First is SELECTION. Ingredients must pass specific criteria for effectiveness, suitability for formulation, and consumer safety before they are selected for use in a product. Nu Skin works with experts and raw material suppliers around the world to gather both historical and new scientific insights about the unique ingredients within our products.

Now let’s look at an example of the SELECTION step in a product, ProBio PCC. Studies have shown that probiotics are beneficial for the human body, particularly the digestive tract. For ProBio PCC, we selected a unique strain called Lactobacillus fermentum PCC that met our criteria of pH survival (ability to survive the acidic pH of gastric juices and bile), intestinal colonization (ability to colonize in the gut), identity, and dosing. The Lactobacillus fermentum PCC strain was also selected for its good stability over the shelf life of the product; ProBio PCC has a clinically effective dose of the probiotic at the end of the shelf life.

The second S is SOURCING. Once an ingredient has been selected for use in a product, Nu Skin scientists investigate potential commercial sources that can guarantee availability, quality, and concentration of key ingredient components. Nu Skin evaluates these raw material sources to ensure quality and suitability for product formulation and monitors active ingredient concentration when applicable. An excellent example of SOURCING in a product is ReishiMax. In nature, the reishi mushroom grows on the sides of trees and stumps in the densely wooded mountains of southeast China. To capture the same quality found in nature, Pharmanex uses a solid wood log cultivation process under carefully controlled conditions, including low light and high humidity, to create our high-quality reishi extract in ReishiMax. Additionally, ReishiMax only utilizes red reishi, which produces the highest quality extract out of the hundreds of species of reishi.

The third S is SPECIFICATION. Nu Skin selects what we believe are the safest compounds and highest quality ingredients to incorporate into our formulas. Nu Skin sets specifications to provide a basis for active compounds, ingredients, and criteria for finished products. These criteria help establish ingredient standards and provide specific characteristics to guide consistent manufacturing. Where appropriate, Nu Skin products are carefully analyzed, to not only identify the active components, but to ensure consistent manufacturing and product quality.

Tegreen 97 is a great example of SPECIFICATION in action. Using state-of-the-art analytical techniques, we conduct structural analysis of the natural compounds in our green tea extract. Tegreen specifications state that it must have 97% polyphenols and 65% catechins, which are a specific type of polyphenol present in green tea that provides antioxidant protection in cells. Stay tuned for part two of this series, which will go through the last three of the six S’s in the 6S Quality Process!

Written by:

Rebecca Major

Technical Communication & Education Manager

Pharmanex