Working inside the supplement industry teaches you things you can't unsee.

We learned which corners get cut, which ingredients get swapped for cheaper versions, which fillers get added because they're easier and not because they belong.

We learned that "natural" and "clean" mean whatever a brand decides they mean. We learned that most of what we'd been told about supplements wasn't quite true.

So we built Pure Essentials around a different set of rules.

How We Make Pure Essentials

Every formula starts with one question: does this truly serve the person taking it?

If the answer is no, it doesn't belong in the bottle. No cheap fillers. No unnecessary binders. No ingredients chosen because they're easy to source instead of because they work.

We use bioavailable forms — the versions of each nutrient your body can actually absorb and use. We test every batch through independent third-party labs. We tell you exactly what's in the bottle, and why.

Held To A Higher Standard

Our products are MADE WISE Certified™ — independently verified to be made without any of the 15,000+ chemicals on their restricted list.

We've also earned an Elite Trust Score on the SuppCo app, among the highest in the supplement industry. These aren't badges we paid for. They're the result of opening our process to people whose job is to look closely and ask hard questions.

Who We Are

Pure Essentials is a women-led company, guided by CEO Rachel Ash and President Melissa Ray.

Rachel Ash — Chief Executive Officer

Rachel is a wellness entrepreneur and health advocate. As CEO of Pure Essentials, she leads the company's capital strategy, investor relations, and brand stewardship.

Her work is personal. Rachel co-built Pure Essentials with her late husband, Richard N. Ash, M.D., and continues to extend the vision they built together — that what's on the label should match what's in the bottle, without exception.

She serves as Chairman of the Board of Documenting Hope, on the Advisory Board of MadeSafe, and was named to the 2025 UBS Female Founder Program and CaringKind's 100 Women of Impact. She has hosted podcasts on iHeartMedia; been featured at Eudemonia, Wellist Week, and the Consumer Health Summit. Her work has appeared in Vogue, New York Magazine, HAMPTONS, GOTHAM, and DuJour magazines.

Melissa Ray, ND, CNS, CNHP — President & Formulator

Melissa has spent more than twenty years inside the holistic and natural health industry — from practitioner offices and wellness centers to consulting, formulation, sourcing, and manufacturing. As President of Pure Essentials, she guides the company's commitment to transparency, scientific integrity, and ethical sourcing. Every product reflects what she's learned about doing this right.

Her motivation is personal. Melissa lost her sister to leukemia caused by chemical exposure during her service in the Army. That loss reshaped her understanding of how the things we're exposed to — including the products we choose to put in our bodies — shape our health. It is the reason she cares so much about what's on the label, and what isn't.

She has presented at NANP and Bauman College, appeared on panels at YPO and 92NY, and been featured on multiple podcasts. Melissa is the author of the forthcoming book Breaking the Illusions: The Truth Behind Building a Clean Supplement Label. Join the early reader list

Our Guardrails

Commitment. Formulating supplements with the consumer's best interest at our core. Integrity. No hidden ingredients. No trickery in our descriptions. Authenticity. True to our word, our products, and our mission. Courage. Transparent labeling and leading where others follow.

Honestly,

Pure Essentials