Home/Glossary
GlossaryThe vocabulary of this industry, defined.
Fifty terms you'll meet in quotes, spec sheets and compliance conversations — explained without the hand-waving.
A
Absorption
The process by which a nutrient passes from the digestive tract or skin into the bloodstream. Distinct from consumption — you are not what you eat, you are what you assimilate.
Aeroponics
A cultivation technique in which plants are grown in an environment dependent on air rather than soil. Seeds are embedded in foam in small pots holding the stem and root mass, and nurtured with light and a nutrient-enriched mist.
Agglomeration
The tendency of small particles to clump back together into larger aggregates. Preventing agglomeration is the central engineering challenge of any nano formulation, and the reason stabilizers exist.
B
Bioavailability
The degree and rate at which a substance is absorbed into the body's circulatory system. For anything administered non-intravenously — swallowed, inhaled or applied topically — bioavailability designates the fraction of the ingested dose that eventually gets absorbed. It is the single most important number in supplement formulation and the least often disclosed.
Bulk material
Ingredients supplied in unfinished form to manufacturers who will process them into their own finished products, rather than as retail-ready goods.
C
Capsule
A delivery method for oils, powders and extracts that's easy to swallow. Capsule products resemble the gel pills found at any pharmacy, and can be vegetable- or gelatin-based.
Certificate of Analysis (COA)
A document from an accredited laboratory certifying the composition and purity of a given product. It benefits the consumer as much as the producer — it guarantees quality assurance for both parties, and reviewing one helps you avoid mislabeled or low-quality product. A reputable company will always provide one.
cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices)
The manufacturing standards required under CFR-21-111. They ensure testing is performed on every raw material, measuring purity, potency, identity and contaminants, and provide a statistically valid method for substantiating label claims on finished products.
Contract manufacturer
A company that manufactures products on behalf of another brand. Covers white label, private label and fully custom production.
Cosmeceutical
A product at the intersection of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals — a topical formulated to deliver an active benefit rather than only a cosmetic one.
CO2 extraction
An extraction process using changes in temperature and pressure to create phase changes in carbon dioxide, gently drawing out a plant's beneficial components. The result is clean, safe oil with a long shelf life.
D
Delivery method
How a substance enters the body in order to produce the desired effect. The delivery method affects both how quickly it starts working and how much of each dose is actually absorbed.
Dietary supplement
A food-derived product offering health benefits in addition to nutritional value, concentrated into liquid, capsule, powder or pill form. Regulated by the FDA under DSHEA.
Dosing
The quantity of a substance taken at one time.
DSHEA
The Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act, the legislation under which the FDA acknowledges the safety of nutritional supplements and defines how they may be sold and labeled.
Dynamic light scattering
A laboratory technique for measuring particle size distribution in a suspension. One of the two methods we use in-house to verify nano particle size.
E
Emulsion
A mixture of two liquids that don't normally combine — oil and water being the classic pair. Nano-emulsification produces particles small enough to remain stably dispersed.
Ethanol extraction
Extraction using cold, high-grade alcohol to gently pull active compounds from plant cellulose material. Oils extracted this way are further refined via chromatography to remove remaining traces of ethanol.
Excipient
An inactive substance used as a carrier or bulking agent — binders, fillers, shellac, wax, talcum. Pharmaceutical-grade formulation aims to eliminate them.
Extraction
Techniques used to separate the chemical components of a botanical from the plant matrix.
F
First-pass metabolism
The process by which a substance is metabolized by the liver before it reaches systemic circulation, substantially reducing how much active compound actually becomes available. Highly concentrated nano formulations absorbed through the circulatory system reduce this loss.
Formulation
The design of a product's active ingredients, doses, carriers and delivery system — the intellectual property at the heart of any serious supplement brand.
G
GRAS
Generally Recognized As Safe — an FDA designation for substances considered safe by qualified experts under the conditions of their intended use. NanoZorb® stabilizers are selected from GRAS ingredients.
H
Homeostasis
A term describing the dynamic stability of your internal environment.
HPLC
High Performance Liquid Chromatography — an analytical technique used for accurate and reliable quantification of active compounds in a formulation.
Hydrophobicity
The degree to which a compound repels water, commonly expressed as HLB or LogP. Balancing hydrophobicity is central to making an oil-soluble active work in a water-based delivery vehicle.
K
Kinetic stability
A state in which an emulsion resists change over time because the rate of separation is effectively arrested — as opposed to thermodynamic stability alone. Nano formulations that are not kinetically stable lose potency faster and carry dramatically reduced shelf life. This distinction is the most commercially important thing to ask a nano supplier about.
L
Laser diffraction
A particle-sizing technique that measures the angular variation in intensity of light scattered by particles in a sample. Used alongside dynamic light scattering to verify nano claims.
Lipid bond
The fat-based binding that allows a nanoparticle to be recognized and taken up by a cell. Small particle size alone doesn't produce absorption — cellular recognition does.
Liposome
A spherical vesicle with a lipid bilayer, used as a delivery vehicle for nutrients and drugs. A related but distinct approach to solid lipid nanoparticles.
M
Micron
One-millionth of a meter, and one thousand times larger than a nanometer. Most supplements marketed as "nano" actually measure in microns.
Micro-dosing
Consuming small servings of a supplement throughout the day rather than a single large dose, in order to maintain stable levels in the system around the clock.
MOQ
Minimum Order Quantity — the smallest volume a manufacturer will produce per SKU. Low MOQs are what make it possible to test a market without betting the business on it.
N
Nano
From "nanometer." A unit prefix meaning one billionth — a factor of 10⁻⁹, or 0.000000001. In manufacturing, nanotechnology works with matter at atomic and molecular scale to change its structure.
Nanometer
One-billionth of a meter, or one-millionth of a millimeter. Roughly 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. A sheet of paper is 100,000nm thick; a red blood cell is 7,500nm wide; a DNA molecule is 2.5nm.
Nanoemulsion
An emulsion in which the dispersed particles are at nanoscale, producing dramatically greater surface area and, consequently, greater absorption.
Nanoparticle
A particle measuring between roughly 1 and 100 nanometers. At this scale, the ability to pass through tissues and cells improves dramatically and exposed surface area increases substantially.
Nutraceutical
Also known as a dietary supplement — a food-derived product offering health benefits beyond its nutritional value, usually concentrated in liquid, capsule, powder or pill form.
Non-GMO
Free of genetically modified organisms. A standard requirement for retail and practitioner channels.
O
Organic
Foods and products derived from farming methods that promote ecological balance and restrict the use of pesticides, fertilizers and synthetics.
P
Particle size analysis
Laboratory measurement of the actual size distribution of particles in a formulation. The only way to verify a nano claim rather than accept it.
Pharmaceutical grade
Products produced following the strictest guidelines and quality control measures, of the highest purity, with no binders, fillers, excipients, dyes or unknown substances.
Phytochemical
A chemical compound occurring naturally in plants. Function can often be enhanced when combined with other phytochemicals performing a similar role.
Potency
A measure of activity expressed in terms of the amount required to produce an effect of a given intensity. A high-potency compound evokes a larger response even at a low dose.
Private label
Products manufactured by one company for sale under another company's brand. Private label products are labeled by the manufacturer and designed for that particular company's needs.
S
Solid lipid nanoparticle
A nanoparticle with a solid lipid core, engineered to improve stability and cellular uptake of poorly soluble actives.
Solubilization
A process that increases the dissolution rate of poorly soluble ingredients — one of the two things NanoZorb® does, alongside miniaturization.
Stevia
A non-caloric, zero glycemic index sweetener derived from the stevia leaf, roughly 300 times sweeter than sugar. FDA approved as an additive in 2008 and ideal for low-carb and sugar-conscious formulations.
Sublingual
From the Latin for "under the tongue." A method of administering a substance by placing it under the tongue, where it is readily absorbed into blood vessels and begins circulating quickly.
Surfactant
A compound that reduces surface tension between two substances, used to keep nano particles suspended in water rather than separating out.
T
Third-party testing
Independent laboratory verification of a product's composition and purity, separate from the manufacturer's own results. A basic expectation for any brand entering retail.
Thermodynamic stability
A state in which a system is at its lowest energy and has no tendency to change. In emulsions, thermodynamic stability alone is not sufficient — see kinetic stability.
Tincture
A liquid delivery method, typically administered sublingually, that absorbs and distributes through the body quickly.
Topical
A delivery method where product is applied to the skin, typically as a cream, salve, gel or lotion, over the area where it's needed.
V
Vertical integration
A business practice where a company owns its own supply chain — the farms, the storage and the labs where material is processed. A vertically integrated company can ensure tighter quality control and maintain consistent practices across every part of production.
W
Water soluble
A product engineered to dissolve in water, often through liposomes or nano-emulsion techniques. Critical for beverages, powders and any water-based application.
White label
A product produced by one company that other companies rebrand as their own. White label products arrive without a label, to be applied later by the reselling company.
Z
Zeta potential
A measure of the electrical charge on particles in a suspension, indicating how strongly they repel one another. High zeta potential means particles resist clumping — a key indicator of emulsion stability.
Xylitol
A 100% natural sweetener occurring in berries, fruit, vegetables, mushrooms and hardwood trees — and in the human body, where an average adult produces up to 15 grams daily during normal metabolism. Safe for diabetics, non-fermentable, and unlike sugar, not easily converted to fat.
Now you know what to ask us.
Ask about kinetic stability, verified particle size and COAs. Any manufacturer worth working with will have a straight answer ready.