Ask the Expert
Have a question about a Trivani product or Trivani’s Do No Harm Philosophy™? Simply email your name and question to
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. Dan Miser, Trivani's Chief Science Officer, will then choose one question per week to answer, and the response will be posted on this page. Responses
Here is a list of distributors’ questions about Trivani’s products and the Trivani Do No Harm Philosophy™. The questions were answered by Trivani’s team of experienced scientists. Question:
What is "product build-up" in hair, and why do people swap shampoos to prevent it? Would using Trivani shampoo result in product build-up? Answer:Answer: "Build-up" on hair can result from a variety of factors ranging from environmental pollution, sebum, and of course the hair care products we use. Build up from hair care products occurs when frequent cleansing fails to wash away any substances that may have adhered to the cuticle (the outer surface of the hair shaft). The resulting aesthetic effect of build-up is generally dull and limp looking hair. All shampoos are not the same. Some are 3-in-1s, or 2-in-1s, or 'For Dry Hair,' or 'For Oily Hair.' The list can be lengthy, and each one can present challenges relating to build-up. The quality of the shampoos' formulations will vary too.
Trivani's goal is to provide our customers with a high quality, value-added formula that will make hair look healthy and vibrant. To do this Trivani uses high quality non-sulfate anionic (negatively charged) surfactants for cleansing. Surfactant actually stands for "surface active agent." You can "Google" the term to read about the many uses of a surfactant. For Trivani Nourishing Shampoo the surfactants used provide detergency for emulsifying oils and suspending dirt so that they can be washed out. Because hair has a negative charge on its surface, the surfactants wash away easily, because like charges repel. So the negatively charged surfactants fall away from the shaft of the hair, taking the undesirables with it. This also helps to prevent detergent build-up and re-deposition of dirt.
But there are some good things that you want your shampoo to leave in your hair. Trivani's shampoo is formulated with positively-charged Capispheres which naturally and powerfully bind to the hair, depositing our nourishing ingredients like reparative fatty acids, moisturizing wheat flour lipids and avocado oil.
Jorita McGregor recently shared her experience with Trivani's Nourishing Shampoo.
"I have white hair, and every shampoo I've ever tried, no matter how expensive, leaves a yellow film. It's not so noticeable on darker hair, but you can sure see it on white hair. For years, I've had to use a bluing shampoo which strips that yellow residue off of the hair. But for the past month, I've been using Trivani Nourishing Shampoo, and not once have I had any yellow film or residue. I've never experienced anything like it. I visited my beautician and asked her if she thought I needed to add any color or use a bluing shampoo, and she wouldn't touch it. She said the color was great just the way it was. I absolutely love Trivani Nourishing Shampoo." Question:
Why does Trivani use Sodium Benzoate and is it safe? Answer:Trivani uses a food grade Sodium Benzoate as a preservative in both Suvan and Rakan. A preservative is necessary because the bottles are multiple use packages meaning that once they are opened, product is dispensed on a regular basis over a 30-day period. If we did not use a preservative, spoilage could occur resulting in an unsafe product.
Sodium Benzoate is both safe and effective when properly formulated. Recently there has been a flurry of internet reports stating that Sodium Benzoate generates the carcinogen benzene and should therefore be avoided. Again I have to say that when this preservative is properly formulated (meaning avoiding the combining of ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate) then benzene is not an issue. Sodium Benzoate has been recognized as a GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) material by the FDA for a very long time and is limited to a use level of 0.1%. Trivani uses far less than the maximum allowed amount. Question:
How Much Lutein Is in the Greater Vision Product? Answer: Trivani uses an efficacious concentration of lutein in its Greater Vision formula. What does “efficacious” mean, you ask? While we don’t release the exact formulas of our products to the public, we guarantee that we use effective amounts of all ingredients in Greater Vision and in all of our products. In fact, Trivani uses at least as much, if not more, than studies suggest is needed to achieve desired results. Then we blend those ingredients with other quality ingredients that support health from several angles, again, all at efficacious doses. So how much lutein is necessary to create a truly effective product? The study below shows test subjects’ vision improving with a lutein supplement with 10 mg of FloraGLO Lutein. Suffice it to say, Greater Vision contains more than 10 mg. Read the study below to learn how effective a vision supplement with an “efficacious” amount of lutein, like Greater Vision, can be. Visual Function Studies
The following is a listing of clinical studies that show positive relationships between FloraGLO Lutein supplementation and visual function, including those affected by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that is the leading cause of blindness in the Western world (3):
Dr. Stuart Richer from the Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center in North Chicago and colleagues published the results of the Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial (LAST) in the journal “Optometry.” In this double-masked, placebo-controlled trial, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients were supplemented for 12 months with either 10 mg FloraGLO Lutein, and antioxidant nutritional supplement which also contained 10 mg FloraGLO Lutein, or placebo (21). Ophthalmic testing, including macular pigment optical density (MPOD), glare recovery, near and distance visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity, was conducted at baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 months. Activities of daily living, night driving, and glare recovery symptoms were evaluated on a VFQ-14 rating scale used by the National Eye Institute. Similarly, subjects were provided with an Amsler grid to monitor changes in vision over time.
Results: In this study, AMD patients experienced a significant increase in MPOD after FloraGLO Lutein supplementation alone or together with other antioxidants (36 and 43% respectively; p=0.03 between baseline and final visit). Glare recovery, contrast sensitivity, visual acuity, quality of vision, and visual function over time also improved in both groups receiving FloraGLO Lutein supplements. The authors conclude that the improvements seen in this study may be due to lutein’s dual role in the body as a blue light filter and antioxidant. These results also confirm that AMD may be a nutrition responsive disorder.
Many companies, when formulating products that have more than one or two active ingredients, will decrease the quantities of each ingredient, often to inefficacious levels. Even though Greater Vision contains numerous active ingredients which provide a full-spectrum of vision support, each ingredient is included at beneficial quantities, and each one approaches ocular health from various angles. This is Trivani’s standard methodology for formulating all of our highly effective products. Question:
Why is Sodium Benzoate in Toothgel?
Answer #1: Trivani’s expertise in safe formulations means we are aware of ingredient combinations that could form potentially harmful secondary interactions. We know what ingredients can be safely mixed with Sodium Benzoate and which should not be mixed. Such is the case with all our ingredients and formulas. Therefore, you can rest assured that Trivani’s Cleansing Toothgel is the highest-quality oral care product on the market. Question:
Can you please explain why parabens and phthalates can be so bad for the body and children in particular and how Trivani products lead the way in the industry without these potentially harmful substances?
Answer #1: Parabens
Parabens commonly used in personal care products as preservatives are weak environmental estrogens. They can also support the growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells grown in tissue culture (Byford et al., J. Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 80(1):49-60, 2002; Gomez et al., J. of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 68:239-251, 2005).
Both in vitro and in vivo studies conclusively establish that parabens are able to penetrate human skin intact and have also been isolated from human breast cancer tissue.
Parabens have also been identified as being endocrine disrupting substances (EDS). While animal studies reveal EDS to adversely affect male reproductive systems, it is adolescent females that are most at risk. Young women are exposed to parabens more frequently than males due to their higher rate of use of cosmetic products. Health risks to adolescents using products containing EDS is many times higher than for adults because young people’s biologies are under constant change and are more susceptible to the adverse effects of EDS.
Answer #2: Phthalates
Phthalates are used to make plastics flexible and sometimes used to stabilize fragrances. People come into contact with phthalates every day. Look at the bottom of your water bottle. If it has the letters PET or PETE or PETG then you’re holding plastic containing phthalates. PET is an acronym for Polyethylene Terephthalate. Many fingernail products contain phthalates, as well as many packages containing products that we either ingest or apply to our bodies.
The problem with phthalates is similar to parabens with the exception that males are more affected with issues such as low sperm count, testicular cancer, and genital deformities.
Fortunately, there is no reason today why parabens or phthalates need be used in our consumable products. Preservatives are a necessary safety feature for topical products meant to be used over a lengthy period of time, but there are many effective alternatives available today. They are a little more expensive, but the added cost is worth the safety.
Word of Caution: even though parabens may not appear on a product’s ingredient listing, they may still be in the product. Many ingredients used to make creams, lotions, gels, etc. use parabens as preservatives, but because they are a part of the ingredient they are, under U.S. FDA definitions, considered processing aids and are not required to be listed in the ingredient panel. Many countries follow this rule.
Regarding phthalates, Trivani avoids these by using HDPE (high density polyethylene) and LDPE (low density polyethylene) for its topical products and glass for liquid supplements. Question:
Hello, experts on the field of alternative health. I’d like to know your opinion on the discussions surrounding hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Some say that this natural or synthetic is not appropriate to use because you are artificially providing it for your body and therefore telling your system not to produce it naturally. Answer: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is typically a combination of steroid hormones (estrogens) and the synthetic hormone progestin taken orally to help reduce the undesirable effects associated with menopause. Progestin is used because natural progesterone administered orally does not survive well during its first pass through the liver. Trivani’s Provani™ Cream uses USP Progesterone derived from natural sources. Topical application removes concerns of liver metabolism breaking down the progesterone. I recommend that you go to http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/S/SexHormones.html and view the section entitled “Regulation of Estrogen and Progesterone” to better understand how these hormones are regulated. The last line in this section is important in answering the question posed this week. It says, “Elevated levels of progesterone control themselves by the same negative feedback loop used by estrogen.” Women using Trivani’s Provani Cream are doing so because their bodies are deficient in this important hormone. Because of the limits and controls already in place in the human body, it is possible to use Provani without worrying about getting too much progesterone (when used as indicated on the package) or shutting down the body’s own ability to produce this hormone. Question:
If I am already taking Rakan daily, how would taking Catacade at the same time make a difference in my health?
Answer:
Although Rakan is a good antioxidant source, this is not its primary function. Catacade, because it is a uniquely potent antioxidant, should be a daily part of everyone’s supplementation regimen. By combining Rakan and Catacade in your daily health routine, we expect a synergistic health effect.
Rakan is a complex multifaceted supplement providing substances that support important nutritional needs at a cellular level. Not only does Rakan provide antioxidant elements, but it also contains complex polysaccharides derived from the Luo Han Guo fruit, Maitake Mushroom, Shitake Mushroom, Reishi Mushroom, and Cordyceps Mushroom. In addition to this, Rakan delivers eight important monosaccharides (xylose, glucose, mannose, galactose, fucose, n-acetylglucosamine, n-acetylgalactosamine, n-acetylneuraminic acid) that are not indicated on the ingredient label because they are contained within the combination of the four mushrooms plus chondroitin sulfate and whey protein. These monosaccharides are used by the body to form substances known as glycoproteins, which are vital to important cellular and protein functions.
The complexity of Rakan continues even beyond this. Did you know that the medicinal mushrooms in Rakan are far beyond ordinary? The four mushrooms are all grown on a black corn substrate. Black corn is very rich in polyphenolic substances, giving it extremely potent antioxidant characteristics. When used as a substrate to grow mushrooms on, the antioxidant characteristics of the black corn are infused into the mushrooms, changing them from a “super-food” into a “super-super-food.”
By combining Catacade with Rakan on a daily basis, we add Catacade’s unparalleled antioxidant ingredients and technology to Rakan’s unmatched nutritional qualities, for a winning combination we consider a vital part of anyone’s daily health regimen. As you probably already know, Catacade—like Rakan and most other Trivani products—is a powerful blend of ingredients used at efficacious levels in combination with the latest technologies to enhance bioavailability of its ingredients. For example, the Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) contained in Catacade is coated with a special complex to ensure that it survives the digestive processes of the stomach. Unprotected, SOD is mostly destroyed in the stomach. SOD is used because it complements the body’s natural production of SOD and actually encourages or acts as a catalyst for the body to produce more of its own SOD. This catalytic action is where the “CAT” in Catacade comes from. Another example of Catacade’s technological superiority is the use of Vitamin E in the form of Tocotrienol instead of the traditional tocopherol. Because of Tocotrienol’s unsaturated character, its bioavailability to the body’s fatty tissues is significantly increased over that of tocopherol.
Question:
What are Capispheres™?
Answer:
Capispheres™ are contained in Trivani’s Nourishing Shampoo. They are multilamellar vesicles, which means they are small spheres made up of many concentric layers (like an onion). Inside each of these layers is contained a reparative complex of fatty acids, avocado oil, and wheat flour lipids.
The Capispheres are one femto in size, which means they are 0.000000000000001 meters in diameter (really small). They are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Capispheres carry a positive charge and firmly attach to negatively charged hair and cannot be washed, brushed, or combed off.
Sebum naturally released from the hair follicles travels up the hair shaft and slowly melts off the many layers of the Capisphere, resulting in a slow-timed release of its beneficial ingredients to the cuticle (surface) of the hair. The end result is hair that is moisturized, softer feeling, and healthier looking.
Question:
Can you drink Rakan and/or Suvan while pregnant and/or nursing? Answer: If you are pregnant, and if there is ever any concern, always check with your physician first. However, Trivani believes that both Rakan and Suvan are safe to use, as directed, for pregnant and/or nursing women. In fact, Rakan and Suvan would be a healthy addition to a nursing mother's diet. The omegas in Suvan are great because of their known benefits of promoting cognitive development in children. Rakan, with its superfoods (mushrooms) and immune-enhancing properties, will help to keep Mom healthy during this important stage of life.
Question:
Are all Trivani product ingredients all natural? Answer: Many Trivani product ingredients are all natural, but even the term “all natural” doesn’t necessarily mean the product is both safe and effective. When we create a new product, we adhere to the Trivani Do No Harm Philosophy™ in the strictest terms. All of Trivani’s topical products must successfully pass third-party clinical studies referred to as HRIPTs (Human Repeat Insult Patch Tests). This testing is performed to evaluate the products for allergenicity and irritation potential. Dr. Devra Davis (www.devradavis.com/about.php) has also personally reviewed all of the MSDSs for Trivani ingredients and concluded there are no concerns for toxicity/carcinogenicity.
Some ingredients found on Trivani labels may be presumed to be harmful; however, we can assure you that Trivani has taken the steps necessary to find ingredients that are without any potentially harmful components. Here are two examples. Fragrance
Some cosmetic safety databases list fragrance as a “High Hazard.” The reason is mainly due to allergenicity/immunotoxicity. Trivani products use fragrance, but our fragrance consists of individually-custom-formulated components void of allergens and carcinogens. If these fragrance components were listed on cosmetic safety databases, they would receive a “No Hazard” rating. Trivani goes to great expense and effort to ensure its fragrances are free of the 26 allergens defined in the European Union’s Cosmetic Directive. Any Trivani ingredients that appear with a hazard rating are there because they have been rated either out of context or simply beyond the understanding of anyone not highly experienced in the technical aspects of the personal care industry.
Laureth-7
Laureth-7 is a substance found in certain personal care ingredients. It is often found on harmful ingredient lists because it has been known to introduce dioxins to the skin and body. Normally Trivani would not be allowed to use laureth-7 in our products, based on our Do No Harm Philosophy. However, we have found a form of laureth-7 that is certified dioxin-free, so it makes a great addition to our Provani™ Cream.
There is a lot of good information about potentially harmful ingredients online. If you ever come across a Trivani ingredient that is listed as potentially harmful, however, remember that we have made the effort to ensure that our ingredient is 100% safe. Trivani products combine only the highest-quality natural and scientific ingredients to provide the most effective products possible—ones that will not harm your body. When you try them for yourself, you can feel the difference.
Question:
What is chelation?
Answer: Suvan uses chelated minerals. Chelated minerals have the advantage over unbound or unprotected minerals for the following reasons: - Chelated minerals result by entrapping ionized minerals with natural amino acids. In this form, the minerals are protected and capable of passing through the stomach intact, thereby increasing their bioavailability. If minerals are consumed in their pure ionized form, they are reactive to substances that may be in the stomach and thus form complexes with these substances and render themselves nutritionally inert.
- Because chelation enhances the bioavailability of minerals, it is not necessary for Trivani to add high mineral overages to our products to ensure adequate mineral nutrition. Without those high mineral overages, we can also ensure that our minerals are both safe and effective, since excessive mineral consumption can result in serious side effects.
- Minerals that are chelated are better tolerated by those with more sensitive digestive systems. Consumers that don’t take important mineral supplements because it upsets their stomachs can use Suvan as recommended and get the mineral nutrition that is so important to their health.
Question:
What are Aquaporins? Answer: Aquaporins are a key feature in Trivani’s InstaLast™ product. We don’t actually put aquaporins into the formula; rather, we use a plant extract (Salicornia herbacea) that, when topically applied, helps to increase the expression of both Aquaporin-8 (AQP8) and Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) in the skin. AQPs are proteins shaped like small tunnels, and they facilitate the transportation of vital substances in and out of skin cells. In the case of InstaLast, AQP8 is specifically involved in the transport of Natural Moisturizing Factors into cells. While Salicornia herbacea primarily assists in up-regulating the production of AQP8, it also helps to increase the production of AQP3, which is primarily supportive of water transport. Clinical testing of the ingredient Salicornia herbacea clearly shows that moisture levels in the skin can be increased by up to 6,000% over 30 days. Intensive moisturization is an important facet of well-formulated age-defying products. Question:
How does InstaLast™ make the wrinkles disappear so quickly? Answer: InstaLast™ contains special powders that diffuse incident light on the skin, creating a soft focus (blurring) effect. The wrinkles are still there, but the eye is fooled. InstaLast is a great product for taking a few years off one’s appearance prior to a date, job interview, or even a photo shoot. If you are using other skin care or make-up products, remember that InstaLast must be the last product to go on; otherwise, the instant benefits won’t be realized.
It is also important to note that the light-diffusing “instant” result is just one aspect of the product. Other high-science, “non-illusion” ingredients are formulated into InstaLast that create an amazing result on the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in just a matter of days. Please click here to refer to the InstaLast fact sheet. Question:
Does Suvan’s Omega-3s contain heavy metals typically found in fish oils? Answer: The answer is no. Trivani has specifically chosen to use Omega-3s from plant sources to avoid this problem. A study conducted last year by ConsumerLabs tested fifty fish oil supplements, foods and beverages containing Omega-3s from a marine fish source. The announced result is that all of them contained “safe levels” of mercury, lead and PCBs. This is very disconcerting to me because these toxins accumulate in the body with use over time. They are not flushed out in our waste. The use of DHA and EPA is prevalent in the USA and other countries and it all comes from fish. One wonders how much mercury is accumulating in the bodies of our children who are taking these supplements on a daily basis.
Suvan offers an excellent alternative to the supplementation of contaminated fish oils because there are no concerns about the introduction of heavy metals and other toxins into our bodies and that of our children’s. The Omega-3s in Suvan are not only safe, they are all wrapped up in a high-tech delivery system designed to optimize their bioavailability. They are also blended with an amazing array of chelated and ionic minerals, formulated for maximum cellular delivery. I can’t think of a better, safer nutritional formula on the market, unless you make an argument for Rakan, Trivani’s “cell food” supplement; or perhaps Catacade, Trivani’s mega antioxidant.
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