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Product Development
Once the Marketing and R&D departments approve a product idea, R&D’s
Product Development group builds the product from conception to finished
product. This process involves a great amount of technology and expertise.
Nature’s Sunshine manufactures capsules, tablets, bulk powders, liquids and
skin care products. Each finished product must meet different criteria to
ensure that it looks professional and consistent. Our chewable tablets, bulk
powders and liquid products must be palatable. Scientists from Product
Development are able to formulate great-tasting, good-looking products without
artificial flavors or colors, keeping them as natural as possible.
Once preliminary batches of new formulations are produced on a small scale, the
product can move into production. Product Development is responsible for an
accelerated and real-time stability program. NSP takes great care to make sure
products maintain quality and potency throughout their shelf life. Scientists
test and examine products after specified periods of time to guarantee they
meet label claims and maintain appearance.
Product Development works hand-in-hand with production to oversee the
manufacturing of NSP products. NSP follows good manufacturing practices
(GMPs)—strict government regulations mandated by the Dietary Supplements Health
and Education Act (DSHEA). Product Development aids Manufacturing in
implementing and complying with these GMPs.
Raw Material and Product Testing
Behind every Quality Assurance test for active components stands NSP’s Methods
Development Group. These chemists develop methods to test raw materials and
finished products, identifying and isolating active components. This ensures
that our products always meet specifications and label claims. The Methods
Development Group measures and identifies the naturally occurring active
ingredients found in the raw material. They also obtain an herbal fingerprint
to ensure consistency and quality.
NSP chemists use
sophisticated
equipment
to accomplish these tasks. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Gas
Chromatography (GC), Mass Spectrometry (MS) including HPLC-MS/MS, Fourier
Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and
Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrometry (UV-VIS) are a few of the instruments at their
disposal. NSP scientists’ expertise is recognized worldwide with publication of
their methods in peer-reviewed journals..
Product Safety and Education
The Health Sciences department at Nature's Sunshine Products is comprised of a
group of scientists with biology, nutrition, medical, pharmacognosy and
pharmacy backgrounds. The role of Health Sciences is to ensure the safety of
products and to educate distributors and consumers on the benefits of natural
products.
The safety of our products is continually monitored by tracking any questions,
complaints or adverse reactions reported by our distributors or their
customers. These questions and complaints are logged in detail and reviewed
often. Some of the other safety responsibilities include:
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Product safety and effectiveness |
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Potential safety warnings
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Appropriate product dosing
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The best possible combination of ingredients to achieve
the desired result |
Education about products is also provided to persons within Nature's Sunshine
Products and to its distributors and their customers through the following
ways:
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