Launching the offer in 6 steps: how your pharmacy gets started with personalized health

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 13 October 2026 · Reading time: 9 min

In short

From decision to routine takes six steps: choose a model, clarify the framework, define the range, train the team, prepare the process and accompany the first customer. If you want to start quickly, begin without your own brand – for example with a partner shop or with BeautyMe cosmetics – and build your own brand later. For food supplements under your brand, development takes one week to three months, and production starts from a single unit; your own cosmetics formula takes 3 to 5 months and is produced from small batches. The analysis takes 4 days in the lab; after that, you accompany your customers in a 90-day rhythm.

Dress rehearsal first, then opening night

Novogenia’s partner page describes a model that suits pharmacies well: the sample is taken in-store and sent to the lab. The customer returns to collect her products – and then comes back every three months as new supplements are prepared. A simple cycle: counseling, analysis, product, return visit.

To make this cycle run smoothly, an image from the theater helps. Before opening night comes the dress rehearsal. That is where you see whether every cue works – before the audience takes its seats. Your offer is no different: once model, framework, range, team and process have been run through completely, your first real customer is not a test subject but a successful start. Here are the six steps to get there.

The 6 steps at a glance

Step	What you do	Result	Time needed
1. Choose a model	partner shop, white label or your own product idea	a clear decision	depends on coordination
2. Clarify the framework	country rules, consent, data protection, advertising	a legally sound process	depends on the country
3. Define the range	inquiry, quote, branding, samples	an approved range	food supplements: 1 week to 3 months; own cosmetics formula: 3 to 5 months
4. Train the team	NOVO Academy, roles, phrases	a confident team	about 5 hours of video per language
5. Prepare the process	documents, sample kits, appointments, dress rehearsal	a pharmacy ready to start	depends on the pharmacy
6. Accompany the first customer	counseling, saliva sample, report, pickup, reorder	routine in a 90-day rhythm	analysis 4 days plus shipping and production

Step 1: Choose the right model

Novogenia offers pharmacies three routes, which can also be combined:

Partner shop: You get your own online shop; your customers order there, and Novogenia takes care of the analysis and the products. There are no setup fees, and you receive a commission on every order.
White label: The range carries your logo, your label and your packaging – Novogenia never appears on the outside.
Your own product idea: You bring your idea or desired composition, we advise on formulation and dosage form and realize it as your brand.

The division of labor is clear: you focus on counseling, brand and sales in your pharmacy, while we take care of the lab, development, production and filling. The model fits a single pharmacy as well as a pharmacy group.

If you want to start quickly, begin without your own brand – for example with the partner shop or with the BeautyMe cosmetics line for resale – and switch to your own brand later. Three questions help you decide: Should your brand be visible? Will customers pick up their products at the pharmacy, or will they be shipped? And do you want to see the reports? More in Own brand: supplements and cosmetics.

Step 2: Clarify the framework

Before you approach your first customer, the legal framework is in place. The key points:

Lifestyle or medicine: Your pharmacy offers lifestyle analyses. Where the law requires it, medical analyses go through physicians – in Germany, for example, under Section 7 GenDG.
Switzerland: The pharmacist initiates the analysis and is present when the sample is taken (Art. 34 GUMG, Art. 40 GUMV). Home tests are ruled out for these analyses (Art. 13 GUMG).
Consent: Genetic data are specially protected (Art. 9 GDPR). Record in writing what your customer consents to and who sees the report.
Own brand: In Germany, every food supplement is notified to the BVL (Section 5 NemV); in most cases, we handle the notification for you or support you with it.
Advertising: For food supplements, only authorized health claims are allowed (Art. 10(1) Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006), and disease references are off-limits (Art. 7(3) Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011).

The details are in Law: what pharmacies must consider and Advertising health services.

Step 3: Define the range and the offer

After your inquiry, we put together a suitable range and send you a quote with volume tiers. For your own brand, your logo, label and packaging go onto the product, with samples for sign-off on request. What you should know:

Food supplements: personalized from genes, questionnaire and blood values, with blood values taking precedence; in daily portions with Microtransporter pellets, and one delivery lasts 90 days. Other dosage forms are available on request. Production starts from a single unit, and development takes one week to three months.
Cosmetics: three products – day serum, night serum and body lotion; the genetic result changes selection and dosage. Production starts from small batches, and your own formula takes 3 to 5 months.
Packaging: product and packaging in your design, with “Made in Austria” or a neutral origin statement on request. Each daily portion can carry a two-line print, for example an order number and the customer’s name. For a range on the shelf, you generally need fully printed packaging with a barcode.
First calculation: For 500 to 3,000 boxes, the price-calculator chatbot gives an instant, non-binding estimate; our team calculates smaller quantities.

More on formula and dosing in Personalized micronutrients, and on cost and quantities in Supplement contract manufacturing cost explained.

Step 4: Train the team

Your team is the face of the offer. The NOVO Academy provides the expertise: free of charge, about 5 hours of video per language, with a certificate for each completed topic, in seven languages and optional for partners. Add clear roles – who counsels, who looks after the saliva sample, who handles pickup – and a list of approved phrases. Because the videos can be watched at any time, the training also fits shift work. How to set this up is shown in Training the pharmacy team.

Step 5: Prepare the process – and run through it

Now the plan becomes a process. Have ready what you need on day one:

Information text and consent form, including the question of who sees the report.
Saliva kits – for lifestyle analyses as a non-medical device, in your design on request.
A quiet spot for counseling and the report session.
A calendar that reminds you of pickups and reorders in the 90-day rhythm.
The decision on how reorders are billed – through Novogenia or through your own billing.
Checked texts for the shop window, website and social media.

Then comes the dress rehearsal: run through the process completely once – with a colleague playing the customer, from the greeting and the consent to the pickup. Every point where someone hesitates is a hint you can still sort out before the launch.

Step 6: Accompany the first customer – and build a routine

First conversation: clarify the goal, explain the analysis, obtain consent.
Saliva sample: it takes only a few minutes and goes to the lab.
Analysis: 4 days in the lab, plus shipping. The report arrives digitally via a secure portal, in up to 18 languages.
Report session: discuss two or three priorities instead of reading out every chapter. A product recommendation is an offer, not a must.
Pickup: the customer collects her products at the pharmacy. On request, we also ship directly to your customers as a fulfillment partner.
Return visit: the next delivery comes every three months. With every new production run, the formula is recalculated, for example with an updated questionnaire or new blood values.

After the first customers, a team review pays off. Three questions move you forward:

What went well? Record which explanations and steps worked, and make them standard.
Where did things get stuck? Whether consent, sample shipping or pickup – every point where someone had to wait can be improved.
Which questions kept coming up? Add to your collection of answers and to the list of approved phrases.

Once the range is running, production grows with you – from small batches to larger volumes. The process in detail is shown in The consultation process in the pharmacy, and accompanying customers over time in Reorders and subscriptions: customer loyalty.

Five pitfalls at launch

Too much at once: Start with a manageable offer and expand it once the process works.
Advertising before the framework: First clarify what you may say, then print.
Unclear who sees the report: This question belongs in the consent, not in a follow-up conversation.
Promising results: Genes are one factor among many; recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven.
Overlooking country rules: A customer in Switzerland needs a different process than one in Germany or Austria.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take until the first customer?

That depends on the model. Without your own brand, you can start as soon as the framework, team and process are in place. For food supplements under your brand, development takes one week to three months; for your own cosmetics formula, 3 to 5 months. The analysis itself takes 4 days in the lab, plus shipping and production.

Is there a minimum order quantity?

For food supplements, there is no fixed minimum: they can be produced from a single unit. Cosmetics are made from small batches. So you can start small and expand later.

What does getting started cost?

There are no setup fees for the partner shop; you receive a commission on every order. For your own brand, you get a quote with volume tiers. The price-calculator chatbot gives a first non-binding estimate for 500 to 3,000 boxes; our team calculates smaller quantities individually.

Can I start without my own brand?

Yes. You can begin with a partner shop or with the BeautyMe cosmetics line for resale and build your own brand later. That way, you settle many questions about process and counseling before you invest in packaging and labels.

Do I see my customers’ reports?

You decide. What matters is that your customer knows beforehand and that it is part of the consent. Genetic data are specially protected under Art. 9 GDPR.

Personalized health in your pharmacy?

Tell us about your pharmacy and your customers – we will show you which model fits.

Request a project →Offer for pharmacies

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.