Its premier vegetarian capsules are already popular among brands looking to achieve a variety of on-pack claims, but colouring the shell has previously required an E-number.
The new food coloured capsules, labeled as natural colourants in the United States, allow customers to create bright, eye-catching supplements that also appeal to consumers seeking improved supply chain transparency and a natural positioning.
Naturally sourced from food
The first of the next-generation clean label solutions to be marketed worldwide is the Vcaps Plus Purple Carrot capsule, following the successful introduction of the Vcaps Plus Blue Spirulina capsule in Europe earlier this year.
The high-performance capsule shell is made using plant-based hypromellose (HPMC) and water only, without any preservatives.
A colourant derived from purple carrots is used to match the desired shade as closely as possible, while maintaining a natural appearance in the finished supplement. Achieving unique visual appeal, the purple carrot colour also provides masking capabilities.
“Demand for natural solutions to help maintain health remains strong. As a pioneer in vegetarian capsules, we closely monitor consumer trends and continue to evolve our Capsugel clean-label dosage form capabilities according to the latest preferences,” said Stephane Vouche, Marketing Manager, Consumer Health & Nutrition, Lonza.
“Our research shows that seven out of ten shoppers seek supplements with no artificial colours. After several years in the pipeline, we are now launching the industry’s first line of clean-label capsule colourants in response to heightened consumer interest.”
“In today’s online world, image is everything. This latest innovation helps our customers establish unique brand identities, that encompass both on-trend, true-to-nature colours and a complete clear and clean label,” Vouche added.
Consumer-driven clean-label solutions
The new colourants are an extension to the existing Capsugel clean-label dosage form portfolio, which is designed to offer optimal performance across a wide range of powder and liquid formulations.
Permitted on-pack wording varies by region and Lonza has a team of experts that are on hand to assist customers in meeting regulatory requirements and understanding local nuances in consumer labelling preferences.
