Patching in: Tonik launches transdermal vitamin, botanical patches across Asia, with new SKUs underway
Early next year, it will introduce its transdermal patches into China, following its soft launch in Hong Kong’s Tmall, Taobao, and offline channels, as well as other Asian markets such as The Philippines and Thailand in July this year.
Tonik is an Australian wellness company that was created in 2016 by father-and-daughter duo Glenn Summerville and Pip Summerville.
The company already has a range of oral capsule supplements containing single ingredients, such as apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, turmeric, hemp seed oil, marine collagen, and prebiotics.
Last November, the company added transdermal patches that support sleep and stress relief using homeopathic formulations to its range.
The sleep and relaxation product Tonik Nod Off, for instance, is formulated with valerian root extract, passionflower extract, hops extract, vitamin B2, magnesium citrate, vitamin D, and sandalwood essential oil.
Tonik Chill out, designed for stress and anxiety relief, contains valerian root extract, passionflower extract, ashwagandha, vitamin B6, rhodiola rosea, and vanilla essential oil.
These products were formulated over 22 months by Glenn Summerville, a naturopath with 45 years of experience working as a pharmacist.
In an interview with NutraIngredients-Asia, Pip Summerville said that the company was introducing the transdermal patches into more Asian markets on the back of growing success.
Since its launch, the company has witnessed about 300 per cent month-on-month sales growth for the transdermal patches.
The US and Australia are currently its two largest markets for its transdermal patches.
Most users are looking for a convenient solution or a way to take in nutrients without taking supplement pills or capsules.
“We're often asked if there's any other way to get the benefits of supplementation without having to take capsules.
“Some people have difficulty swallowing oral supplements whilst many people experience gastrointestinal issues when taking oral supplements, such as nausea or upset stomach, and transdermal patches are a great alternative,” said Summerville.
She explained that transdermal delivery could minimise the side effects of oral supplements by bypassing the digestive system, making it a gentler option for people sensitive to oral supplements.
About 60 per cent of Tonik’s consumers use transdermal patches as a standalone product, while the remaining tend to use both patches and supplements.
“An example is our hemp seed oil capsule which helps balance the female hormones and it also helps with sleep.
“In addition to that, customers can use it with the sleep patch, because it gives a dose of different homeopathic ingredients that work in conjunction with the supplements that they are taking, and it gives an almost immediate benefit of helping them to calm down and promoting a deeper sleep,” she said.
The company is planning to launch the transdermal patches into China early next year.
“China is the biggest market for our capsule supplements, and we are doing a lot of livestreaming with top-tier livestreamers for our capsule products.
“We will be doing livestreaming for the patches very soon. We wanted to launch with a bang in China and have been finding the right time to find the right live streamer to do it with us.”
Due to the novelty of the product, she said that a lot of consumer education would be required.
“A reason is because of the technology; people have just never seen it and the other reason is because the products are formulated with homeopathic remedies and ingredients which they might not be familiar with, like valerian root extract.
“As such, they will need to be educated on what these ingredients do and how they will benefit them.”
What exactly is a transdermal patch?
Transdermal delivery is an established technique that is already applied in medications such as nicotine patches and hormone replacement therapy.
“Transdermal patches allow absorption through the skin’s dermal layer, bypassing the digestive system and allowing rapid, efficient, but controlled delivery directly into the bloodstream.
“This is a well proven technology used for many years in the pharmaceutical industry for controlled release of very strong pain medications over two to three days, hormone replacement therapy and more recently, nicotine patches to assist people in quitting smoking.
“Unlike traditional supplements that may cause spikes in nutrient levels, transdermal patches provide a continuous release of the active ingredients over time,” explained Summerville.
She said that Tonik’s patches, which contain homeopathic doses of well-known remedies blended, would start acting “almost immediately” and the effects could “last for six to eight hours”.
Liposomal technology is also used to support enhanced penetration of the actives through the skin barrier.
“Liposomal technology involves encapsulating nutrients or active ingredients within tiny spherical vesicles called liposomes. These liposomes are made up of layers, similar to cell membranes, which can protect and transport the substances.
“Liposomes can also fuse with skin cells, releasing their contents directly into the cellular environment,” she explained.
The patches are manufactured in the US.
She recommends putting on the patches about 20 minutes before its intended effect, and each patch can be worn up to eight hours.
New product pipeline
The company is working on new transdermal patches, which are expected to be launched in the next six months.
As the target audience are women 30 to 65 years old, the patches are designed for hormonal balance, focus, energy. There is also a SKU for hangover relief in the pipeline.
She also sees opportunities for patches designed for kids, since it could be challenging in getting young children to take capsules.
Not all ingredients can be made into transdermal patches
Water-soluble vitamins, such as many B vitamins and vitamin C, are some examples of ingredients that are not suitable for transdermal delivery.
This is because these vitamins, due to their hydrophilic nature, would have difficulty passing through the lipid-rich layers of the skin.
“Hydrophilic substances generally have difficulty passing through the layers of the skin, which are primarily hydrophobic or water-repelling.
“To improve the delivery of hydrophilic compounds, transdermal patches often incorporate permeation enhancers that can temporarily disrupt the skin barrier,” she said.
Some vitamins, on the other hand, can degrade when exposed to air, moisture, or heat, making them challenging to maintain in a stable form within a patch.
Also, nutrients that typically require larger doses for effectiveness may be difficult to deliver in sufficient quantities through a patch or topical application.
