NOW Foods Vegetable Glycerine

Vegetable Glycerine from NOW has a rich, lubricating, oily texture, yet is easily soluble in water. And because NOW Foods Vegetable Glycerine is derived entirely from vegetable oil, it is hypoallergenic and suitable for use in all of your favorite cosmetic applications. NOW Foods Vegetable Glycerine's softening and moisturizing features are ideal for making your own facial and body care products, to give your skin a healthy glow. NOW Vegetable Glycerine has a sweet taste, and has a long shelf life as it is not easily oxidized.

• 100% Pure
• Cleans, softens and moisturizes your skin

What is the source of NOW Vegetable Glycerine, and can it be used as a sweetener?
NOW Vegetable Glycerine is a natural by-product of the cosmetic industry. It is derived from palm oil and is 100% pure. Vegetable Glycerine is safe to use as a natural sweetener, and actually metabolizes slower than regular table sugar.

I just bought NOW Shea Butter, and it is very grainy and difficult to apply? Is this natural or is the product bad?
NOW Shea Butter is a natural product that often settles after packaging. A grainy consistency is not uncommon – in fact, it’s rather common! Simply microwave the container for a few seconds and then stir, or submerse in boiled water for a few seconds and stir to a smooth consistency.

How is your Cocoa Butter made? Is it OK to use it in baking and chocolate recipes, and is it healthy?
Cocoa butter is mechanically pressed from roasted, winnowed and milled chocolate liquor. Prior to pressing, the cocoa butter is centrifuged to remove any remaining solids. It is identical to the cocoa butter used in food products and is appropriate for any use, including baking. In fact, NOW purchases this ingredient from a producer of fine chocolate. According to the International Cocoa Organization, “Cocoa butter is the fat that occurs in cocoa beans and is used in the manufacture of chocolate. Cocoa butter, like all fats, is composed of several fatty acids - Palmitic acid 25%, Linoleic acid 3%, Stearic acid 35%, Oleic acid 35% and others 2%. Stearic and palmitic acids are saturated fatty acids, oleic is a monounsaturated fatty acid and linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. Research has shown that cocoa butter does not raise cholesterol as might be predicted by its saturated fatty acid content, because of the neutral effects of stearic acid on blood cholesterol levels. Unlike palmitic or other saturated fats, stearic acid does not raise blood cholesterol. Forty years of research have shown that cocoa butter has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol.” Cocoa butter is also prized as a healthy oil for the skin and scalp.

NOW's Mission
The NOW mission is - To provide value in products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives. NOW Foods is an award-winning and highly respected manufacturer of vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements and natural foods.

In 1948, with the natural food and supplement industry in its infancy, entrepreneur Paul Richard paid $900 for the purchase of Fearn Soya Foods—a Chicago based manufacturer of grain and legume-based products. This began a six-decade legacy of providing health-seeking consumers with high-quality, affordable nutrition products.

History of NOW
In 1968, NOW Foods was founded under the belief that good health was not a luxury available only to the wealthy. For the past forty years, NOW has made it their life's work to offer health food and nutritiona:" ":der in the fields of nutritional science and methods development. And while NOW has grown considerably over the past four decades, one thing has never changed – NOW's commitment to providing products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives.

NOW Commitments

• Customer Focused and Information Driven - NOW believes that their products, services, and the decisions they make should be primarily influenced by the desires and needs of NOW customers. The decisions that NOW makes should be based on accurate information and therefore NOW places a high value on knowledge and learning within their organization.
• Quality and Value Oriented - Acting in the best interest of NOW customers, NOW endeavors to produce the highest quality products at competitive prices. NOW's first priority is to maintain quality where it counts the most – in the products. NOW's exceptional cost-conscious team of employees then focuses their energies on driving costs down. Nurturing this competency of value drives NOW's ability to provide high quality products at the very best prices.
• Natural is Better - NOW is convinced that natural products are better than their synthetic counterparts and produce better results in human health. Therefore, wherever possible, NOW strives to provide products that contain natural ingredients because they are better for their customers.

NOW Science
NOW's experienced professional and technical staff formulates their products to be of the highest quality. NOW has a group of biochemists, chemists, nutritionists, and food technologists who review current science and nutritional parameters, and formulate our products to be effective for the intended use. NOW's structure/function claims are based on science for active ingredients, and on nutritional science for nutritional content. Serving sizes are based on doses from clinical studies and other published data. NOW's contemporary formulas are designed to meet the health and wellness needs of today’s consumers. NOW uses ingredients that have been tested for effectiveness in clinical trials and laboratory studies. The heart of NOW science is third party independent research. NOW investigates and review clinical studies and other lab studies conducted on their ingredients and their formulas. Best science is used to support best formulations which lead to best quality. NOW products are constantly being tested in clinical trials conducted at top universities and research centers around the country and in various parts of the world. NOW products are being tested to determine such things as effectiveness for joint support, quality of life for cancer patients, cardiovascular support, and athletic endurance. Effective products mean health and wellness benefits, which mean quality.

GMP Quality Assured
NOW’s GMP certification covers standard operating procedures, employee training, product specifications, expiration dating, vendor certifications and much more. Standard operating procedures include sampling and testing incoming materials according to NOW Foods specifications, inspecting manufacturing processes, and testing finished products to specifications. Tests include organoleptic evaluation (human senses such as sight, taste, smell), physical testing of tablets and capsules, chemical identity of ingredients, potency and contamination testing by the company’s in-house state-of-the-art analytical testing lab, as well as microbiological testing by NOW Foods’ in-house rapid analysis microbiological lab.