About Citruslabs
What is Citruslabs? Citruslabs is a clinical research organization founded in 2018 by Susanne Mitschke and Patrick Renner. We design and run consumer perception studies, single-arm clinical studies, and randomized controlled trials for consumer health brands — supplements, skincare, pet health, biotech, functional foods — and translate the results into marketing-ready, regulator-reviewed product claims. Headquartered in New York, we have run more than 600 studies for brands across 20+ countries.
Citruslabs started with a simple belief: every health and wellness brand deserves access to real clinical evidence — not just the billion-dollar pharma companies.
Our story
The wellness industry was a $5 trillion market built on a foundation of "trust us" instead of "here's the data."
Before Citruslabs, our founders built MindMate — the world-leading Alzheimer's and dementia app, used by millions of patients and caregivers. Building a healthcare product taught us something painful: the gap between clinical research and the consumer health world was enormous.
Pharma companies had armies of researchers, regulatory teams, and multi-year budgets. Consumer health brands had nothing. Supplement companies, skincare brands, functional food startups — they were making claims based on borrowed ingredient data, competitor studies, or nothing at all.
So we built Citruslabs — a full-service CRO designed specifically for the brands that traditional CROs ignore. Faster, more affordable, technology-first. Not a watered-down version of pharma research, but purpose-built clinical evidence for consumer brands who need real data to compete, convert, and grow.
Since 2015, we've completed over 300 clinical studies across supplements, skincare, biotech, pet health, medical devices, and longevity. Our clients range from bootstrapped DTC founders to publicly traded CPG companies. The thread that connects them: they all believe their products deserve better than borrowed data.
Before Citruslabs, our founding team built MindMate, the world’s leading Alzheimer’s app. They’ve been named Forbes 30 Under 30 twice.
CEO & Co-Founder
Drives the vision and strategy behind Citruslabs. Previously co-founded MindMate, growing it to millions of users worldwide. Passionate about making clinical research accessible to every brand, not just big pharma.
Forbes 30 Under 30
COO & Co-Founder
Leads operations and client delivery. Built the decentralized trial infrastructure that lets Citruslabs run studies 3–5× faster than traditional CROs. Obsessed with making the study experience effortless for brands.
Forbes 30 Under 30
CTO & Co-Founder
Architects the technology platform powering Citruslabs — from the participant database and ePRO system to the real-time study monitoring dashboard. Previously built the technology stack behind MindMate.
Forbes 30 Under 30
We’re not a traditional CRO that bolted on a “consumer division.” We were built from day one for brands like yours.
Most studies launch within 2 weeks and deliver results in 8–16 weeks. Traditional CROs take 12–24 months. Our decentralized infrastructure and 250K+ participant database eliminate the two biggest bottlenecks: recruitment and site coordination.
We designed our pricing for DTC brands, not Fortune 500 pharma. Our studies cost 70–85% less than traditional CROs — without compromising on scientific rigor, IRB oversight, or data quality. No hidden fees, no change orders.
Real-time study dashboards, automated ePRO collection, digital consent, wearable integrations, and Slack-based communication. You see your study progressing in real-time — no more waiting for monthly status calls.
You own 100% of your study data, statistical analyses, and resulting IP. Use it in marketing, retail pitches, investor decks, patent filings, or scientific publications. We have zero claim to your data or any IP derived from it.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards. Every protocol, every dataset, every deliverable reflects our commitment to scientific rigor.
We do more with less. Our decentralized approach, technology automation, and creative problem-solving deliver enterprise results at startup speed.
We own our commitments. Timelines, budgets, quality — when we say we'll deliver, we deliver. No excuses, no hidden change orders.
You're not a study number. Whether you're a solo founder or a public company, you get the same white-glove attention and dedicated project management.
The Citruslabs Tested Seal is awarded to products that have completed a clinical study with us. It signals to consumers, retailers, and investors that your product's claims are backed by real evidence — not borrowed data or ingredient studies.
Brands use it on product packaging, Amazon listings, retail shelf talkers, advertising, and investor decks. It's a visual shorthand for "this product has been clinically tested."
As seen in: Forbes, TechCrunch, Inc., Business Insider, Nasdaq
Let’s talk about your product, your goals, and how clinical evidence can help you grow. No pitch decks, just a real conversation.
We started Citruslabs because consumer brands were stuck choosing between expensive pharma-style trials they couldn't afford and ingredient research they didn't run. Real clinical evidence on your actual formulation, priced for a brand and shipped in weeks instead of years — that's the gap we built the company to close.
— Susanne Mitschke, CEO and co-founder, Citruslabs