Part 2: The $15k Lesson in Trusting the Wrong Supplement Formulating “Experts” The $15k Lesson in Trusting the Wrong Supplement Formulating “Experts”

Part 2: The Process Begins

After months of frustration, I was hopeful again. This time I was working with a company that specialized in powdered drink chemistry. It felt like a fresh start, and everything about it seemed promising.

The first step began with a call from one of their sales reps. The call went fantastic. Everything I wanted to hear was said:
“If you can dream it, we can create it.”
“There’s nothing we can’t make.”
“You’ll work directly with your own chemist.”
“We’re highly experienced in natural and organic drink formulations.”

Dang. Okay, let’s do this.

I was so excited because my formula would be one of the few in the world designed with proper mineral ratios, real fruit flavors, and a touch of natural sugar. One of my biggest goals was to create a drink that tasted delicious while actually nourishing the body with balanced electrolytes.

I was all in. I signed the contract, paid the invoice, and got started.

The process kicked off with a call with their chemist. I explained my goals in detail. I wanted a fruity hibiscus flavor, slightly salty, refreshing, something you could sip from your Stanley mug throughout the day or mix into a glass of cold water and chug. However someone drinks it, my goal was a clean, bright flavor that felt both hydrating and enjoyable.

We went over everything, down to the small details. Potassium and magnesium are naturally bitter, so we discussed how to mask that without using artificial flavors. The first formula included hibiscus powder, raspberry fruit powder, and lemon powder for flavor, with potassium, salt, magnesium, and eggshell calcium (and maybe coconut water powder) for the minerals.

Everything was in the correct ratios, balanced with 12 grams of sugar, the same amount found in an apple.

Easy peasy, right?

You guys, I was so excited, and then absolutely shocked, confused, and upset. When the first sample arrived, I couldn’t believe how disgusting it was. I was shocked that something tasting this bad would even be sent to me without a phone call saying, “Hey Steph, this isn’t going to work. We can’t get the flavors right.” But that never happened. I was left to discover something completely inedible.

I left feedback as requested on the drink, and from there things never improved or progressed. My husband’s reaction to the most recent drink sample has been my reaction, and everyone’s reaction, for the past 14 months. You can watch his reaction here 👇🏻

I was never advised, never spoke to a chemist again, and was left to “communicate” with an account manager through email who gave me zero effort. There was even a time I requested a berry and cream flavor and was sent cotton candy.

This cycle repeated over and over for 14 months. We started this project in August 2024.

I would receive a drink mix that I hated and that tasted terrible. I’d email my account manager to explain, but I never received any feedback or guidance on what to do next. I felt like I was the one leading this project, suggesting changes and adjustments, when I was supposed to be advised by the actual chemist on how to make the drink better. That never happened.

To make things worse, I always received samples without any information. No ingredient list, no mineral ratios, and no instructions. A lot of mistakes were made, and I never felt confident that the new samples I received were even what I had requested. A couple of times, they actually weren’t.

I also needed to know how much water they recommended mixing each sample with. Was the sample itself supposed to represent a full serving? I was completely in the dark.

I repeatedly asked my account manager not to send me any more samples without all of the required information: a full ingredient list, instructions, and mineral ratios. That never happened. Not once.

Frustration grew as the months went by with poor-tasting drink samples over and over again. Out of desperation, I decided to move past natural fruit powders and try organic natural flavors instead.

I know a lot of people in the wellness space aren’t fans of “natural flavors.” I’m honestly 50/50 on them. I don’t mind them only because I rarely consume them. It wasn’t what I wanted originally, but I felt like I had to settle a little just to keep things moving forward.

So we moved on to testing organic natural flavors, and I started asking questions about what exactly was in them. My account manager had no idea, and neither did the chemists. They had to email the manufacturer they buy from to get that information.

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We moved on to natural flavors and eventually settled on organic natural flavors, which had a pretty clean hidden ingredient list, like the organic orange flavor I highlighted above. We also tried using organic orange juice powder, but it tasted like urine. Seriously.

With the organic orange natural flavor, I thought we were finally at the finish line since it actually tasted pretty good. But more mistakes were made, and I discovered the chemist had been adding other ingredients I never approved to “improve” the taste. One time he even added stevia, after I had clearly said no stevia, ever.

Again, I had no idea because every time samples were sent, they came with no information. Luckily, I’m nosy and ask a lot of questions, which led to these issues being discovered. It all would have come out eventually when we reviewed the finalized formula, only to find it wasn’t what I thought was in the recipe.

After more rounds of the same failed cycle, I finally texted the sales manager who had sold me on working with this company. I needed to complain since emailing my account manager wasn’t getting me anywhere. That complaint didn’t change much, except my project manager started being extra nice in her emails. And that wasn’t what I wanted. She’d always been pleasant. What I wanted was the drink formula I was promised.

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So another two months went by, and guess what? I got another round of samples with no instructions, no ingredient confirmation, and no mineral ratios, even after asking for those several times. To make things worse, this round had another mistake. They forgot to add the orange flavor and only used the orange juice powder, which tasted horrible, as you can see in my husband’s Instagram blind taste test reaction above.

I submitted another complaint and asked for a refund, explaining how unfair things were. I had done my part, and they hadn’t done theirs. They were in breach of contract, and at that point, I felt a refund was appropriate.

Surprisingly, that complaint finally led to progress. It turned into an hour-long phone call that was escalated to the VP of the company, and that’s when things felt like something would be done in my favor. Apparently, the chemist I’d been working with had been fired for reasons unrelated to my project, but it sounded like I wasn’t the only unhappy client. They assigned me to their senior flavor chemist to work with directly on my formula.

So now, with emotions settled, I’m feeling good about this project again. I’ll be honest, I had given up for a minute. But I’m not canceling it. I’m still hopeful and determined to get this project done and done right, my way. Maybe that’s naive, but I’ve always been optimistic and believe the best in people.

Here’s to third chances and creating something truly natural.
Stay tuned, because I’ll be taking you behind the scenes of this next round of formulating and being 100% honest about every ingredient, even the hidden ones that don’t have to go on the label.

And…I’m gonna make this drink happen. My way!

Steph

Kossma is the world’s first skincare company to avoid high-PUFA seed oils, formulating instead with regeneratively farmed herbs, tallow, and other ancestral ingredients that work in harmony with the body. We believe in skincare that’s safe for every stage of life, from pregnancy to babyhood and rooted in nature, not toxic synthetics.

If you value clean ingredients, transparency, and real results, explore our full line of skincare and wellness products at kossmabeauty.com.