On 20 May 1747, aboard HMS Salisbury in the Bay of Biscay, the ship's surgeon James Lind took twelve sailors with scurvy and gave them six different remedies in pairs. The two who got oranges and lemons recovered best. He published it in 1753. It is the origin story of the fair test, worth remembering whenever a supplement arrives with a hopeful label.

The story behind HUM Nutrition is personal. Walter Faulstroh started it in 2012 with Christopher Coleridge, after years of adult acne. He took Accutane three times and the acne returned each time, and then he worked with a nutritionist on gut health and diet. The name comes from a simple place: he says he always feels good when he hums, and he likes hummingbirds. The brand calls its products clinically tested, free of what it calls The Tricky 12 and triple tested, and it pairs them with a personal registered dietitian. I like a beauty supplement that starts with the gut, and I read the claims as the brand's own. Healthline points out that the stress study behind Big Chill was funded by HUM.

The trick is to choose by problem, not by bottle color. Red Carpet is the skin-and-hair capsule, built around black currant seed oil and vitamin E. Daily Cleanse is the skin one, with 14 ingredients it calls detoxifiers, including chlorella, spirulina and zinc, and a self-reported 82% who noticed fewer breakouts, which I would treat as a survey rather than a trial. Skin Squad is the prebiotic and probiotic one for clearer skin. Flatter Me has 18 digestive enzymes with ginger, fennel and peppermint, and Big Chill has 500 mg of rhodiola for stress. OMG Omega the Great is fish oil from anchovies, so it is not vegan. Private Party is the probiotic for vaginal pH balance and urinary tract health, and Hair Strong is the hair one, renamed from Hair Sweet Hair.

Tired, bloated, sleepless, hormonal: each has a different formula, and the problem you actually have at 3 pm or 3 am matters more than what the bottle promises. For a first month, one of them is enough.

The catalogue goes well beyond the hits. Mighty Night is for sleep and nighttime skin renewal, and Dream Team Magnesium is the evening companion to it. Fan Club is the multi-symptom formula for peri and menopause, and Hormone Balance is the plainly named one for the cycle. Collagen Love and Turn Back Time are the skin-focused pair, going by their names, and Hyaluronic Glow Gummies are the easiest way in if you do not want to swallow another capsule. Gut Instinct is the gut one, and the natural place to begin if the founder's story is what drew you in.

A pairing I like: Dream Team Magnesium with dinner and a dim, phone-free half hour before bed. A supplement can only do so much when the lights are still on.

What I would skip: starting three new formulas in the same week. You will never know which one was working or which one was bothering you.

The claim on the front is written by marketing, while the label is the part a brand has to get right, so I read the serving size first, then the ingredient list, then the claim.

Lemme's Fiber and Probiotic Gummies and Arrae's Bloat Fast-Acting Digestive Relief Capsules cover the gut side of the routine. Rael's Hormone Balance Supplement and its PMS Cramp and Bloat Supplement are the monthly-cycle pair. For mood and energy, OLLY's Hello Happy Gummy Worms with vitamin D and saffron and its Extra Strength Daily Energy B12 Gummies are the playful choices, and Lemme's Focus and Concentration Gummies are for work days. Grüns's Adult Low Sugar Superfoods Greens Gummies with prebiotic fiber are the one for people who skip vegetables.

One gut formula and one mood formula at most, taken at the same time each day, is plenty. Everything else is a bonus, not a foundation.

What I would skip: stacking gummies with capsules that contain the same ingredients, particularly vitamin D or B12. Check the labels add up, and if you are pregnant, nursing or on medication, ask a doctor first.

Powders live best next to the kettle, the coffee maker or the blender, wherever you already make something, so the habit has a place to live.

Moon Juice's Magnesi-Om Blue Lemon is the magnesium drink, a nice one to sip at night, and its Sex Dust is the adaptogen powder aimed at hormones and libido. On the collagen side, Par Olive's Pearl Marine Collagen Superpowder comes unflavoured or in organic coconut, which fits a smoothie. Shore Magic's Collagen Powder comes as a 30 day supply, which is a pleasant way to set a month-long test. Revive Collagen's Original Liquid Collagen Drink is for people who would rather drink it than stir it, and Arrae's Clear Protein+ Dairy Free Protein and Electrolyte Blend Variety Pack is the one to keep in a gym bag. Uqora's Flush Advanced+ Urinary Tract Drink Mix is the specialist pick.

Collagen powder in the morning coffee and a magnesium drink at night make two small habits, one at each end of the day.

What I would skip: adding a powder to a routine you cannot keep up. A pretty jar that nobody opens is no better than an empty shelf.

Use HUM the way Lind ran his experiment: change one thing, then look. Pick the formula that matches your actual problem, take it consistently for a couple of months, and keep notes. I like that approach because it keeps you honest about what is working.

Nothing here replaces a doctor, and acne that needed Accutane needs a dermatologist more than a capsule. Keep the list short, read the labels, and ask a professional if you are pregnant, nursing or on medication. Lind had twelve sailors and a few lemons. You have a bathroom shelf and a bit of patience.