Dual-Chamber Supplement Bottle Makes North American Debut

A new liquid supplement provides stress relief, with a twist. Ingredients supplier Next Pharmaceuticals (Salinas, CA) has partnered with packaging creator Amerigo Laboratories (Lenexa, KS) to launch relaxation supplement Amazing 1-Shot with Relora in a dual-chamber bottle that keeps dry, active ingredients separate from liquid contents until the moment of use.

The New Shaker, as the bottle model is called, is an updated version of packaging that first debuted in Italy in the early 1980s, explains Ralph Maser, CEO of Amerigo Laboratories. The patented New Shaker launched in 1998 and, while the packaging is currently more popular in Europe, it has never been sold in North America, until now.

The single-use, four-piece package includes a chamber in the bottle’s cap to store the dry, active-ingredient powder prior to use. The customer simply presses down while unscrewing the bottle’s cap until a safety-ring snaps. Then, the plug and plunger feature within the cap releases the powder ingredients into the liquid.

Maser says that this design helps keep dry functional ingredients as stable and fresh as possible, preventing degradation of active ingredients. The bottle is available in sizes ranging from 5 to 60 ml.

The companies say that providing a liquid-form supplement was important to ensure ease of use, especially for consumers who have difficulty swallowing pills and capsules, as well as effectiveness.

The supplement itself contains Next Pharmaceuticals’ Relora ingredient, a proprietary blend of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense. The ingredient has been shown to reduce symptoms associated with stress-such as nervous tension, irritability, sleeplessness, and difficulty concentrating-in a non-sedative manner. Mechanisms of action include lowering morning levels of cortisol and increasing salivary DHEA. Studies have shown that Relora can help manage stress-related eating and thus aid weight management.

Additionally, the product contains cognitive-enhancing, stress-relieving ingredients such as Bacopa monnieri, Eluthero root, L-theanine, and a mix of B, C, and E vitamins.

The benefits of advanced packaging like the New Shaker comes at a cost, but the companies are hoping that the benefits it provides will differentiate the product. “The greatest objection consumers will have with our single-dose supplements is the cost. It will always be less expensive to make a tablet or capsule than a solution. That is why we feel it is important to explain how our single-dose solutions will provide a healthier impact than the same ingredients in any other dosage form,” the product’s website states. Maser says that in the European market, the differentiation the New Shaker provides has improved sales for “stagnant or declining” products.

And there may be formulation benefits, as well. “With our packaging, we can also add non-water soluble ingredients that previously could only be offered in tablet or capsule form,” the website states. The packaging simply provides more opportunity to combine a multitude of ingredients and ingredient types with the liquid delivery format, Maser adds.

Maser says that innovative packaging like the New Shaker is especially important in the dietary supplements market-and even the cosmetic market-where many products appear similar. “Traction is growing due to companies like ours wanting to differentiate our product line from anything in the supplement or cosmetic industry,” he says.

Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine jennifer.grebow@ubm.com