In 2025, Austin, Tex.-based Ozzi launched its powdered drink mix in stick packs designed to help consumers control nighttime cravings. But residual moisture inside the sealed packs soon created an odor problem serious enough to threaten the product and the young brand behind it.
Ozzi’s Crave Crusher formula includes L-lysine butyrate, allulose, and konjac root. Moisture held by the allulose and konjac was causing the bond masking butyrate’s odor to break down within weeks. The product continued to perform as intended, but the smell was difficult for many consumers to overlook.
“We issued a ton of refunds and our reputation took a big hit,” says Ozzi founder Brandon Kuipers. “Thankfully, it still worked, so some customers continued to buy.”
Even so, efficacy alone couldn’t overcome the odor problem. Ozzi’s customers wanted a product they could use discreetly, Kuipers explains, without opening a packet in an office and having others smell it from across the room.
“As soon as we discovered that residual moisture was the problem, it was a do-or-die situation,” he says. “We either needed to reformulate and reduce product efficacy or find a way to remove moisture for the long term.”
Ozzi first tried adding moisture absorption to the package gussets, but the tightly sealed individual sticks prevented that approach from having any effect. Desiccant and oxygen sachets added elsewhere in the packaging system also failed to resolve the problem.
Kuipers eventually found ProAmpac’s patent-pending ProActive Intelligence Moisture Protect MP-1000 while using ChatGPT to search for a film that could control moisture inside a sealed stick pack. MP-1000 integrates Aptar Active Material Science’s 3-Phase Activ-Polymer technology into the sealant layer, where channels pull residual moisture away from the product and direct it to moisture-adsorbing particles seated within the film. Unlike absorption, which takes moisture into a material, adsorption holds moisture molecules on a surface. Capturing moisture from the package headspace helps prevent it from reacting with Ozzi’s ingredients and breaking down the bond that masks butyrate’s odor.
Traditional barrier packaging primarily keeps outside moisture from entering. MP-1000 retains that barrier protection, while its active material also captures incoming moisture before it reaches the package headspace, says Robert Flaherty, vice president of product development at ProAmpac.
After identifying MP-1000 as a potential solution, Ozzi moved into product testing. “We received samples quickly that we self-sealed with powder and tested over 30 days before confirming our order,” Kuipers says. “Thankfully, even at day 100, there was no degradation.”
The film was then substituted for Ozzi’s existing foil-based stick-pack material. No machine changes were required, and ProAmpac reports no difference in the quality of the finished packs.
“The transition to MP-1000 was straightforward,” Kuipers says. “The only challenge was some initial timing delays during implementation, but once the material was available, it integrated smoothly into our existing stick-pack process.”
Since the conversion, Ozzi reports a 75% reduction in customer complaints, a half-point increase in product reviews, and higher customer retention. Ozzi also removed the desiccant and oxygen sachets it had added while troubleshooting the problem.
The change has also altered how Ozzi discusses butyrate’s inherent odor with consumers. “I’ve stopped mentioning the smell,” Kuipers says. “It’s still there for some sensitive users, but not enough to bother most. At this point, it’s a feature, not a bug. It’s our best ingredient and it’s what makes Ozzi so effective. Prior to MP, it was so rancid it had to be warned about all over.”
Kuipers has since recommended the material to others dealing with similar moisture problems. “It’s worked well for us,” he says, “and it’s kept the product alive and our customers happy.” PW
