BetterYou’s New Product Developer Keeley Berry is talking all about the creation of
supplements and getting to the bottom of some common questions surrounding dietary
supplements.
Hi Keeley, thanks for taking the time to talk with me today. Let’s start with this —
What is BetterYou’s backstory?
BetterYou was founded by Andrew Thomas in 2006 and was the first company in the world to develop a topically applied magnesium spray as well as nutritional oral sprays – and we’ve been pioneering product development in this area ever since.
What do you love about being part of the BetterYou team?
I love that we’re a tight knit team and can rely on all departments to pull together to deliver new products and make a success of them. Everyone works extremely hard to make concepts and ideas become a reality. No two days are the same, and it’s great to always have a challenge to work on.
What is New Product development? — And can you give the reader a brief idea of the process that goes into creating the products we see on our shelves
New Product Development is mainly about bringing new ideas for products to the table and seeing them right through from concept to production and launch. It relies on multiple departments as the process progresses, and it really is a team effort every step of the way. Even though I’m part of NPD, it’s not just new products we create. We also look after our existing lines to see what improvements can be made over time, mainly guided by what our customers want and need from a product. We also look at line extensions so that we can offer a product to suit all our customers needs and reach a wider audience, especially as we branch out globally.
For NPD, it starts out as a simple idea which we research heavily to make sure we’re
creating products that are efficacious and safe, first and foremost. Then we look at whether there’s a gap in the market for that type of product, and what we can do to make it innovative and improve on what is already in the marketplace. We start to put the ideas together to build a formulation and make samples of the product. Once we’re happy with a formulation, we do lots of testing to make sure its stable, compatible with the packaging and that it’s safe to use. Once those tests have been completed and we’re happy, we can look to produce that product at our manufacturers.
You stock a transdermal magnesium range. Can you share what this means, how it works and the need for these products?
Magnesium is a vital nutrient that is needed by the body for over 300 chemical reactions. It is also one of the most overlooked nutrients, which can lead to deficiency. Magnesium Chloride contained in our transdermal products travels down the hair follicles into the deeper layers of the skin, where it meets a network of blood vessels. The magnesium can then absorb into the bloodstream. Magnesium deficiency can cause symptoms such as muscle cramping, so applying a transdermal magnesium product can help provide on-the-go relief by relaxing the muscle and help prevent future cramps by keeping magnesium levels up.
Is it possible to create other transdermal minerals and vitamins?
BetterYou have spent several years researching into the efficacy of transdermal magnesium and making sure it passes through the skin as intended. As of last year, we branched out our transdermal range to include our Magnesium Bone Lotion which includes calcium. Following research with Cardiff University, results showed that calcium can also travel transdermally so it’s entirely possible that other vitamins and minerals have the same potential – we just haven’t tested it yet.
With regard to your IntraOral sprays — what does this mean and how does
this method compare to tablet or capsule supplementation?
Intraoral sprays offer an alternative to traditional tablets and capsules when it comes to
supplementation. It allows us to create products for those that may struggle to swallow
tablets such as infants, children and the elderly, and for those that have trouble absorbing nutrients in the gut due to age or a health condition. We carry out research to make sure our nutrients pass through the buccal membrane in the mouth, to make sure that they can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Research that universities and organisations have done on our behalf have been able to demonstrate that uptake of vitamin D via oral spray is higher compared to absorption through the digestive tract.
Why do you focus on specific vitamins such as b12 and vitamin D? Can you disclose and plans for new products?
Historically we’ve looked at single nutrients that can have serious consequences on the
body when deficient but can easily be corrected through supplementation. Now we’re
starting to see a movement of personalised nutrition and condition-specific supplementation. Going forward, we’re looking to provide products that help to support a life stage or ailment rather than an A-Z vitamin and mineral offering.
Can you share your opinions on some of these common statements used when
discussing supplementation:
1) “Supplements interact with drugs in a negative way”
All supplements, whether over the counter or prescribed can interact with other things we consume whether it’s other drugs or the food in our diet. It’s important to always consult a nutritionist or a GP, particularly if you are taking prescribed drugs, to make sure that there are no interactions that could be harmful.
2) “Dietary supplements are unregulated”
Whilst there are some brands out there that don’t test their products to make sure they’re safe and delivering on their label claims, it’s important to find the brands that do offer that. We’re a member of the HFMA which offer legal guidance on the dietary supplement industry, and they also help us to make sure we’re putting the correct things on our packaging. All our formulations go through testing to make sure they’re safe, compatible, and delivering the quantities of vitamin and minerals that we are advertising. Some brands may cut corners; however we would never put a product out there that we didn’t believe in. We also use a GMP approved manufacturer to assure that exceptional quality is met every single time.
3) “All supplements are the same quality”
Unfortunately, not all supplements are the same quality. Sources of the vitamins and
minerals will differ depending on the supplier, and quality of a final product will vary
depending on manufacturer housekeeping. We use a highly regulated GMP facility to
maintain quality standards and safety, which not all brands will use depending on their own clients requirements. We do many in-depth checks to make sure the sources of our products are safe and credible, which is why our magnesium range focusses around the Zechstein Seabed source.
4) “If I eat a good diet, I don’t need supplements”
We would never recommend substituting a good, balanced diet over supplements however due to several factors including over-farming of soils, lifestyle, the rise in malabsorption and digestive conditions and age, it becomes harder and harder to meet the nutritional demand our body’s need. Supplements should provide a bridge to help plug the gaps in nutrition and health which will vary amongst individuals. We’re also seeing a rise in veganism and vegetarianism, which can leave people open to deficiency as they reduce their food groups.
If you enjoyed learning about dietary supplements head over to the BetterYou website
to check out their product range!