3 Things You Need To Know About Choosing a Quality Nutritional Product

One: Research & Clinical Studies
Formulating a nutritional supplement is like putting together a recipe for a dish. Just like in food, you have fast food recipes put together by cooks and then those that are restaurant quality entrees prepared by chefs. Quality formulations originate from careful research suggesting safe uses of ingredients in the appropriate dosages to synergistically offer the end consumer a quality product for better health. Detailed research is required from clinical studies and research papers to pinpoint the right ingredients to be used in unison for a formula to accomplish the company’s goal – providing effective, safe and uncompromising quality to the end user. Experience and education also play a key role in understanding the difference of a good versus excellent formula. Educating yourself as well as asking your vender's for help can keep you educated and ahead of your competitors.

Great Nutritional Learning Sites:
www.pubmed.gov – National Library of Medicine Search
www.crnusa.org – The Science Behind the Supplements
www.nih.gov – Health Information
www.healthynotes.com – Health & Lifestyle Information
www.herbalgram.org – Research & Information about responsible use of herbs and medicinal plants
www.sequencexo.com – Your provider for high quality nutritional products and education

Two: Relationships Between Manufacture & Supplier
When evaluating the ingredients of a nutritional product, it is important to focus on the origins of the ingredients and how they are obtained. Quality ingredients are harvested at optimal conditions so that the purest extracts are retrieved. During the extraction process, it is key that some ingredients go through the extraction process under low heat so that active ingredients are not destroyed. On the same token some will need to go through the extraction process under high heat so that the purest active ingredients are obtained. Pure and safe ingredients are also grown without pesticide contamination or any genetic alteration for better growth. It is difficult to distinguish pure and safe products from others, which is why the manufacturing facility is so important to you and the products you have on your shelf. Manufacturing facilities with strict regulations have established relationships with key suppliers that offer safe and pure raw materials.

TIP OF THE WEEK: Ask your suppliers for more information about their manufacturing facilities such as licenses, inspection seals, and cGMP’s.

Want to know what a GMP stands for? Read in our next section, Quality Manufacturing

Three: Manufacturing Quality – GMP & What It Means For You
GMPs stand for “Good Manufacturing practices.” In general, GMPs describe the methods, equipment, facilities, and controls required for the production of dietary supplements. They define a quality system that manufacturers use to produce quality products on a consistent basis. The GMPs set requirements for creating quality control procedures, designing and manufacturing plants, and identity testing of both individual ingredients and finished products. When a manufacturing facility is certified under GMP standards, then the consumer can be confident that the products are manufacture with quality and assurance.

Meet Our Manufacturer

Sequence XO products are manufactured by Robinson Pharma, Inc. Our nutritional manufacturer is a certified GMP manufacturing facility this is FDA inspected and licensed. Their quality management regimen is based on only allowing tested and approved ingredients to be used within their establishment by qualified and trained operators, in a clean and sanitary environment. Beyond Robinson Pharma’s certification of cGMP they have also been issued a Drug Manufacturing License by the state of California. This government standard is considered the most rigorous and is clear demonstration of our commitment to effective and quality products for you and your clients.

Visit Robinson Pharma Inc. at www.robinsonpharma.com!

Not all nutritional products are created equal...

We know that as business owners any time you recommend or promote a product to your clients it is a direct reflection of your company. As spa professionals this statement couldn’t be truer. Spas promote, recommend and use specific products for their guests to enhance the experience of your client’s spa treatments. Making sure you have an uncompromising product on your shelf is as important as the people that walk in and out of your spa everyday. As nutritional products begin to enter the Personal Care Industry with a striking force (growing to more than 19% of total purchases), how does your business choose a quality nutritional product?

The simple answer to that question is to “Ask”! Credible companies will be more than happy to share with you the extensive process that they go through to bring you a quality product. Quality meaning that you are confident that the company that provides the products you carry and use, are effective in what they do, safe in how they work and manufactured with high standards.

Seeking Beauty Through Nutrition

Supplements in the form of Oral Beauty Products

With a relatively new way of looking at health and overall well-being a new word has emerged for the personal care industry, Oral Beauty Products. These products are relatively new and experiencing a significant growth from well-being focused consumers seeking alternative solutions to better health and natural healing. Some companies, including Sequence XO, have begun to develop their product lines to meet these new demands. Sequence XO, a nutritional company exclusive to the spa industry, provides solutions in the form of functional beverages and oral beauty supplements.

Health & Beauty Industry Crossover

What to expect in the Personal Care Industry from now to 2010

As the personal care industry continues to thrive and enter the mainstream both nationally and internationally it is inevitable that consumers will start expecting more from their personal care industry. Personal care has often been considered the outsiders of the health and wellness industry. However, with the most recent research, consumer trends show that the line between nutrition and personal care is beginning to blur.

According to a 2006 Datamonitor study titled, “Wellness Trends in Personal Care,” found that 45 percent of consumers believe “skin care products provide nutrition for the skin in the way that food and drinks provide nutrition internally,” also that 50 percent of respondents reported they viewed themselves as being “conscious of skin nutrition.” Consumer trends are blurring the line between beauty and health, by viewing both industries as a part of an overall holistic approach to maintaining good health. Datamonitor’s study found that 56 percent of Americans and Europeans “consciously acted upon the link between diet, appearance and beauty,” noticeably more in 2006 then before. And since then, the approach has increased even further helping drive the demand for nutritional products into the personal care industry. This new trend is allowing for personal care type businesses to tap into new revenue generating opportunities and helping them become leading industry players.

This trend is becoming apparent to other industry members, the leading personal care trade publication HAPPI, has also become aware of the industry cross over. The publication has run a series of articles describing the new driving force, “consumers have become more aware of the role nutrition, super foods, fruits, vitamins and herbals have in promoting health and beauty from the inside out.” This was also acknowledged in the Datamonitor study, which found 48 percent of consumers ‘strongly agree’ that what they ingest “can have as much effect on body appearance as what they topically apply to the body.”

Convinced or not, this influence is taking a hold of the industry and is opening up a wide range of opportunities for both the business owner and consumer – for better health and financial gain.

Source: Datamonitor, Consumer survey February 2006

Enhance Your Retail To Elevate the Spa Experience

The presence of retail can help define the existence of a spa establishment much like its unique treatments. As spa professionals, we cannot escape the reality of what a retail presence can accomplish. There are several advantages to providing retail products in your spa. Below is a list of just a few as seen in the ISPA “Retail Management for Spas” Book:

• Helps extend the benefits of spa treatments
• Offering your clients the tools they need to maintain a healthy inner and outer appearance is a starting path to life long changes and loyalty.

• Builds a relationship between client and spa providing a convenient time saving shopping experience
• It’s a known fact the people will pay almost anything for a product that gives them an emotional satisfaction. Spas are the perfect environment for creating such an atmosphere. By offering your clients a unique retail product they can’t get anywhere else is a great way to have your clients saying, “I remember you” or “you should go try my favorite spa”.

• Helps to market the spa and its services
• Your retail products are constant reminders to your client’s experiences in your establishment. These connections help build long lasting relationships!

• Supports the spa with additional revenue at higher margins than services
• The 2004 Spa Industry Study conducted by ISPA found that spas get an average of 18 percent of their revenue from retail. What's fascinating is the potential to reach 20-30 percent of total profitability if the spa incorporates a good retail plan .
  

As people continue to live in environments where stress and unhealthy diets prevail the importance to find solutions for relaxation and rejuvenation becomes a necessity instead of a luxury. Today spas have a great opportunity to teach their guests about overall well-being for both inner and outer beauty.


Go for it – your clients are waiting for you to introduce an innovative product to them.

To find out how to purchase ISPA's "Retail Management For Spas" visit http://www.experienceispa.com/

What Can Sequence XO Do For You

Retail exclusivity for your spa

Sequence XO developed its product line to exclusively meet the demands and needs of the spa owners and spa goers. Here are several benefits of the product line:

• Exclusivity to the spa industry (developed for the spa industry to meet the needs of both spa goers and spa professionals)
• Sequence XO products were developed specifically for the spa industry. Our products are exclusive and dedicated to the spa industry. Sequence XO product line is a wonderful fusion of two powerful industries combining the effectiveness of nutritional supplements with the wellness of spa treatments.

• Designed to incorporate both in the back office and front office for clients
• Careful thought was taken into developing the nutritional supplements Sequence XO provides. Our products are formulated with special delivery methods designed to provide an additional benefit by allowing the spa owner to incorporate the products as a treatment before topical treatments. Whether it's with Calm before a massage or with Radiance before a facial or body wrap be assured that the effectiveness is powerful.

• Formulated specifically to enhance the spa treatment
• Sequence XO products are formulated to focus on the needs and requirements of spa goers as well as the spa owner. Research was accumulated to determine the product needs for the spa goer and what ingredients the spa owner valued most as an additional tool in their business. The Sequence XO product line is designed to provide nutritional wellness in support for healthy aging, rejuvenation,, destressing and detoxification in addition to the topical treatments.

• Profit Margins of 40%-50%
• We realize that running a business is time consuming, stressful and expensive. We put great thought in how we priced our products so that your business will benefit as well as your clients. The profit margins that we provide compete well with industry standards. Plus, we provide much more than profit incentives. We have developed ways to allow growth with our customers. We provide support for marketing and sales so that you don’t have to face it alone.

• Labels designed to enhance shelf presence
• Sequence XO’s label designs have a purpose. They are bold, different and vibrant. This allows the products to stand out on your shelf. The vibrancy of the colors draws the attention of the client as they walk into your retail boutique. Furthermore, the edgy designs will spark conversation and interest with your clients, which will in turn give them an opportunity to ask for more detail about the product ultimately leading to the sale of the product.

• More than a retail product, a lifestyle!
• The effectiveness of a retail product comes with its ability to provide an emotional bond and life changing experience. Sequence XO products provide the opportunity for spa goers to experience a new internal wellness. This may allow for a conscious lifestyle awareness on the importance of taking care of the body both internally and externally for optimal health and overall well-being.

• Internal wellness for spa goers and financial wellness for spa owners
• Retail can help enhance the benefits of spa treatments giving your clients a constant reminder of how they felt while visiting your spa. Retail can also help increase the spa’s profits and giving you the ability to expand your services to target a larger audience for total body healing.

• Innovative and bold (less competition)
• It’s advantageous to be innovative and bold. By setting the bar high for anything new, you can be the lead horse in the race. Nutritional supplements are new to the spa industry. This means that competition is low. You don’t have to compete with department stores selling the same products as your retail boutique. Plus, the exclusivity that Sequence XO provides to the spa industry further solidifies the advantage of less competition.