In this Issue

Quest Products is looking to break onto the external analgesic scene with CopperFixx, a balm that combines the analgesic properties associated with copper and arnica. “Copper has always been known to help relieve the aches and pains of certain afflictions,” said Don Ryan, president and CEO of Quest Products. “Until now, no one had figured out how to produce it in a consumer-friendly form.”

At Abbott Nutrition, “it all starts with consumer empathy,” the company’s director of insights, innovation and brand strategy, Surya Menon, told attendees at the Retail Health Summit. By helping the company understand a patient’s head space when making a purchase, this starting point is aimed at ensuring they can meet consumer needs at the best time.

Today’s health system is saddled with stark challenges, including runaway costs, exploding demand for services and huge gaps in the quality of care and in the sharing of patient records, treatment options, health risk factors and other data.

Retailers and suppliers are in the midst of a strategy shift in the consumable aisles. As consumers increase their focus on the role that diet plays in health care, retailers and suppliers are retooling their strategies to emphasize fresh, local, organic, natural, healthy products — something that Kantar Retail calls the FLONH effect.

(To view the full Category Review, click here.)

American consumers love instant results. That fact is propelling sales of beauty devices — hair straighteners, power cleansers, blue- and red-light devices for acne or wrinkles, microderm tools, hair removers and hair growth stimulators. These items tend to provide immediate improvements.

MCLEAN, Va. — The newest innovation from Mars in the better-for-you space is goodnessknows snack squares, part of a long-term commitment from the company to promote health and well-being — and introduce more choices for consumers.

SAN ANTONIO — In May, Mission Pharmacal announced that its Lycelle Head Lice Removal Kit successfully switched from prescription-only to over-the-counter, bringing a new choice to the self-care aisle to combat “super lice.”

NEW YORK — The popularity of the movie “Frozen” ignited a braid craze. But how was David Shapiro supposed to get the plaited look for his 3-year-old daughter Hunter, who has a head of springy corkscrews? He is one of many men who have attended braiding courses taught by hair guru Cozy Friedman in her New York salons. The biggest demand comes from those who have to create the looks on offspring with curly or coiled hair.