It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Recipe for radiance is pure, natural ingredients

Imagine a beautiful garden filled with artificial plants… a newborn baby wearing mascara… a bunch of fresh grapes dipped in purple dye.

Clearly, some things are best left just as nature intended.

At Mannatech, the Coppell-based manufacturer of innovative nutritional supplements, the goal is to support the body’s inherent state of wellness, so it’s only logical to insist on high-quality ingredients that not only come from nature but also work in harmony with nature.

Take, for instance, Mannatech’s Optimal Skin Care System, launched in Japan in May 2006. “Mannatech is the first to use bacteriostatic water in a skin-care line, which eliminates the need for preservatives,” says Scott Schafer, a longtime resident and marketer of skin-care products in Japan. “This water has been purified and enhanced so that bacteria can’t live in it. To Japanese consumers, this is very important because recent news reports there said that preservatives in cosmetics can actually accelerate the aging process.” “While taking out the preservatives,” he continues, “the product line puts in cutting-edge natural ingredients such as trehalose — a moisturizing agent — and artemia extract, plus the water has unique properties that come from filtration with volcanic rocks.”

To consumers on this side of the Pacific, Mannatech is of course best known for its glyconutrient supplements based on its patented Ambrotose formula, a combination of plant sugars essential to communication between the body’s trillions of cells. And with those supplements, one sees the same concern for finding the most potent natural ingredients — a concern that takes Mannatech’s researchers and buyers literally to the remotest parts of the planet. “Currently, Tasmania and Uganda are among our most important focal points,” says Robert Sinnott, M.N.S., Ph.D., Mannatech’s chief science officer. “In Tasmania, we have a major supplier of kelp, from which we extract nutrients used in Ambrotose. In Uganda, we have established relationships with traditional healers and herbalists. We aim to not only help consumers by tracking down high-quality plant-based compounds, but also to help the economies of the countries in which we have partners.”

Gathering the raw materials is just one step in an elaborate process to ensure that consumers obtain the most effective products, company leaders emphasize. “Our product safety monitoring and quality assurance departments are second to none in this industry,” says Stephen Boyd, M.D., Ph.D., Mannatech’s medical director. “Unlike some companies, we do research to verify the efficacy and content of the finished product. Supplement manufacturers are under no legal obligation to show that the active ingredient remains active, so most of them don’t bother.”

On reading the labels of Mannatech supplements, consumers may be surprised to see such wholesome ingredients as carrots, green tea and papaya, but they should not be skeptical, Mannatech’s leaders say. “I can assure you that what we say is in there, is in there,” says company president Terry Persinger. “We also make sure our products are free of what you don’t want in there. Some of our products are even kosher certified.”