Gene Bruno’s Appearance on Supplement Engineer Podcast

Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, RH(AHG), Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for NutraScience Labs, recently had the privilege of joining Robert Schinetsky recently on the Supplement Engineer Podcast.

During this episode, he gave brand owners a peek into the early days of the supplement industry, shared his thoughts on generic vs. branded ingredients, and discussed some interesting insights on the new trends in nutraceuticals.

Continue scrolling or listen to the podcast to learn about Gene's fascinating 43-year (and counting) nutraceutical industry career.

Gene’s Story

Robert started the episode by asking Gene about his early days in the dietary supplement industry, beginning in 1979. His first job was managing GNCs and other vitamin stores, working his way into training and educating, and how it all led to formulating nutritional supplements for supplement businesses with NutraScience Labs.

Branded vs. Generic Ingredients

Gene believes that what you put into a dietary supplement dictates the quality of the product. It is acceptable to use generic ingredients in the formulation if it meets the specifications of the products and testing parameters. Conversely, he recommends formulating with branded ingredients if your product needs to support a specific claim because you are using a particular ingredient. Another advantage to using branded ingredients is that they usually have scientific studies behind them that allow the brand owner to make some really nice health claims about the product. Additionally, the brand (with the help of a qualified contract manufacturer) can create whitepapers and other marketing materials to help distinguish its products from others already being sold on the market.

Gene also talked about the ingredients he prefers for his formulas and how he ensures they have relevant scientific backing before considering them. Brand owners thinking about manufacturing trending supplements in 2023 will want to keep this advice in mind.

His Formulation Process

Keeping up with the nutraceutical market trends and having a thorough knowledge of dietary supplement ingredients is essential in Gene’s formulation process. He also believes in using ingredients that have a strong basis in human research to ensure that the formulated supplements are safe to consume.

Despite formulating thousands of products during his four-decade career, Gene admitted that he still gets a thrill from creating new formulas because it drives him to do in-depth research. Even if he has already made a similar formula, he strives to take a different approach and help the brand create a novel formulation using alternative ingredients that work towards achieving a common goal.

Supplement and Healthcare Professionals

Gene shared his views on how not all doctors and healthcare professionals know much about the supplement industry and how they cannot gauge what is helpful and what is not. He also shows appreciation to those doctors who try to understand the supplement industry’s basis and apply their medical knowledge to it. He also emphasized how it is essential for healthcare professionals to understand the fundamentals of supplement science and nutrition when they prescribe dietary supplements.

You can listen to the entire podcast here.

How Can NutraScience Labs Help?

NutraScience Labs has provided more than 2,300 dietary supplement companies with best-in-class formulation, contract manufacturing, packaging & label design, and order fulfillment solutions. Our full-service solutions and white-glove approach to account management have saved new and existing brands time, money, and stress so they can focus on growing their business.

If you are thinking about capitalizing on one or more of the latest nutraceutical market trends, then contact our team today! Call 855-492-7388 to speak with one of our knowledgeable representatives or send us your request to receive a competitive supplement manufacturing price quote free of charge.