How does consumer preference of flavor and formula affect the development of supplements?
It is important for nutricosmetics and other supplement brand founders to pack as much collagen, vitamins, and other nutrients into the formula. But the consumer’s taste has to be part of the equation: What kind of ingredients, flavors, and textures do consumers recognize, and how far might they be willing to go out on a limb to try new ingredients? Freelance beauty editor Mara Santilli hosted Kindroot founder Alisa Pospekhova to discuss the origin of the supplement brand and the development process of getting the products out to consumers.
Alisa shared part of the inspiration behind creating her line of adaptogenic (that is, derived from herbal substances that can help support homeostasis in the body) supplement lozenges. She had been dealing with respiratory issues and immune health difficulties for years, and consequently would keep both lozenges and a variety of supplement powders with her whenever she traveled for work. After being questioned by TSA for bringing along her supplement powders, Alisa wondered, what if there was a way to combine her go-to lozenges with herbal remedies that could have nutritional benefits, taste good, and be easy to travel with or carry in a bag?
From there, the idea for Kindroot was born. Alisa worked for a few years with a candy scientist to perfect the formula, flavor, and texture of the lozenges. Because they wanted to focus on ingredients that would feel familiar to consumers, they decided to pair an adaptogenic herb with a vitamin of citrus flavour that consumers would be familiar with and enjoy. This took months of testing out the right flavor and texture to manufacture their top three best-selling products, Defend, Mood, and Snooze, and even some work on reformulating a couple of other formulas in order to re-release them with new, more potent, on-trend ingredients later. According to Alisa, nutricosmetics and supplement companies often rely on sales data and consumer feedback on texture and flavor, in order to then revisit and perfect their formulas.
Brands that sell nutricosmetics have been able to similarly focus on flavor, thanks to VELIOUS™ Masking Technology, a powerful tool of taste masking. At the end of the day, consumers are driven by the taste of a product. Formulations that are beneficial to your health, skin, and also taste good have a big advantage on the market. While powders that need to be mixed in water, can sometimes feel tedious to drink, collagen shots are eclipsing them in the beauty and wellness industry. They are convenient to travel with, tasty and can be a great way to nourish dry skin on-the-go, caused by drying airplane cabin air.
Alisa’s focus on flavor and convenience of the Kindroot product line has led to success. Kindroot has partnered with a company called XWELL, which operates airport XPress Spas and Treat boutique and wellness centers within major U.S. international airports.
With the popularity of wellness travel and consumers searching to promote their beauty from within on-the-go, the nutricosmetics airport market is growing too. Confirming the latter, Kindroot has received very positive feedback from travelers who were looking for a wellness boost at the airports and found it in their products.
Is your brand joining your clients on their travels?
