I had my genes analyzed for ‘precision wellness.’ Here’s how it went.

Test kit for Imagene Lab’s product suite called Ori.

It takes surprisingly long to fill a plastic tube with spit. Finally, I’m ready to put the lid on the tube and slide it into an envelope that comes with the test kit.

It’s my first personal DNA test, and I’m doing it with Singapore startup Imagene Labs.

Once the startup has analyzed my genetic code – it takes two to three weeks – I will receive personalized wellness recommendations: What foods to avoid, what products are good for my skin, and how I should exercise.

“Precision wellness” is how Imagene Labs director Jia Yi Har describes her work.

Personal DNA tests became popular in the US with companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com, who tell you about your genetic heritage. The results are mostly fun discoveries – perhaps you have an unexpected strand of Native American ancestry in your family tree.

Imagene Labs takes it further. Its main product, Ori, is a DNA testing platform and subscription business in one. Once Ori knows the genetic properties of your skin, digestive tract, and muscle tissue, it concocts tailor-made products that you can have shipped to your home.

The skin serum comes in a slender white bottle with your name on it. This stuff is made to perfectly balance your skin type.

Then there’s a food supplement, a mixture of granules in different shades of green. It contains nutrients and vitamins which your body tends to lack due to genetic predispositions, all in the right percentage.

“The exercise you have to do yourself,” says Reza Harith, who joined Imagene’s team after working as a brand manager at a fitness studio chain.

The Ori results come with exercise recommendations, put together by fitness experts based on what your DNA says about your muscle growth capacity, metabolism, and other factors.

Ori’s products: A skin care serum and food supplement.

Price drop

Extreme personalization

No going back