Dispatches from VitaFoods Europe 2013

GNC relationship helps boost Stepan's Clarinol CLA ingredient for sports applications

By Hank Schultz

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Dietary supplements Coffee Nutrition

GNC relationship helps boost Stepan's Clarinol CLA ingredient for sports applications
As Stepan Liquid Nutrition looks to expand the use of its Clarinol CLA in sports nutrition products, it’s time to trot out a sports analogy.  Stepan is looking for companies that are willing to step up to the plate.

Stepan, based in the Netherlands, is looking at further expanding the knowledge of the mode of action of the lipid ingredient, which has already show promise in a range of applications ranging from weight loss to body composition.  And now, in the sports nutrition sphere, Stepan has a partner in GNC Nutrition with the marketing power to take the ingredient to the next level, sports nutrition-wise.

“We are still looking at companies that have the courage to do something.  GNC has that courage,”​ said Casper Ravesteijn, Global Sales Director of Stepan.

Ideal partner

Speaking with NutraIngredients-USA recently at the VitaFoods trade show in Geneva, Switzerland, Stepan said GNC, one of the leading marketers of dietary supplements in North America, is an ideal partner because of the nature of the promise of conjugated linolenic acid, or CLA and specifically Stepan’s branded form, Clarinol.  Ingredients that offer a benefit based on long-term supplementation, such as lutein for eye health as an example, are something of a lifestyle choice and one made out of belief. Studies can back an ingredients’s long-term benefits across broad swaths of the population.  But in individual cases, without a data baseline to work from—no one can say in each case what a consumer’s eye health would have been like it they hadn’t opted for lutein supplements— consumers believe what they want to believe.

With Clarinol, the consumer herself is the baseline. The promised changes in body composition have to be delivered on within the specified time frame.

“We don’t promise something in 20 years. We promise something in three months,” ​Ravesteijn said. “That’s the challenge for all companies that are selling ingredients with a short-term promise.”

Delivering on that promise carries a risk on the compliance side.  If a consumer doesn’t use the product in accord with the label instruction, that quick results turnaround won’t be realized.  This is another way in which the GNC format is helpful, Ravesteijn said.

“GNC can explain in the store what the ingredient does,”​ he said.  That personal connection between sales staff and consumers can reinforce compliance, the Achilles heel of all supplements.  If consumers don’t take the product as they should, they are more likely to blame the bottle on its failure to deliver, and not themselves.

Product development pipeline

And GNC has an active product development pipeline, a capability that marries well with work Stepan has already done, Ravesteijn said.

“GNC is looking at new delivery forms,”​ he said. “And we have lot invested already in application work.”​  This includes micronized forms of the ingredient that can function in clear beverages, Ravesteijn said, which is a big plus in the sports nutrition sphere as beverages, whether in ready to mix powder or ready to drink, form such an important part of the overall product mix. 

And partnering with GNC will expedite the process by which Stepan can identify which ingredients function best in conjunction with Clarinol. A lot of those sports drinks feature complicated ingredient decks, except those that focus exclusively on hydration, and it seems to be something that the sports nutrition consuming is coming to expect.

“Synergies with other ingredients are very important,”​ Ravesteijn said.

Related news

Related products

show more

Krill oil supports six key areas of healthy aging

Krill oil supports six key areas of healthy aging

Content provided by Aker BioMarine | 23-Feb-2024 | White Paper

The global population is getting older—according to WHO by 2050 the world’s population over 60 years will double and the population above 80 years will...

In Weight Management Go Beyond with Slendacor®

In Weight Management Go Beyond with Slendacor®

Content provided by PLT Health Solutions | 22-Feb-2024 | White Paper

Slendacor® is a synergistic, patented formulation of three standardized herbal extracts: turmeric (Curcuma longa), moringa (Moringa oleifera) and curry...

Oats: A Superfood for Sport Nutrition and Health

Oats: A Superfood for Sport Nutrition and Health

Content provided by Fazer Mills | 26-Jan-2024 | White Paper

Oats are a versatile, affordable, and easy to use superfood that can offer many health benefits and a well-balanced nutritional profile for athletes.

Unlock the business potential of the protein trend

Unlock the business potential of the protein trend

Content provided by Valio | 24-Jan-2024 | White Paper

Read our white paper to learn how to overcome taste and texture challenges in protein products — and how to commercialise the protein trend by making delicious...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars