Formulation: how best to choose your ingredients

Selection of active ingredients is the cornerstone of a successful formulation. In this article, discover our tips as manufacturing experts for developing innovative formulations by choosing ingredients that meet not only consumer expectations, particularly as regards naturalness, but also the technical expertise and efficiency required to stand out in an increasingly competitive market.

Knowing which ingredients consumers prefer

Today’s consumers are increasingly aware, well-informed and demanding. They are looking for “clean label” products. This clean and attractive labelling can be backed by a list of natural, eco-responsible and sustainable ingredients.

Obtained from local sourcing

Whether you want to develop a formulation for a dietary product or dietary supplement, sourcing is the first stage where you can make a difference. Prioritise local sourcing with “made in France” or “made in Europe” labels as far as possible; they meet the ecological challenges of reducing the carbon footprint, in addition to traceability and quality requirements.

Natural ingredients

Natural is all the rage! According to Mintel, consumers prefer to buy products designed with minimally processed natural ingredients. 

For example, natural vitamins and minerals should be favoured over their synthetic counterparts as far as possible. To this end, ask your formulator to choose vitamin C obtained from acerola extract, vitamin B9 from spinach, vitamin B12 from shiitake fungus, or marine-origin magnesium. 

The same logic must be applied to colourants. Nature offers a beautiful colour palette through natural colourants which, moreover, have antioxidant properties. Examples include purple beetroot powder, orange turmeric powder and deep blue phycocyanin. Using these colourants means that lists of ingredients can be free from E numbers.

The same applies to natural flavourings. The word “natural” combined with these flavourings is a true guarantee of the flavouring agent’s naturalness, and a real plus on the labelling.

Stevia, for instance, is an excellent example of a natural sweetener. It gives your formulations a sweet flavour without the addition of synthetic sweeteners such as sucrose or acesulfame K. 

Certified ingredients

Organic products show continuous market growth. It may be a good idea to choose organic ingredients so that you can feature the much-valued “AB” or “certified organic” logo on your packaging.

Furthermore, vegan formulations continue to grow apace. At JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT, we offer customers who are developing products positioned for vegetarians or vegans plant-based proteins such as soya, peas and rice.

Using technical and effective ingredients

Innovative health ingredients

Our customers are looking for clean label, effective formulas with innovative ingredients. As part of its continuous innovation approach, JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT has launched “turnkey product concepts” with ingredient supplier partners. In the field of eco-designed products, the idea is to highlight premium ingredients with sourcing backed by scientific studies or with proven effectiveness.
An example of this is our development of a sports recovery shot made using Kaneka ubiquinol. This sports-oriented concept won over our customer NONINU, who used it for their brand’s Ubiquinol Recovery Shot. We will continue developing our turnkey product concepts, because they clearly demonstrate our capacity for innovation.

JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT has also developed a “beauty concept”: Beauty Juice. This ready-to-drink dietary supplement includes a superstar ingredient in a fruit juice base: Lipowheat, combined with marine collagen, lycopene and vitamins A, C and E. Lipowheat is the beauty active ingredient developed by Robertet Group. This plant-based ingredient is rich in wheat phytoceramides and aims at skin beauty. It targets hydration and anti-ageing action. Our customers can launch this turnkey concept, which can also serve as a basis for your formulations. 

Ingredients backed by science

JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT recommends that when selecting your ingredients, you check that they have robust scientific endorsement. For each of the ingredients in your formula, you should prepare:

• its literature references 

• the clinical studies available

• its technical datasheet

These documents add to your knowledge of the ingredients in your product, and bring a scientific approach to bear on selecting them.

Bioavailable ingredients

Still focusing on the qualitative angle of a formulation, you can assess the bioavailability of each ingredient and the synergy of ingredients in the formula. As regards minerals, for example, prioritise forms that are easily absorbed, such as zinc glycinate, potassium citrate or selenomethionine.

Ingredients that comply with current regulations

In addition to formula effectiveness, consideration must also be given to the regulatory status of each ingredient it contains. We suggest that you scrutinise the plants in food supplements carefully: check that your extracts are listed in the French Plants Decree. If they bear a claim, it must be usable under EFSA.

How does JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT reference its ingredients?

JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT designs your dietary and sports nutrition products, and your dietary supplements too. Read on to find out about our methods for selecting the ingredients we offer our customers, and our eco-responsible approach.

Our sourcing and referencing methods

Reliable sourcing

Each time a new ingredient is listed at JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT, we ask our suppliers for a comprehensive and rigorous “quality” documentation package.

We check the origin of production of the ingredient, its place of manufacture, and absence of allergens and contaminants. Our regulatory background enables us to validate the compliance of this information.

Smart and sustainable referencing

At JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT, we want to build a relationship based on transparency and trust with our suppliers, who vouch for the information they provide. 

We also prefer to work with committed suppliers who share our ethical, sustainable approach. Our relationship with suppliers is thus based on proximity and familiarity with each other, achieved through visits or regular reviews.

Our ethical and responsible approach

At JLB DÉVELOPPEMENT, the way we source ingredients demonstrates our impeccable ethics and the fact that we are a responsible, committed company. Our holding ISO 22000 certification for managing referencing and development bears particular witness to this.

From sourcing ingredients to manufacturing, our mission is to support our customers in designing increasingly virtuous products.