'I’m a Formulator’

A fictional account of a TV show featuring product formulators with no true formulation experience.

ByAnthony Almada, B.Sc., M. Sc.

Introduction to the show:

You too can formulate dietary supplements and functional foods—with little or no training. Even if you have never studied nutrition science, intellectual property and regulatory law…

Host welcomes and interviews guests:

Host: “Good morning and welcome to another episode of ‘I’m A Formulator’—bringing you the creators behind the leading edge of nutraceutical products. Today we are privileged to host the formulators behind HyGene and Nudea. I’m your host, Stephen Spurius. Let’s bring on our first guest! Sandi Gilford has studied nutrition and health for more than 15 years, is an award-winning colon therapist, and even worked on an organic echinacea farm. In 2006 she formulated HyGene, the leading gut and immune dietary supplement in specialty retail stores in the USA. Sandi, welcome to ‘I’m A Formulator!’”

Sandi: “Thank you Stephen. It is an honor to be on your show!”

Host: “So Sandi, like many of our past guests, you have no formal academic training in nutrition science and have never worked in a nutraceutical products company. So how did you formulate HyGene?”

Sandi: “Stephen, formulating is easy but applying creativity and instinct to formulation, that’s the rare essence absent in so many nutraceutical products today. You are correct, I don’t have any formal academic training in nutrition but I have read hundreds of books and attended dozens of seminars. Through performing hundreds of colonics I found a surprising link—my greatest number of clients came to me during cold and flu season. Then it clicked: there has to be a connection between colon health and immune health. So I combined botanical gut detoxifiers and gentle fibers with a unique echinacea species blend—all grown at a farm near the Washington coast, and harvested only during a low tide. I gave it to some friends and my favorite clients, and the feedback I received was magical!”

Host: “A fantastic story, Sandi. You have redefined ‘open innovation.’ Were you concerned over the possibility of your formulation infringing on any patents or patents pending in the USA or from international applications?”

Sandi: “Gee, Stephen, that never crossed my mind. But we’ve been on the market for 14 months and we haven’t received any un­friendly letters from attorneys—I guess we’re ok!”

Host: “Thank you so much for sharing, Sandi. We’ll come back to you shortly. Our next formulator is Nevin Douglass. Nevin is a secondary school physical education teacher in Idaho—for the past 17 years. He was born in Croatia and moved to Idaho when he was 11. Nevin is the man behind Nudea, a revolutionary weight loss snack food. Nevin, welcome!”

Nevin: “Thank you so much, Stephen. It is a privilege and honor to be here with you, Sandi, and your web audience.”

Host: “Nevin, how did you come up with this formula? It’s been buzzing on direct response TV since early January, and there appears to be no stopping its growth.”

Nevin: “I did study anatomy and physiology for my physical education degree. I’ve never really been selective about diet, and the only supplement I take is a multivitamin. The genesis of Nudea was ME! A few years ago I was 25 pounds heavier, a PE teacher out of shape and in despair. I called my mother, who is Croatian by birth, and she commented on a picture of me—that I looked ‘big.’ She suggested that I make some Croatian snack bars, like her mother used to, with a special green fruit unique to Croatia. So I got some fruits from my relatives, baked up the bars according to the recipe, and used them in place of my breakfast. And like crimping a garden hose, my appetite was cut off. I started to look good without my clothes on so I called it Nudea—to help you look good in the nude.”

Host: “TV advertising is risky for making weight loss claims. Do you have any solid evidence behind the product, showing it confers a benefit above diet and exercise?”

Nevin: “We have a trailer full of unsolicited testimonials, life-changing before and after pictures, and thousands of believers. We did do a focus group study and got fantastic results. We are considering sponsoring a study at a university later this year. But Nudea just works!” NW