The new Layn Botanical Ingredient Library is an extensive online resource showcasing information on a growing library of botanical extract ingredients and functions. The goal of the digital resource is to help users locate and filter botanical ingredients by human, pet, and animal applications, and access information such as ingredient sourcing, functionalities, key botanical actives and more.
With clients in food, beverage, flavor, nutraceutical, personal care, animals and pets, Collette Kakuk, VP of Global Marketing, Layn Natural Ingredients, told NutraIngredients-USA that the library was inspired by a desire to provide quick, easy access to accurate, robust information about functional botanical extracts to customers as they look for ingredients to source and include in product development and innovation.
“We are living in a world where pain free, fingertip, unfettered access to data provides immediate value to customers – and with our library, they can search ingredients at their leisure no matter what stage of the buying or product development process they are in,” said Kakuk. “We provide open access so everyone from product development, R&D, and marketing can explore, learn, and make nimble and informed decisions as they look to add more botanical function in the products they produce. We’re excited about the value this provides to the marketplace as consumers continue to demand more functional, natural ingredients.”
A tool for product developers
Kakuk added that the library is ideal for product developers looking to explore mainstay, standby ingredients like ginkgo or rhodiola – or also looking to explore unique, lesser known, but science-backed ingredients that have room for commercialization and differentiation, like pu-erh tea, magnolia bark, or cistanche. “A key advantage of this resource is being able to filter ingredients by function (e.g. natural sweeteners, or ingredients for gut health or natural energy support) and quickly see and investigate numerous ingredients at once.”
Other filters include topics such as origin; growing regions; targeted applications; technical and health support functions; available formats; associated research; active compounds; molecular structure; and safe/recommended dosages.
Building the library
Kakuk told us the process took about 6 months to coordinate across Layn’s global offices as well as cross functionally between departments.
“We created a real-time, interactive search and filter mechanism on our website that not only allows users to search by key applications and functions, but also allows users to download detailed ingredient cards with very specific information about each ingredient.”
Feedback
“Response has been overwhelming both quantitatively – as we look at the numbers on web visits and downloads – and also qualitatively as people are expressing delight and genuine gratitude for a resource this robust and easy to use being available at leisure and at no cost,” said Kakuk. “We’re all in an industry where helping people is at the core of our work, and the ingredient library does just that – it puts valuable information in the hands of people doing good things and driving innovation in wellness.”