without investing	you have an established brand and a larger customer base	you have a clear product concept of your own

Cutting across all of this is the question of where the data come from. As a data partner, you bring them yourself; that fits white label and your own product development. More on that below.

Partner shop: test without investing

The partner shop is the easiest way in. You do not sell anything yourself – you recommend. Here is how it works:

Sign up: you become a partner and get your own shop.
Recommend: alongside your lab’s result, you point to the shop, for example with a link in the report or in the customer portal.
Order: your customers order directly in the shop.
Deliver: Novogenia ships the saliva kit, the report or the product.
Earn: you receive a commission on every order.

What it takes off your plate: setup fees, inventory, shipping and billing. Where the limit lies: you will not build your own product brand this way. For a lab, the partner shop is above all a way to see, without investing, how your own audience responds to follow-up products.

White label: your brand from sample to box

With white label, the follow-up product carries your name. Formula, packaging, inserts and shipping run under your brand. Everything that comes before can be part of it too: saliva kits in your design, genetic analyses and reports under your brand, delivered digitally via a secure portal and printed on request. The customer relationship stays with you.

For a lab that has so far measured only blood values, this is a double lever: you add genetic analyses under your name and the matching follow-up product along with them. Keep in mind: partners can offer lifestyle analyses; medical genetic analyses go through physicians wherever national law requires it. More in Who may offer genetic tests?

With your own brand comes your own responsibility. Whoever sells under their own name is responsible for the product, its labeling and its marketing claims. And even under your brand, you tell your customers who receives their data – in the EU under Art. 13(1)(e) GDPR, in Switzerland under Art. 19 para. 2 let. c of the FADP. That can include the lab.

What the box, the stick pack and the skincare look like under your brand is shown in Follow-up products under your brand. For genetic analyses under your own name, see the White-label genetic testing guide.

Own product development: your idea, our factory

Some data owners have more than a brand – they have an idea of their own. That can be your own calculation logic: you specify the composition, from a questionnaire, from blood values or from your own system, and we fill it exactly to your spec. Or it can be a new product that we develop together:

Supplements: every formula is a development project of its own. Development takes one week to three months overall; 22 nutrients are in stock as finished Microtransporters and need no development time.
Skincare: your own formula for a day serum, night serum or body lotion takes 3 to 5 months to develop. Novogenia takes on the role of the responsible person under the EU Cosmetics Regulation.
New genetic analyses: we also develop new genetic tests with partners – as joint product development or as pure contract development. There is no blanket timeline; it depends mainly on the panel and the number of markers (Development partner for genetic tests).

This route takes the most planning: a concept, a target group and a clear idea of how you will sell. In return, you get the most independent product. How such a project runs on the manufacturing side is shown in Personalized supplement manufacturing.

Data partner: you bring the data, we bring the product

If you already have data, you do not have to start from scratch. As a data partner, you bring existing raw genotype or SNP data, DNA test results, blood panels or individual lab values. A full panel is not required; a focused set of lab results can also be the basis. We interpret the data and deliver the matching follow-up product – supplements or, from genetic data, skincare.

If genetic data are missing, a saliva sample closes the gap: we supply saliva kits in your design and analyze them in our own lab in Austria, in 4 days.

As a data partner, you settle two things in the contract from the start: who has which role in data protection, and how your customers’ consent is obtained. The customer relationship stays with you. How data are handed over and which roles the GDPR and the Swiss FADP provide for is covered in Data integration and Data protection and roles.

Billing and shipping: who does what?

Whatever the model, one practical question comes up: who sends the invoice, and who ships the box? With white label and your own product development, you have two options:

Billing via Novogenia: we handle ordering, billing and shipping. You save yourself your own shop and subscription technology and can focus on brand, sales and customer care.
Your own billing with a fulfillment partner: you bill through your own system, for example an existing customer portal, and pass the orders on to us. We produce and ship directly to your customers.

In both cases, clarify early how order data, address changes and reorders flow between you and us, and who is the first point of contact for questions about delivery or the formula. The partner shop is simpler here: ordering, billing and shipping all run through the shop.

Four questions for your decision

Question	Leaning toward the partner shop	Leaning toward white label or own development
How well do your customers know your brand?	You want to test first whether follow-up products catch on.	Your brand is established and should grow.
How much effort do you want to put into brand and sales?	as little as possible	You are actively building brand and sales.
Do you want to sell products yourself and set the price?	No – your customers order directly in the shop.	Yes, as part of your own offer.
Who should handle billing?	Novogenia, via the shop	you yourself or Novogenia, with Novogenia as your fulfillment partner

If you are unsure, start simple. The routes are not mutually exclusive: you can start with the partner shop and move to white label later, or develop your own formula alongside a white-label product. How to test this with a pilot is shown in Launch and pilot: introducing follow-up products.

How we do it at Novogenia

How we work with labs and data owners:

Partners only: Novogenia sells exclusively through partners, with partners in 69 countries.
Partner shop: a commission on every order, no setup fees.
White label: formula, packaging, inserts and shipping under your brand; saliva kits and reports in your design on request.
Billing: via Novogenia or via your own system, with Novogenia as your fulfillment partner.
Own development: supplement formulas in one week to three months, with 22 nutrients in stock as finished Microtransporters; your own cosmetic formula in 3 to 5 months.
Notification and responsibility: in most cases, we handle the regulatory notification for supplements or guide you through it; for cosmetics, we are the responsible person.
Training: The NOVO Academy is free of charge and optional – about 5 hours of video per language, with a certificate for each completed topic.

Frequently asked questions

Which business model is easiest for a lab?

The partner shop: no setup fees, no production of your own, and a commission on every order. Your customers order directly in the shop. You will not build your own product brand this way, though – that is what white label is for.

Can I use the data I already have?

Yes, as a data partner. We interpret usable genotype or SNP data and blood values and make the follow-up product from them. Before the start, we clarify whether the data cover the genes needed and whether your customers’ consent covers this use.

Do I get the rule set as software?

No. Interpretation is a service, not software that you run on your own. If you have your own logic, however, you can specify the composition yourself – and we fill it exactly to your spec.

Who is responsible under white label?

Whoever sells under their own name is responsible for the product, its labeling and its marketing claims. In most cases, we handle the regulatory notification for supplements or guide you through it; for cosmetics, Novogenia takes on the role of the responsible person.

Can I switch models later?

Yes. The routes are not mutually exclusive. You can start simple and expand later – for example from the partner shop to white label, or from a white-label product to your own formula.

Follow-up products for your data?

Tell us which data you hold and who your customers are – we will show you which follow-up product fits.

Request a project →Offer for labs

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.