Introduction
Supplements are constantly increasing in popularity due to their role in delivering essential nutrients and complementing a healthy, balanced diet.
One of the aspects of supplements that can be more difficult to understand is ingredient purity. On a base level, ingredient purity is the percentage of the supplement that is made up of the active ingredient (e.g. the amount of magnesium in magnesium citrate).
In this blog we will look into how ingredient purity can impact supplement quality, costs, effectiveness and consumer choice.
What is ingredient purity in supplements?
In all dietary supplement ingredients there is an active ingredient. This is the ingredient which provides a specific desired benefit to the person consuming it.
Many active ingredients are found in compounds, rather than just the active ingredient on its own. The ingredient purity is a ratio or percentage of the active ingredient within the compound.
For example, in magnesium citrate, only a portion of the compound is truly magnesium, the rest is citrate.
For this reason it is important for brands to consider the exact amount of the active ingredient in their formulas, rather than just the total amount of the compound.
If you want your supplement to have a benefit which is connected to a certain quantity of an ingredient, then the active ingredient is going to need to meet that quantity.
Sticking with magnesium citrate as an example, there could be a magnesium citrate with a purity of 16%. In this case, 1000mg of the magnesium citrate would only provide 160mg of magnesium. If you want your supplement to contain more than 160mg of magnesium without being more than 1000mg overall, then you may need to look into other purities.
How ingredient purity affects supplement efficacy
The effectiveness of a supplement can largely depend on the amount of the active ingredients that it delivers. This means that including higher purity ingredients often leads to better absorption and effectiveness, although this may not always be the case.
Not only that, but the dosage can also be greatly influenced by the purity of ingredients. Using higher purity ingredients could be the difference between your customers having to take 1 capsule per day and 3 capsules per day for the exact same effect!
Another point to be aware of is that bioavailability can be affected by purity as well. This varies from ingredient to ingredient, but some forms of active ingredients are easier for the body to process.
Be aware that an ingredient being a higher purity does not necessarily mean it has a higher bioavailability. If you have specific questions on bioavailability, make sure you consult a qualified nutritionist.
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How ingredient purity impacts supplement brands
1. Formulation
Purity is a vital consideration at the formulation stages as it can affect both the effectiveness and the price. Different forms of ingredients will be sold at different price points, with the higher purity versions often being more expensive.
Purity can also have a significant effect on the capsule fill of the supplement. If you are struggling to fit your desired dose into a single capsule, research whether a higher purity option exists. The higher the purity, the more of the active ingredient will be present in the same amount of space.
Close communication with your formulator is key in getting the supplement to meet your requirements for effectiveness, dose and price. Make sure to keep this conversation open and to give as much information as possible. By doing so you will reduce both the cost and frustration of the process.
2. Marketing
Depending on the choices you make, it may be possible to leverage ingredient purity as a marketing point to attract health-conscious consumers. Usually this will be down to effectiveness and dosage size, but your message is up to you. Make sure that you fully understand the properties of your supplements. Be careful not to make incorrect or exaggerated claims in your marketing in order to avoid legislative action against you.
Speaking of legislation, it is important to be aware of supplement requirements for any supplement product, regardless of purity. For more information on general legislative requirements, see our blog on the subject.
3. Testing
In order to keep the industry performing to a high standard, and to protect the health of supplement consumers, third party testing is an important part of supplement manufacture. Ingredients will be tested to ensure that they are meeting the purity levels that they are advertising so that safety can be maintained.
When making claims about supplement purity and effectiveness brands will be held to the standard of products that they advertise. This applies to all marketing material, including the labels of the supplements themselves. You should be careful of this, and ensure that your supplement does what you are saying it will. If, for example, you were selling a supplement which was not effectively providing what you claim, then your reputation as a brand would decline and the business would suffer as a result.
In our opinion, it is always a good idea to strive for the best quality that you can so that you can stand behind your product and be confident in its effectiveness.
Conclusion
While ingredient purity can initially feel like a daunting topic, you should now be well versed in what it means and what you should consider when formulating and marketing your supplements.
Health-conscious buyers are becoming more and more educated when it comes to what they consume, and supplements are no exception. Make sure that you are delivering the ingredients that are right for your customers’ expectations, and consider purity when formulating and costing your supplements.
For more information on what you should include on your supplement labels, check out this blog.
Alternatively, if you would like to better understand what a supplement extract is, then find out here.
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