What Is Pharmacist-Formulated?
One of the best parts of getting your supplements at Woodstock Vitamins is knowing that what you’re taking for your health and wellness was formulated by a pharmacist. Dr. Neal Smoller, to be exact. He’s a holistic pharmacist and supplement strategist with over 20 years of experience in the pharmacy setting. But having a supplement formulated by a pharmacist isn’t the only definition of pharmacist-formulated. There are other factors that play a role in this important term. Here’s why having a pharmacist create your supplements is such an asset.
What Pharmacist-Formulated Actually Means
In a nutshell, “pharmacist formulated” means a product that was developed or designed with input from a licensed pharmacist. In our case, that’s Dr. Neal. He used his 20+ years of running a pharmacy that prescribes medications to give him the knowledge of how ingredients, nutrients, and substances interact in the body to help create a great supplement.
Safety First
When it comes to supplements, not all of them are made safely or with high-quality ingredients. That’s where having a pharmacist formulate your supplements makes a big difference. We focus on the Supplement Quality Standard, a rigorous framework that focuses on supplement manufacturing safety, quality, fair pricing, and sustainable, ethical ingredients. This is what sets great supplements apart from cheap, ineffective duds. Pharmacists are trained in drug interactions and dosing to ensure supplements avoid harmful combinations or ineffective ingredients. A pharmacist prioritizes safety and quality, in contrast to supplements not made by health professionals.
Science Forward
Unlike other formulations, supplements formulated by Dr. Neal are based on science. Pharmacists obtain doctoral degrees, which often means they have learned how to read, analyze, and even write scientific papers. A pharmacist-formulated supplement is often made to address a specific need (e.g., sleep support, digestion, skin health) based on scientific research. This is a big contrast to other formulators who use misleading claims, marketing buzzwords, or hype.
Fair Pricing
While many supplement brands are thinking about how to keep their product as cheap to make as possible and padding their margins, pharmacists like Dr. Neal are thinking about fair pricing for their supplements. They’re concerned with the dose of their supplement and if their customers are going to think the capsule is a horse pill or not. They’re thinking about third-party testing their ingredients and the cost to make sure their supplements are safe. They’re thinking about ingredient interactions and what’s going to sit well in the stomachs of their customers. Pharmacist-formulated supplements come with that additional thoughtfulness around pricing, fairness, ethics, and what’s truly going to be valuable to their customers, not just what’s valuable to their bottom lines.
Important Considerations
While “pharmacist-formulated” is a sign that a supplement may be of interest, it doesn’t mean it’s FDA-approved. It is still widely used in marketing and can convey a range of quality, safety, and efficacy results. So be mindful of which pharmacist formulated your supplement and their methodology. At Woodstock Vitamins, we aim to bring you the highest quality essential nutrients, with ethically-sourced ingredients and manufactured safely. You can learn more about Dr. Neal and our Supplement Quality Standards here.