Review of the Evalar company[edit | edit code]
Logo and branded pharmacy Evalar
Evalar
is the largest company producing and selling dietary supplements. The company accounts for about 20% of the pharmaceutical market in Russia (2012)[1] Production areas and plantations of medicinal herbs with an area of about 900 hectares are located in the Altai Territory. Headquarters - in Biysk. Has its own pharmacy network.
The company's main products are dietary supplements of various forms based on natural raw materials of plant, mineral and animal origin: tablets, capsules, tinctures, drops, water-soluble drinks in sachets, teas in filter bags, oils, cosmetics in tubes. The company is actively criticized for numerous violations of the law and unsubstantiated advertising claims. Most supplements from Evalar are considered useless or potentially harmful to health.
The company was created in 1991 as a result of conversion on the basis of the Federal Research and Production Center "Altai". The closed joint stock company was headed by Larisa Prokopyeva, a researcher and candidate of technical sciences. Hence the name of the company, which comes from the combination of the names of two women: Eva, the director of a Polish cosmetics company, and Lar, Larisa Prokopieva.
Evalar: pharmaceutical business with a female face
1K 1 8 min.
— Larisa, you stood at the very origins of the company. What was your motivation? How did the Evalar brand appear?
— “Evalar” in today’s already well-known format did not appear immediately. This was preceded by a considerable period of forced searches. In the late 80s, when the government order disappeared, I was a senior researcher and group leader at the Biysk defense enterprise NPO Altai. Almost the entire defense industry was then left without funding, but government orders were adopted to develop conversion, and we began to shift to civilian areas. Thus, among our developments was even the first Soviet chewing gum.
After some time, the management of NPO Altai decided to split into separate joint-stock companies working in different areas of conversion programs. By that time, I already had new applied work experience, and I organized a joint venture with the Polish company Pollena, headed by Ewa Dambrowski. It was at this moment that the name “Evalar” arose - we simply combined our names Eva and Larisa. As a result, in the early 90s we began producing cosmetics - unfortunately, this project was not destined to exist for long: with the removal of barriers to imports, it became obvious that the global giants of the beauty industry would occupy this niche of the Russian market.
But our company already had experience working in new economic conditions, and we decided to use our natural competitive advantage. Altai is a place that is known for its unique ecology, as well as long traditions in the use of medicinal herbs. Therefore, we decided to move towards pharmaceuticals, adapting existing machines for the production of briquettes of medicinal herbs, which were supplied to pharmacies, and later to the wholesale market. This was an example of almost perfect conversion.
— What are the most significant stages of the company’s development?
“I think our first success was the introduction to the market, flooded with handicraft samples, of the first industrial Altai mumiyo of almost pharmaceutical quality. This product is the same age as the company. It dates back to 1991, and today, under the “Golden Mumiyo” brand with a patented cleaning technology, it occupies almost 80% of the market. Then there was MCC Ankir B, a weight correction product based on microcrystalline cellulose, for which people lined up because the drug was an affordable alternative to the product of a well-known American company. These undertakings actually brought Evalar from the level of a regional company to a position on a national scale.
A big event and a real breakthrough - both in production terms and in the development of quality technologies - was the transition in the early 2000s from rented space to our own production site. At the same time, we introduced our top brands to the market: Blueberry Forte, Ginkgo Biloba, Sabelnik Tincture, Fitolax and a little later the famous Turboslim. It was from this moment that global growth began.
In 2005, a representative office was opened in Moscow, which, along with the introduction of new strong brands and another expansion of production, provided additional opportunities for gaining leadership positions in the market. We expanded our partner channels, went on television with our advertising - and already in 2006 we officially became the No. 1 company in terms of sales of biologically active additives (BAA) in Russia. We still maintain this status.
In many ways, 2021 was a turning point for us, which confirmed the new vector of the company’s development in recent years - increasing the share of medicines in the total volume of products. A second production complex was launched, where the production of its own dosage forms was localized - currently there are already 27 trade names.
After the launch of the plant, we increased the volume of drug production by 64%, and their share in the turnover structure exceeded 20%. At the same time, in 2020, it was the drug portfolio that became one of the main growth drivers for the company - over the nine months of this year, sales of our drugs, according to pharmaceutical market analyst Proxima Research, increased by 60%.
Of course, there were plenty of difficult moments: a crisis of non-payments, bankruptcy of pharmaceutical wholesalers, and dramatic turns in the regulation of alcohol-containing dietary supplements... Each period of the company’s development offered new challenges - and we found worthy answers to them.
— How has the market changed over time, how has it followed the market, or influenced its development?
— We stood at the origins of the Russian dietary supplement market, and I can confidently say: the market has changed dramatically - from completely empty, where absolutely everything was “swept away”, to the current highly competitive state. But the dietary supplement market in Russia is still very young, so we always strive to bring global trends to the Russian consumer. Many drugs that have gained recognition on world markets first appear in Russia under the Evalar brand.
A feature of the dietary supplement market is its high sensitivity to innovations: in order to lead in this segment, we must constantly introduce new products - which is what we have done and are doing. For example, when in 2007–2008 there was a demand for weight loss drugs in the form of drainage drinks, we released Turboslim Drainage. This drug caused a real sensation - such weight loss drinks had never been produced in Russia before. We strive to comply with leading global trends both in terms of the use of new components in products and in terms of introducing effective forms of application. Vivid examples are “Curcumin” in an easily digestible micellar form, “Elderberry immunity” in effervescent tablets, stable non-injectable “Acetyl-glutathione” in tablets, vitamins for adults in the form of gummy berries and much more. In my opinion, we had a greater influence on the formation of the Russian dietary supplement market.
— How has your client changed over the years, who is he today?
— Today, the consumer of our products has changed a lot - the audience buying dietary supplements has become significantly younger, and this has become especially noticeable in the last two years. Thus, according to the international research company Ipsos Group, until 2021, the group of buyers aged 45 to 54 years dominated; in 2021, dietary supplement consumption was uniform across all age groups. And already in 2021, a younger group of consumers (25–34 years old) began to prevail, within a wider range from 20 to 44 years old.
These are quite young people who are interested in a healthy lifestyle, find useful information on the Internet and are ready to regularly spend adequate money on their health. This audience, as a rule, is not ready to go to the pharmacy, but makes complex purchases through marketplaces.
— How has your work with consumers changed over the decades?
— If until recently over 90% of dietary supplements were sold through pharmacies, in recent years new sales channels have been developing at an accelerated pace. First of all, these are online services, interest in which was additionally stimulated by quarantine and self-isolation. Thus, online platforms such as Apteka.ru, Wildberries, OZON, Goods and Yandex.Market are increasingly making themselves known. And here we are consistently expanding our presence - today the share of sales in the digital segment has reached 10% of total turnover.
But using new sales channels is not an end in itself for us. Our task is to ensure the availability of Evalar products at every possible point of consumer presence. Therefore, we have always worked towards diversification and our own sales channels. So, in 1998, postal delivery directly from the factory was opened - it still operates and is in great demand. Ten years ago, we opened our own pharmacy chain, Evalar, in cities with the highest consumption of dietary supplements, because we have many loyal, innovating clients who come to the chain for new products. And in our own network, new products appear first. Today the client likes to buy online - we offered our own marketplace “Phytomarket”.
All this is direct sales and communication with consumers without intermediaries. But own sales channels are also a tool for developing marketing ideas related to product range development, as well as an effective tool for diversifying sales. For example, if our leading product in the pharmacy market is “Fitolax”, then on non-pharmacy marketplaces a completely different assortment is purchased, mainly new products: vitamins, omegas, collagen, minerals, etc.
— What is the company’s place in the market today? How did the events of 2020 affect the company’s activities?
— Today, Evalar is the leader of the Russian dietary supplement market, and also ranks sixth among Russian companies in terms of trade turnover in pharmacy retail (according to the marketing agency DSM-Group). But this leadership must be constantly confirmed, which was especially difficult this year.
We needed maximum flexibility and efficiency in responding to the rapidly changing situation. For example, during the first wave, we launched the production of antiseptics - for this, in less than a week we re-equipped the lines for the production of cosmetic products. Not long ago, it launched its own production of sterile masks and expanded production capacity for the production of drugs belonging to the “immunity” category.
In the last six months, drugs that support and stimulate the immune system have become the driver of the entire dietary supplement market. The growth of this category across the entire market over nine months was 59% (DSM), and our category of immunity drugs grew by 395% (DSM). All dosages of vitamins C and D, as well as dietary supplements containing zinc, are in particular demand - in April-May the growth rate reached 816%. Plus, a sedentary lifestyle during the quarantine period caused peaks in demand for dietary supplements for weight correction by 73% in April and May, although the overall final figure for this category for nine months compared to the same period in 2021 did not change significantly (+4%; DSM ).
The change in demand structure due to the impact of the pandemic, entry into digital platforms with a younger audience and other factors significantly influenced the company’s assortment policy. Over this year, the company has already released more than 30 new products in the dietary supplement category. Thus, we have seriously updated and expanded our portfolio of vitamins in various forms, expanded the line of products for normalizing gastrointestinal functions, and continued to develop the premium line of AntiAge products* for age management.
— What is the difference between Russian dietary supplements and Western ones, is there a difference in their quality?
— I believe that the main difference is only in marketing. The Western pharmaceutical industry, which is quite mature today, uses more aggressive marketing technologies in Russia, which have already been tested in their own markets.
As for quality and technology, there is absolutely no difference. Quality standards have no boundaries and are divided into Russian and Western. The GMP standard by which we work is global and uniform for all factories in the world. We work on the same, and in some cases even more modern, equipment; if necessary, we purchase raw materials from the same international suppliers. As a result, our product is completely identical to foreign analogues, but the consumer gets it cheaper - sometimes several times.
— What principles did you lay down in founding the company? What is the company's mission today?
— High quality and availability are two principles that have remained unchanged for many years. It is important that the opportunity to take care of your health and the health of your family is available to as many people as possible. Quality of life should not be the prerogative of a narrow segment that can afford to buy expensive drugs. We have been and remain a people's company, which has been known and chosen for several generations.
*(Anti-aging) - anti-aging
STOP! EVALAR[edit | edit code]
Logo "Stop!
Evalar" (community of victims of dietary supplement products) dietary supplement fraud. Discussion on channel one
A STOP! group was created on the VKontakte social network. Evalar. Community members are actively discussing their experience of using dietary supplements from Evalar. The group was soon abandoned by its creator.
One of the creators of the sister site STOP! Evalar, who introduces herself as Elena Bergman, writes that she decided to create this project “having received her bitter experience from taking dietary supplements (dietary supplements) from and having listened to many negative reviews from her friends and colleagues.”
Other resources:
- stopevalar.ru
was registered on December 19, 2012, is currently unavailable and is in the REGISTERED, NOT DELEGATED, UNVERIFIED state (closed in 2013).[2] - stopevalar.net
was launched on December 26, 2012, and is currently also unavailable, but delegated until the end of 2014 (possibly closed under pressure from the company).[3]
Judging by the reviews, most often the users of the group blame the company for pronounced side effects from the drugs and attempts to present dietary supplement products in advertising as medicinal (which, by the way, Rospotrebnadzor is actively fighting against).
She recently found herself at the center of a high-profile scandal when her Blueberry Forte product was found to contain arsenic in excess of the norm.[4] A message about this was published by the press services of several regional departments of Rospotrebnadzor. The company itself hastened to refute the information.
Appeal from Elena Bergman[edit | edit code]
From the archives of the site stopevalar.net
[5]
Hello, my name is Elena Bergman! Why did I decide to create the project “STOP!EVALAR?” The answer is simple - having received my bitter experience from taking Dietary Supplements (BAA) and having listened to many negative reviews from my friends and colleagues, I am tired of looking at how this unscrupulous company earns billions of rubles annually by deceiving us, ordinary people who naively believe in everything the nonsense that comes out from the main federal channels and radio stations every day and around the clock. The goal of our community site “STOP!EVALAR” is to stop deception as much as possible. Share with each other and report all similar incidents that happened to you and your loved ones. Report fraud, so we will let other visitors know about the dishonest company.
Why dietary supplements? If you ask, you might think that I am an employee of a competing company. No! I am against all Dietary Supplement companies and actively cooperate with communities advocating a ban on dietary supplements. The company, positioning itself as the No. 1 pharmaceutical company in Russia, is the largest giant in the production and advertising of its low-quality products! According to the results of a study by TNS Gallup Media for the first quarter of 2012, Evalar was in 10th place in the Top 50 advertisers and spent more on advertising in the country in the first three months of 2012 than Sberbank, Beeline, M- Video, Eldorado, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola and many other famous brands. The main federal channels and such well-known and authoritative media as “Radio Russia”, “Echo of Moscow” daily sell many hours of advertising time to scammers and swindlers who profit from the problems of the elderly and pensioners. Taking advantage of gullibility and the hope of improving their health, they defraud them of their last money, offering them under the guise of treating serious diseases - dietary supplements, the effect of which is zero, and sometimes even threatening to health and life!
Despite the fact that dietary supplements constantly violate the advertising law, the fines for them are very minor. What is a fine of 40 thousand or even 100 thousand rubles if the company has annual sales of almost 170 million dollars? The authorities and the law in our country do not want to restore order in this area, despite public opinion and the disgusting essence of this type of deception and falsification. But I hope that together with the community of deceived and injured “STOP!EVALAR” we will cope with this problem, we will not remain indifferent, and we will be heard!
Evalar Vitamin D3 600 IU, 60 pcs., 600 IU, capsules
It is difficult to imagine a happy and joyful healthy life in complete darkness. A person is more dependent on the sun than it might seem at first glance: a lack of sunlight can cause serious health problems. It is under the influence of sunlight that the body produces vitamin D3, which (the so-called “sun vitamin”).
Vitamin D is very important for our health, it is involved in 200 body functions. Contrary to popular belief that vitamin D benefits only bone tissue, there has been renewed interest in its other unique properties, showing that vitamin D's benefits extend far beyond bone health.
However, in winter and autumn, especially in Russia, due to lack of sun, we experience a deficiency of vitamin D. But its average daily requirement is quite difficult to obtain from the diet, because for this you need to eat, for example, 24 egg yolks or about two kilograms of butter daily. Today, in many European countries, people of all ages are advised to take additional vitamin D in the form of dietary supplements, especially from September to May.
Vitamin D3 600 IU Evalar promotes:
- improving the condition of bones and teeth;
- absorption of calcium;
- regulation of the metabolism and content of calcium and phosphorus in the body;
- reducing the risk of developing osteoporosis;
- increasing the body's defenses and reducing the risk of developing colds;
- restoration and maintenance of normal vitamin D in the body;
- improving mood;
- increasing the level of serotonin - the “hormone of joy”.
Vitamin D3 600 IU is available in capsule form and is an effective, safe and natural form of vitamin D for the human body.
More information about the properties of vitamin D:
Its main job is to help the body absorb magnesium and calcium to keep our bones and teeth healthy. The strength of our skeleton and the correct structure of bones and teeth depend on the content of vitamin D. A lack of vitamin D in the body leads to a decrease in the absorption of calcium from food, while the body uses (“washes out”) calcium reserves from the bones, which leads to their fragility. This is especially important for women, as they lose more calcium than men when they bear and breastfeed children. If a woman lacks vitamin D, then with age she may develop not only osteoporosis - a very dangerous disease in which the bones thin out and become brittle - but also problems with the cardiovascular system, weakened immunity, etc.
Vitamin D is important for muscles, their strength and ability to withstand stress. It supports muscle contractions, including cardiac ones, because the heart is the most important muscle in our body.
Vitamin D is essential for the immune system: the amount of vitamin D in the body affects the area of the bone marrow responsible for the synthesis of immune cells - monocytes, i.e. increases immunity.
Vitamin D coordinates the production of insulin by the pancreas, that is, it affects the maintenance of blood glucose levels.
Vitamin D helps increase the production of serotonin, the “happy hormone” that ensures a good mood.
List of products from Evalar[edit | edit code]
- Turboslim ( types
: coffee, tea, express weight loss, alpha, drainage, day, calorie blocker, etc.) - Green coffee (Tropicana Slim)
- Troychatka (for the treatment of parasitosis)
- Troychatka forte (prohibited)
- Blueberry forte (prohibited)
- Parity (for the genitourinary system)
- Chitosan
- Sabelnik
- Laminaria (sea kale)
- Omega forte
- Inulin forte
- Laura, cream
- Hair expert, spray lotion
- Ginkgo biloba
- Shitake (for the treatment of cancer)
- Ovesol (for liver cleansing)
- Red root (to increase male potency)
- BP minus (to normalize blood pressure)
- Dihydroquercetin (antioxidant)
- Atheroclephitis (to lower cholesterol)
- Qi-clim (for menopause)
- Fitolax (for constipation)
- Glycine forte (sedative)
- Motherwort forte
List of products on the official website dated February 27, 2014
- AquaMaster
- Atheroclephitis
- ZheKaTon
- Red root plus
- Ginkum
- Pantocrine Panthea, tablets or liquid extract for oral administration
- Sabelnik tincture
- PhytoTransit
- Transit Lax
- Qi-klim
- Evalar, elixir
