How is Lucy different from other nicotine gums on the market?
Flavor System
Creating a great flavor is more than just adding a single magic ingredient. Our scientists have worked diligently to blend together the perfect mix of sweeteners and flavors to ensure a long lasting and delicious product experience. Because nicotine has a harsh taste and spicy mouthfeel, the release of the flavor system needs to match the release of nicotine, so that your mouth doesn’t become overwhelmed with nicotine if the flavors wear off too soon.
Nicotine Resinate
Lucy uses a unique formulation of Nicotine Resinate to deliver nicotine in a controlled release manner. This nicotine resinate is nicotine bound to an ion-exchange resin. The use of the resinate as a delivery system maximizes the amount of nicotine released and absorbed by the oral mucosa. Some other formulations of nicotine gum can lead to low buccal nicotine absorption, meaning you either have to use more to get the same feeling, or become nauseated because the nicotine enters your gut. Our nicotine resinate works to ensure that as much nicotine as possible that is released from each piece is absorbed by the mouth.
Gum Base
We focus on the physical properties that the chewing gum should have: elasticity, hardness, and the interaction of the gum matrix with the nicotine resinate and flavors. Keeping a piece of gum soft and consistent for sustained enjoyment is extremely important. We use a synthetic gum base, which allows us to have the most control over the physical properties, sensory experience, and quality and consistency of the final product.
Coating
We coat each piece of Lucy to ensure freshness and lock in the amazing flavor. We use a maltitol-based coating. Maltitol is a disaccharide produced by hydrogenation of maltose obtained from starch. Most gum products are coated with xylitol, which is largely sourced from China. Maltitol is an American made ingredient, and imparts a perfectly crisp outer layer to the gum.
pH Adjusters
We use a customized buffering system which interacts with the nicotine as it is released from the resinate and gum matrix in order to maximize buccal absorption. Absorption of nicotine across the buccal membrane depends on the amount of nicotine present in the unionized “free base” form. In an acidic (low) pH, nicotine is ionized and does not cross biological membranes, whereas in an alkaline (high) pH environment, nicotine is un-ionized and readily absorbed. We invested a lot of effort into ensuring that our buffering system maximizes the amount of free base nicotine while avoiding the acrid taste of standard buffer systems.