SupplySide West: Maca Ingredient for Natural Libido, Sex Health

Naturex (Avignon, France) debuted Macador, a new, branded maca (Lepidium meyenii) ingredient for sexual performance. After only two weeks on Macador, subjects in a pilot human study experienced significant improvements in libido compared to placebo, the company reported at SupplySide West.

Naturex’s R&D director, Antoine Bily, suggests that there is a shorter response time with Macador compared to other science-backed, libido-boosting ingredients on the market.

Macador is the first maca extract to be standardized to amino acids, the company claims. “Amino acids are markers that help us to guarantee we provide constant quality from one batch to another. They are also part of the full spectrum of actives that play a role in the overall efficacy of Macador for libido,” Bily explained via press release.

Plus, Macador benefits from Naturex’s decades of experience producing and sourcing maca from Peru and its sustainable sourcing methods, the company pointed it. Naturex said the sexual health market is “niche” but confirms category growth, citing a 14% growth rate worldwide, according to 2013 numbers from Euromonitor. “[It] is one of the most dynamic categories in the U.S. food supplement market,” the company said.

Maca is purported to have aphrodisiac effects, as well as benefits for sperm quality.

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

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