It seems strange to think that, 20 years ago, vitamin K2 was almost completely unrecognised … but it was. At that time, just a handful of thoughtful individuals were curious about why certain Japanese populations had exceedingly strong bone and cardiovascular health.
They wondered what the secret was and how it could help the world at large. Today, the K2 category is well-documented and accepted, with an influx of new players seeking their piece of the pie.
At the front of the pack is Gnosis by Lesaffre, the leader in natural fermentation and biosynthesis, with the K2 that started it all: MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 as MK-7.
Acquiring the clinically proven premium brand in 2021, Gnosis has had its sights fixed on the horizon; with the rock-solid foundation of validated bone and heart health firmly established, the company has set itself on the path of shaping the K2 category for the future.
A past grounded in science
Back to the early 2000s and those inquisitive individuals. A few of them formed a team with a shared purpose … and so began the clinical work. Flash forward to 2006, which is when MenaQ7 became the first-ever Vitamin K2 as MK7 to be made commercially available in the market, and with it the K2 category was born.
Since its early beginning, the brand value of MenaQ7 was built step-by-step on critical pillars that eventually became the backbone of the K2 category as we see it today:
- clinical studies proving that MenaQ7 was safe and efficacious
- the Vitamin K Deficiency Study identified that children expressed the greatest K deficiencies
- MenaQ7 dose-finding studies
- novel food approval
- self-affirmed GRAS status
- breakthrough human clinical trials in healthy populations: MenaQ7 is still the only clinically proven K2 as MK7 for both bone and cardiovascular health; MenaQ7 is still the only clinically proven K2 as MK7 to improve bone health in children
- first vitamin K2 to be non-GMO verified
- the first K2 patented for cardiovascular health with formulation patents including other key ingredients (such as omega-3s).
Each milestone became a new platform to engage the industry and provide education about the important validated benefits of MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 as MK-7 and the vital standards to which all K2 ingredients should be held.
This approach of “walking the talk” when it comes to research and quality earned the MenaQ7 brand a premium position in the natural products industry by creating and delivering the value of clinical evidence.
In fact, one editor coined the term “valudation” when discussing this engagement based on clinical evidence. The success of the MenaQ7 story and its proven health effects on humans at all stages of life has spurred unprecedented interest in this little but powerful molecule and, today, the future and importance of K2 are brighter and more essential than ever.
And now, MenaQ7 — with the K2 category as a whole — finds itself aspiring beyond bone and cardiovascular health.
Embarking on a new journey
From being the brand that represented the pioneering efforts to establish the global vitamin K2 category to now embarking on a quest to shape its future, MenaQ7 will need to be dressed the part.
“The foundation of clinical evidence using MenaQ7 is what built the vitamin K2 category and shaped our understanding of this important nutrient as we know it today. We believe the brand signifies Quality Confirmed by Science, which is why so many of our partners include the logo on their product labels, marketing collateral and websites,” says Marc Philouze, General Manager of Gnosis by Lesaffre.
“Yet, research is beckoning the continuation of that pioneering spirit and more work must be done to confirm vitamin K2’s expanding ability to support other areas of health. To that end, we have decided to introduce a new logo and brand identity for this new journey.”
The former MenaQ7 logo represents a proud past, whereas the new logo speaks to where the brand is going. Customers and the industry can expect no change in the core tenets of MenaQ7: science, expertise and support.
These pillars will anchor the brand on this new path of innovation, according to Philouze, which led to the “magnifying glass” component of the logo. “The magnifying glass speaks to the curious spirit of discovery and that quality and science must be meticulously sought,” he continues.
“Curiosity is essential to usher vitamin K2 into the future — illuminating new indications with technological innovations that unlock new finished product applications.” Other new elements are the logo’s colours and tagline.
The new logo emphasises Gnosis’ dedication to natural processes that leave minimal impact on the environment. To that end, the colours are softened and reversed from the traditional dark blue with a light green accent.
And whereas MenaQ7 has long been “Vitamin K2 as MK-7,” the MenaQ7 logo tagline is now “Natural Vitamin K2 as MK-7.”
“The new visual identity has been designed to better connect with our customers and the industry. It represents the work we do in terms of utilising what nature has to offer and the protection of our planet’s resources,” says Philouze.
“As we look to the future, we see nothing but promise and potential, particularly as the benefits of vitamin K2 are expanding. Here, again, we will lead that discovery with MenaQ7.”
What the future holds
Gnosis is committed to building on the K2 legacy that is anchored in MenaQ7 with a strong belief that we are only at the start of unveiling the importance of K2 as a fundamental vitamin for human health and well-being.
“There are 17 K-dependent proteins in the body, but we have only truly studied three. Yet we are seeing strong links between the cardiovascular mechanism established with the MenaQ7 studies to other important areas of human health, such as brain, vision and joint health,” explains Philouze.
“Gnosis is exploring these links to provide the all-important clinical validation that confirms that these benefits can be produced for the market.” Beyond this important emphasis on exploring new indications, the company is looking to take product innovation even further to widen the field of possibilities for brand owners.
It has already applied its award-winning Vitamin K2 Matrix technology, a true clean-label solution to protect the K2 molecule in complex formulations, to MenaQ7 K2. In doing so, it provides an opportunity to quickly and confidently create more complex formulas in a range of consumer-friendly finished product formats.
Further, Gnosis has an expansive portfolio of clinically validated ingredients that serve a wide range of market segments:
- mobility and joint health
- wellness and immune health
- digestion and gut health
- reproduction and women’s health
- mood and cognitive health.
A partnership with Gnosis means accessing the synergistic nature of these branded ingredients and how they can create truly impactful products that are unlike anything the industry has seen before.
“We are thrilled to reveal the new identity of MenaQ7 — one that visually endows the MenaQ7 brand with its new mission statement: the K2 for brands that aspire for more,” says Philouze.
