Zark Fatah, a partner in a number of hospitality-focused businesses in the Toronto area said he saw a need for a natural alternative for hangovers among his clientele. With his new product developed in conjunction with a Brazilian formulation partner, he believes he’s hit the spot.
“At the moment there are up to a dozen hangover products on the market. Some claim to be preventive, others are for recovery, for hangover relief. But there is no Red Bull on the hangover market, no product that dominates the category,” Fatah told NutraIngredients-USA.
Fatah said the demand is unlikely to go away, and even with flat sales in some liquor segments (beer, for example) he doubts people will stop suffering from hangovers anytime soon.
“The reason there is demand for these products that people are attempting to satisfy is that more than ever people are wanting to be healthy. But they still want to enjoy the things they enjoy,” Fatah said.
Brazilian forebear
The new product, dubbed OverEZ, is produced by a Brazilian formulation partner and closely resembles a product that has been on the market in Brazil for a number of years, Fatah said. The capsule contains both white and blue beadlets which dissolve at different rates and contain different actives to target different parts of the GI tract.
“We did some research, and we gave our laboratory a list of products that we would have to compete against,” Fatah said. He said the two-phase technology would be a differentiator. The initial-release portion of the product contains zinc, magnesium and the amino acid L-cysteine for liver support.
Another point of differentiation is the liver-flushing action claimed for the ingredient. Fatah said the formula was designed to rapidly flush acetaldehyde from the body. Acetaldehyde is a toxin produced in the liver as alcohol is metabolized, and its presence accounts for many of the morning-after hangover symptoms. The slower-release portion of the formula contains chicory root extract, milk thistle extra and amla extract among other ingredients to achieve this effect. Fatah said these effects at the moment are extrapolated from studies done on the individual ingredients, as well as anecdotal reports from users. But he said part of the plan for the brand is to do a trial using the finished formulation.
Fatah said the product will be for sale locally in Miami and Toronto and online. The company recently offered an Indiegogo preorder campaign that was oversubscribed by more than 100% and attracted interest from a number of countries.
“Once people recognized that this product will make you feel significantly better if you use it, we think it will take off. We think the cocktail culture is bigger than ever before, and dining out, including having a few glasses of wine, is becoming a bigger form of entertainment in its own right,” Fatah said.