Meeting Louise Lagendijk, founder of The Core - a new vision of holistic care
By Ninon L'HOSTIS
Have we entered a new era for food supplements? At The Core, doctor Louise Lagendijk reinvents them in an ultra-practical spray version. After prestigious medical studies at Harvard, she specialized in women's health, a long-neglected area of the profession. Through her appointments with patients, she developed products tailored to their needs, custom formulations based on vitamins and magnesium. From doctor to entrepreneur, Louise serves women by supporting them daily through the different periods of their lives. Recently arrived at The Care, The Core highlights holistic beauty with a sleek range of food supplements. We meet its founder.
The genesis of The Core
Like many brands, The Core was born first and foremost from a personal observation by its founder, Louise Lagendijk. Freshly graduated, Louise settled in Amsterdam in 2018 and opened her integrative medicine practice, a type of medicine that considers the individual as a whole. Combining personalized techniques, Western, and integrative medicine, Louise decided to exclusively treat women. Over the sessions, her expertise grew, and a clear focus emerged: "In my practice, I constantly observed the same thing: women who were not taken seriously, ignored symptoms, and food supplements that simply didn't work." The idea of creating her own products then germinated in her mind. In addition to her work as a healthcare professional, Louise is also committed to the cause with the creation of The Conscious Doctor Collective, an international network of doctors specializing in integrative medicine.
Louise Lagendijk places prevention at the heart of her approach. A vision she has always applied to her daily life. "In my own life, I place great importance on prevention by performing regular health check-ups, consulting various practitioners, and doing seasonal detox cures. It's about listening to your body from the start and staying balanced," she explains. While The Core focuses on prevention, the brand also combines utility with pleasure through its sleek design and sober colors. "I think a lot about what we do from the moment we wake up until we fall asleep, and the impact of these small rituals on the body and mind. The products therefore had to reflect this: streamlined, minimalist, aesthetic, refillable, and easy to use wherever you are."
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The renewal of food supplements
Gone are the hard-to-swallow pills and powders; The Core reinvents the form of food supplements with innovative formulations. "Tablets are simply not ideal. They often contain excipients, are not optimally absorbed, and many people don't like taking them. Tablets can contain up to 50% fillers and have relatively low absorption rates (often less than 10%)," the doctor explains. Thus, with the oral spray, the formulation bypasses the digestive system and acts more effectively on our system.
For now, The Core offers only two products, including the magnesium body spray called The Core Calm Mist. Designed to relieve physical and mental tension, it is enriched with calming plants (chamomile, arnica, fig) and 30% magnesium chloride. Louise explains how she uses it: "Personally, I use it in the evening as part of my relaxation routine. I spray it on the soles of my feet, which becomes a very soothing and grounding ritual before sleeping. It is believed that spraying magnesium on the feet promotes better absorption, as the skin there is thin and rich in sweat glands, allowing water-soluble minerals like magnesium to be absorbed more easily." In our fast-paced lifestyles where anxiety is omnipresent, magnesium is an excellent stress modulator.
In addition to this, there are two complementary sprays, Essential Vitamins, with one bottle for day and one for night. Their compositions are natural, a sustainable commitment intrinsic to the founder's values: "Our extensive Research and Development department ensures the exclusive use of highly bioavailable and active ingredients. We use patented ingredients when possible, and each ingredient has a specific purpose," Louise explains. Free of synthetic fragrances and dyes, The Core oral sprays thus compensate for the deficiencies of modern life and improve our days.
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Louise Lagendijk's beauty routine
On a daily basis, Louise tries to reconcile her multiple roles as an entrepreneur, woman, and mother. "I don't believe in perfect balance. It's more about being attentive and adapting. Some days, I focus mainly on my work, others more on my family. And it's about creating routines that support you rather than overwhelming you," she explains. Regarding her beauty routine, Louise Lagendijk prioritizes her feelings, her instinct. "I sincerely believe that the body constantly sends signals, and that symptoms should not be suppressed, but understood. Similarly, creating moments of calm, or even organizing an annual retreat or a break to recenter, can be extremely effective in reconnecting with oneself," she elaborates.
Enjoying simple moments, slowing down, taking time to find oneself. Natural principles often forgotten in our contemporary lifestyles. Louise focuses on simplicity, on movement and self-understanding. Could this not be the key to beauty? Her routine is not calculated but adapts to her desires of the day. The goal is not to impose anything on herself to be in total harmony with her inner self. "I always try to move in the morning, even if it's only 10 to 20 minutes: Pilates, yoga, or sometimes just shaking my body for a few minutes and then lying still, hands placed on my body," she states. She adds: "My skincare routine is minimal, but sun protection is essential. For me, what really matters is regularity and connection with my body." It is only logical for Louise to listen to herself. The same goes for her definition of beauty, which aptly concludes this holistic encounter: "For me, beauty is how you feel in your body. When our energy is stable, our skin is soothed, and our nervous system is balanced, it naturally shows."
Next step for The Core? Louise reveals her upcoming new products, always dedicated to women's health: "From our NAD+ SPF30 facial mist – Skin Longevity Mist to sprays targeting hormones for PMS and menopause symptoms, as well as other innovations, everything we create is designed to support women in a simple, intuitive, and effective way."
