The bitter feud between premium vitamin brand JS Health and its low-cost competitor Life Botanics has reached boiling point.
Things began heating up this week when JS Health founder Jessica Sepel said her rivals were just ‘jealous’ of her success and accused Life Botanics of ‘bullying’ her by launching a high-profile price war.
Jimmy Seervai, the owner of Life Botanics, has now told Daily Mail Australia he makes no apologies for his aggressive marketing strategy.
Jimmy Seervai, the owner of budget vitamin brand Life Botanics, has slammed JS Health founder Jessica Sepel for claiming he is ‘jealous’ of her success. (Mr Seervai is pictured with Life Botanics brand ambassador Jodi Gordon in Sydney on July 19)
‘When people put up excuses and say things like “we’re jealous” or “we’re bullying”, it’s just an excuse to cover up that they don’t want any competition,’ Mr Seervai said.
‘They feel they’re in a position where competition should be beyond them, where no one else is allowed to make anything or sell anything. They’re just trying to get us to stop so they can maintain their excessive margins.’
Mr Seervai said Ms Sepel’s latest statements are ‘just validation’ that his company is doing the right thing’ by selling his products at a fraction of what JS Health charges.
‘We are just asking the question, “Why are you selling something that costs X for ten times the price?” It just doesn’t make any sense,’ he said.
Things began heating up this week when Sepel (pictured) said her rivals were just ‘jealous of her success’ and accused Life Botanics of ‘bullying’ her by launching a high-profile price war
‘At the end of the day, we are making products for Australians who can’t afford the brand tax. We’re talking about real people who can’t afford to pay $50 for supplements. It’s not right.’
‘To discredit us by saying we’re bullying or we’re jealous of them is just trying to cover the fact they’ve got these crazy margins that they’re making,’ he added.
Mr Seervai said Ms Sepel was actually giving his brand free publicity by complaining about how Life Botanics charges less for the same products she sells.
‘When people put up excuses and say things like “we’re jealous” or “we’re bullying”, it’s just an excuse to cover up that they don’t want any competition,’ Mr Seervai said
‘To discredit us by saying we’re bullying or we’re jealous of them is just trying to cover the fact they’ve got these crazy margins that they’re making,’ he added. (Pictured is an Instagram post shared by Life Botanics comparing one of its vitamin products to a similar one from JS Health)
‘The best marketing officer we’ve ever had is JS Health. They are do nothing but help our brand by getting our message out there,’ he remarked.
‘Come Christmas time, we are going to give her the biggest bunch of Life Botanics products for two reasons: as a thank you and as a way of also saying, “You can also save money at the shops,”‘ he added.
It comes days after Ms Sepel, from Double Bay, told the Life of Greatness podcast her competitors were just ‘jealous’ of her success.
It comes days after Ms Sepel, from Double Bay, told the Life of Greatness podcast her competitors were just ‘jealous’ of her success
‘I’ve been talking to my therapist about it. I sometimes get scared of the evil eye… like, people projecting envy on me,’ the clinical nutritionist told host Sarah Grynberg.
‘I try and equalise, and not threaten them, but if you want a big life, it comes with judgement and envy. You can’t have the big life without it, she added.
Ms Sepel admitted it took time and self-reflection to come to this conclusion, as she previously found it difficult to deal with other people judging her.
‘I try and equalise, and not threaten them, but if you want a big life, it comes with judgement and envy. You can’t have the big life without it, she told host Sarah Grynberg
‘I was always trying to change that narrative,’ she said, adding: ‘I hate it when people make up things that aren’t true. It’s been my pet peeve probably my whole life.
‘You don’t know what someone’s going through, you don’t know the truth. And I’m trying to stop fixing that. Because people will judge, there will be envy, and that is just part of it.’
Ms Sepel also took a thinly veiled swipe at Life Botanics, a brand she previously accused of copying her products.
Ms Sepel also took a thinly veiled swipe at Life Botanics, a brand she previously accused of copying her products. She said: ‘Where you put your energy matters, and I just think putting your energy into competition and copycats – which I deal with a lot – it’s just not worth it, because it’s detracting energy that I can give to my team, to my community, to my customers’
‘Where you put your energy matters, and I just think putting your energy into competition and copycats – which I deal with a lot – it’s just not worth it, because it’s detracting energy that I can give to my team, to my community, to my customers,’ she said.
‘And it’s hard not to react when people are copying you or competing with you.’
Ms Sepel was referring to her infamous feud with Life Botanics, a vitamin company that promotes similar products to that of JS Health at a cheaper price.
Life Botanics drew the ire of Ms Sepel in February for advertising a ‘two bottles for $40’ deal for its vitamins. By comparison, a single bottle of JSHealth vitamins retails online for $45
Life Botanics first drew the ire of Ms Sepel in February for advertising a ‘two bottles for $40’ deal for its vitamins, which are sold at Coles.
The company spruiked the deal on social media alongside the tagline: ‘If you love JSHealth vitamins, you will love Life Botanics. Identical formulations, same results, half the price.’
A single bottle of JSHealth’s ‘skin and digestion’ vitamins – which Life Botanics sells with similar ingredients – retails online for $45.
Ms Sepel, whose multimillion-dollar company is based in Double Bay, shared Life Botanics’ advert with her 390,000 Instagram followers, and wrote: ‘This is another level of not OK. How low can you go?’
Life Botanics spruiked its deal on social media alongside the tagline: ‘If you love JSHealth vitamins, you will love Life Botanics. Identical formulations, same results, half the price’
‘I have the strongest community in the world, so please know this is NOT our brand and can never be. Our ingredients are very unique. Our community will help stop this from happening,’ she added.
‘I just have no words for how morally low people will go to make money. Luckily JSHealth was built on efficacy and trust, not the dollars.’
In response to these claims, Lauren Jones, the senior marketing manager at Life Botanics, told Daily Mail Australia: ‘We have tremendous respect for the JSHealth products and as manufacturers we have the opportunity to offer consumers better value at a more affordable, everyday price.
A single bottle of JSHealth’s ‘skin and digestion’ vitamins – which Life Botanics sells with similar ingredients – retails online for $45. By contrast, Life Botanics, which is backed by actress Jodi Gordon, is offering its ‘identical’ products at $40 for two bottles
Ms Sepel also shared a tearful selfie, alongside the caption: ‘Please help me. Please reach out to this company copying us… Morally, this is just awful to stomach’
‘At its core, healthy competition is a part of the Australian retail market. Our goal is to bring premium-quality products at an affordable price, no matter who we compare ourselves to.’
Ms Sepel also shared a tearful selfie, alongside the caption: ‘Please help me. Please reach out to this company copying us. I don’t care for copycats usually.
‘But morally, this is just awful to stomach. Is this what people will do to make money? We’ve worked hard for a decade to be the most trusted vitamin brand in the world. I know we always will be.
‘Please know this is NOT our brand and can never be. Our ingredients are very unique. Our community will help stop this from happening,’ Ms Sepel said in response to Life Botanics’ claim its products have ‘identical formulations’ to those of JSHealth products
‘But this is causing our customers to feel misled. Our ingredients cannot be replicated because they are exclusive to us (most of them). They are using my name for advertising.’
Ms Sepel then vowed ‘legal action now has to happen’.
Ms Jones responded to these claims by saying: ‘We have only been using comparative advertising to communicate the strengths of our products. This is similar to many examples in the market such as the Aldi advertising model.’
Ms Sepel and her husband, JSHealth CEO Dean Steingold, once made the Australian Financial Review’s Young Rich List with an estimated worth of $426million
The dispute between the two vitamin companies escalated when Ms Sepel accused Life Botanics of lying about a charitable donation.
Life Botanics recently announced on Instagram it had made a $20,000 donation to Breast Cancer Network Australia after selling out of its energy and hair vitamins.
Ms Sepel commented below the post: ‘This is even worse. Lies about charity.’
Many Australian influencers, including Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis (pictured), have promoted JSHealth on social media
However, a spokesperson for BCNA told Daily Mail Australia a donation had been made, confirming: ‘We can confirm a donation has been received.
‘It was a nice surprise. All donations go towards BCNA’s services to provide information and support to Australians affected by breast cancer.’
Ms Jones of Life Botanics added: ‘We are deeply disappointed that JSHealth misled their followers that we did not make a donation to our charity partner.
‘Giving back to consumers and the community is what we are all about.’
The row between the two vitamin companies escalated when Ms Sepel accused Life Botanics of lying about a charitable donation on Instagram
Ms Sepel shared another post revealing why she’d decided to spark an online row with her competition, writing: ‘You may wonder if my posts are directing attention to this brand that they do not deserve.
‘I don’t really care about that to be dead honest, because they aren’t a threat.
‘I have to stand up for what is right in life. I have to stop this from happening to any other fellow female founders. I have to do this for my brand. I have to protect my formulas. I have to call out such disrespect. It feels right to do so.’
Ms Sepel shared another post revealing why she’d decided to spark an online row with her competition
Meanwhile, Life Botanics ambassador Gordon threw her support behind the affordable brand, saying in a press release: ‘I’ve always taken care of myself inside and out, and a huge part of that is taking the right supplements.
‘But not everyone has been able to afford premium supplements. Other brands have made their products so expensive that ordinary people just can’t afford them.
‘That’s why I love Life Botanics: they put people first with the same amazing ingredients and results for half the price.’
Life Botanics ambassador Gordon (pictured) threw her support behind the brand, saying in a press release: ‘I’ve always taken care of myself inside and out, and a huge part of that is taking the right supplements’
Ms Jones also said: ‘We use the same ingredients as JSHealth but Life Botanics is less than half the price.
‘We absolutely love the JSHealth products that are made for her by other contract manufacturers; however, we feel that everyone should be able to afford them and not just people willing to pay the brand tax.’
Ms Sepel and her husband, JSHealth CEO Dean Steingold, once made the Australian Financial Review’s Young Rich List with an estimated worth of $426million.
The company’s roaring success now sees JSHealth sell a bottle of vitamins every 10 seconds, and there are now plans to expand into Britain, North America and Asia.
Lauren Jones, Senior Marketing Manager at Life Botanics, said: ‘We use the same ingredients as JSHealth but Life Botanics is less than half the price’