Md. Mother, Son Develop Anti-Aging Products
By ALLISON BOURG
The Capital of Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- For one mother and son duo, growing older is all relative.
Sure, there are definitely things you can do to slow the aging process, say Linda Collinson, 61, and her son Budge, 36. Eat right. Exercise. And of course, drink plenty of water.
But the Collinsons believe they have another weapon in the battle against aging - the all-natural products they've developed through their business, Infusion Sciences.
"Obviously, you can't stop aging, but you can lead a good life for a long time," Budge Collinson said.
The pair of entrepreneurs is the latest to cash in on the anti-aging movement, which pushes everything from face creams to vitamin supplements.
Though opinions vary on the products' effectiveness, it's a lucrative industry. The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, to which the younger Collinson belongs, estimates worldwide sales of anti-aging products could hit $300 billion by 2015.
Still, "there are a lot of voids in the market that I hope to fill," said the Annapolis man, the creator of the Youth Infusion nutrition supplement.
The roots of Infusion Sciences actually go back to the early 1980s, when Linda Collinson, of Davidsonville, founded LaCrista Natural Skin Care Products. Frustrated with ongoing skin problems that dermatologists couldn't cure, Collinson began mixing up combinations of almond, primrose and rose oils in her kitchen. Her skin cleared, and her line of moisturizers, soaps and lotions eventually landed on the shelves of Whole Foods, Wal-Mart and other
large retailers, years before organic products were all the rage.
"I was everywhere," said Collinson, who could probably pass for 10 years younger than her age. "The best things that come out of this country are born out of necessity."
Collinson ran the business for more than two decades before selling it to a Frederick man about eight years ago. But he decided the company was more than he could handle, so Collinson bought it back in time to team up with her son and relaunch the LaCrista products under the Infusion Sciences brand.
"It's always been kind of my baby," Collinson said.
Entrepreneurship is nothing new for the Collinsons. In 1999, the family founded Collinson Enterprises, which makes badges, rings and plaques for police departments. Budge still works for the family business and says that's been good training for starting his own company.
"You have to be persistent," Budge said. "And you have to work very hard, because if you aren't working, you aren't getting paid."
And that's something he also learned from his mother.
Those early days starting LaCrista weren't easy, she remembered.
"Just hearing no, no, no, then getting into Wal-Mart ..." Linda Collinson said.
A health and fitness buff with a bachelor's degree in food and resource economics, Budge had long dreamed of starting his own business selling wellness drinks.
Growing up, he spent a lot of time with his grandfather, who in his 80s still continues to exercise six days a week.
"That lifestyle kind of rubbed off on me," he said.
Linda Collinson also founded LaCrista when Budge was in elementary school.
"I kind of dragged him around" to natural products expos, Linda recalled with a laugh. As children, Budge and his older sister walked around in T-shirts that read "Don't feed me junk."
Now, both Collinsons are firm in their belief that most people crave processed foods because that's what they've been conditioned to want. Studies have shown that the artificial sweetener in diet sodas may actually lead to weight gain; for example, a 2008 Purdue University study linked weight gain in laboratory rats to consumption of zero-calorie saccharin. Some scientists believe the sweetness of fake sugar triggers more cravings in people, and possibly even slows metabolism.
Budge, who says he has read "about every diet book there is," was looking for a vitamin drink to supplement his workouts.
What he was finding in nutrition stores, he said, just wasn't cutting it.
Typical nutrition drinks, he said, tend to be laden with fructose and lots of fake food coloring.
"Why can't we come up with a product that's sweetened naturally?" he said.
It took the former pharmaceutical sales rep about two years of research and work with an Arizona-based lab. The result is an all-natural effervescent concoction made of green tea, vitamin D and resveratrol, a nutrient commonly found in fruits.
The tangerine-flavored powder is available online at www.drinkyouthinfusion.com for $39.95 for a packet of 30.
Collinson is working with the local Whole Foods Market and hopes Youth Infusion will be on its shelves next month.
It's also available at Evolutions Body Clinic in Annapolis.
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(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
