Wild Style

She’s lying on the edge of the bed, posing like a pinup model, wearing a pink bikini style panty. She came home from work, tired and cranky, but now she was another woman, confident, passionate, lusty, and free to be a little wild….

It’s common for women to feel repressed and bound by the social roles assigned to them by their environment, whether it’s being a mother, a lover, or a career woman. Identities are as fleeting as the latest fashion trend. Personal style and fashion complement one another, moreover fashion is centered on the concept of self-expression—you are what you wear—but what about your underwear? If the basis of psychology is rooted in the notion that our external actions represent very deep and powerful forces acting within our subconscious mind, wouldn’t it be logical, then, for a woman’s undergarment to represent what she is really feeling at a particular point in time? Her “unmentionables”, in fact, have much to say about her inner life and emotional state of mind. Soft, smooth, and delicate fabrics suggest that she is very feminine. While boyshorts may indicate that she is sporty and playful with a hint of aggression.

The idea that a woman’s underwear and lingerie reflects her personality is not new. There have been occasional magazine articles, quizzes, blogs, websites, etc. that have asked readers to identify their “panty personality”. Pantyology is an informal school of thought that focuses on consolidated and articulated these various ideas and concepts concerning the underlying psychology behind female undergarments. While sounding cheeky and humorous, it is the serious attempt to uncover a woman’s authentic personality.

It’s an interesting concept. I also think it will promote women to be more self-aware and empowered as consumers. It will also put the clothing companies on notice. As women become more in touch with their personal sense of self and style, they will not be easily persuaded by trends, and the fashion companies themselves will be forced to listen to their consumers rather than simply mass produce merchandise and sell poor quality garments at expensive prices. Maybe it will also encourage more local production and less globalization and outsourcing. After all, if you’re an American, wouldn’t you feel more represented in a pair of panties made in the USA? But then again, maybe there is an appeal to escape into the exotic with something imported. I’m not sure what the answer is, maybe it’s all psych—I mean panty-ology.

The growth in demand for flavoured water (or flavored water if you are USA based) has been quite fantastic, the increased demand no doubt being in part due to the drive for a “healthier life style” and the mistrust that many have for tap water, that itself drove the demand for un-flavoured bottled water in the first place.

Flavoured Water – The Nutritional Facts

With the demand for that healthier lifestyle goes the increased interest in what we are actually eating and drinking, those “nutritional facts” on the labels of food and drink products being scrutinised as never before. However as you can imagine, without actually forcing something into the flavoured water that we drink, there is not a lot of anything much to report on. However the food labelling regulations make you place the details of what is in the drink on the labels and people expect to see it, even if they don’t fully understand what it all means.

Typical Nutritional Information (per 100ml)

Typically, flavoured water will have something like this in the “Nutritional Information (per 100ml)” section:

Energy – 6.81kj / 1.2cals

Protein – 0g

Carbohydrate – 0.3g

- of which sugars are – 0.3g

Fat – 0g

- of which saturates – 0g

Fibre – 0g

Which just goes to prove whole little there is there to report on. However this is not a bad thing and has led to the Government including Flavoured Water in its suggestions for children’s school lunch boxes, this in an attempt to draw them away from the fizzy sugary drinks that have caused problems in the past.

Flavoured Waters

Flavoured waters, or “near” waters as they’re sometimes called, are commonly based on spring water, intense sweeteners, citric acid, and preservatives. Not the most palatable combination of ingredients, I’m sure you’ll agree. Until you add the magic ingredient: the flavour. Flavours for near waters not only need to taste good but they need to be 90%+ derived from the named fruit (FTNF) to permit a declaration of (for example) “Natural Strawberry Flavour” and the depiction of the named fruit on the label. HoF’s carefully chosen suppliers offer us an exceptional raw materials palette from which we can select the natural aroma chemicals and natural extracts that enable us to create some truly outstanding near water flavours. These flavours can be tailored to specific sweetener systems, be it Aspartame/ Acesulfame K, Sucralose, or any other combination of natural and/or intense sweeteners.

Flavoured Water - A healthier choice

With the demand for a healthier lifestyle goes the increased interest in what we are actually eating and drinking. Consumers are increasingly making their food and beverage choices based on nutritional content and the nutritional information on the labels of food and drink products are being scrutinised as never before. Consumers are also more aware of the importance of water consumption as part of a healthy life-style. Keeping your body well hydrated boosts energy levels, helps flush toxins from your system, and helps keep your skin looking more youthful. Water, as opposed to traditional carbonated drinks, juices, coffee etc is calorie free and has no negative attributes, but let’s be totally honest, it can be a little boring. Flavoured waters offer all the benefits of pure water but with the added plus of tasting good, and with so many interesting and exciting flavour profiles available there’s something to please even the most jaded of palettes. Good taste, very low in calories and good for you, flavoured waters are an obvious choice for the health conscious consumer. 

School Lunch Boxes Favour Flavoured Waters

The Food Standards Agency website is just one example of those sites providing advice on healthy eating, its “Month of Lunch Boxes” including many references to Flavoured Water. With all the potential market growing as fast as it is it is not surprising that many companies are always trying to create that new market beating flavoured water, and that is just where we at the House of Flavours can help.

Research and Development in Flavourings

Our Research and Development section can create the flavouring you require and our production teams can then produce it in the quantities you need at the price that will enable you to take your product to the market. So if you want to join the rush in the Flavoured water market, talk to us, we know we can help.

Contact us Today – we KNOW we can help you!

The growth in demand for protein drinks, energy bars and probiotics, not to mention sports drinks (to replace those electrolytes you loose through sweating etc) seems to be one without end, the increased demand no doubt being in part due to the drive for a “healthier life style” and the pressure on many to take more exercise.

Pro-biotic’s – Health Benefits

There is quite a debate on whether pro-biotic products actually do any good or not, the Food Standards Agency being amongst those running tests to see if the “good bacteria” (the basis of the pro-biotic idea is that it provides bacteria that the body needs to make the human gut function properly) actually can survive in the harsh conditions in the human gut.

Protein Drinks & Health Food Energy Bars

Here too questions as to the need for Protein Drinks and Energy Bars are being asked by many, the BBC itself having a line on the matter, the question they raise being “With the large range of protein drinks and supplements on the market, it’s easy to believe protein plays an essential role in fuelling your workouts. But how much do you really need?”. As they say the debate has been raging for years and is unlikely to go away quickly, however the fact remains that the market place for protein drinks and health food “energy” bars is one that is growing, and one of the things that can make or break a product is just how tasty (while of course still being “healthy”) it can be made

Flavours in Protein Drinks & Energy Bars

This is just where we at the House of Flavours can help you, our Research and Development section being able to create the flavouring you require. Once we have found that “flavour” our production teams will then produce it in the quantities you need at the price that will enable you to take your poduct to the market. So if you want to join the rush in this “Health Food” market, talk to us, we know we can help.

Sports Drinks & Electrolytes

So why are all those sportsman so keen on replacing their electrolytes? Quite simply because it seems that “Depletion of the body’s carbohydrate stores and dehydration are two factors that will limit prolonged exercise” and if there is a race to be won then this is something that they will want to avoid. Sweating is of course the main way that you loose water during exercise, and the effect on the body is quite amazing as shown:

2% of body weight lost by sweating leads to impaired performance

4% of body weight lost by sweating leads to the decline in the capacity of the muscles

5% of body weight lost by sweating leads to possible heat exhaustion

7% of body weight lost by sweating leads to possible hallucinations

10% of body weight lost by sweating leads to potential death via circulatory collapse and heat stroke

Besides this of course is the loss of the minerals such as chloride, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium, all of which are required for the body to work effectively, as without them the normal cellular activity cannot continue. it is said that a litre of sweat typically contains 0.02g Calcium, 0.05g Magnesium, 1.15g Sodium, 0.23g Potassium and 1.48g Chloride. This composition will of course vary from person to person, but in all cases these losses need replacing, hence the need for sports drinks containing these essential electrolytes.

Making the Drink Special is the Answer

Of course in a crowded market place the answer is to make sure that your offering is that little bit special, and here, as with protein drinks and health food bars, The House of Flavours can help you make your product a real winner in the taste stakes.

Contact us Today – we KNOW we can help you!