OK so what do people prefer to pursue? Tell us:
1. Vendor
A. Purified isolate from snake venom, unknown price but probably cheapest (see Ark's posts)
B. Cosmetic NGF supplier @ 92-95% purity from South Korea, $100/mg
C. Isreali supplier @ 99% purity, $675/mg
D. Someone else
With option B, realistically, I don't think anyone is going to set up a company just for this. We would have it keep it alive forever just to service group buys. Even if the company made 5% margin, it wouldn't justify the tax filiings etc. We would need to find an existing cosmetics company willing to deal. Not impossible, but not fast. But it doesn't matter what I think, so much as what you all think.
2. How many mg? This isn't set in stone, but please be realistic because it's a basis of price negotiation with the supplier.
If we can get some consensus ASAP, then I think we can arrange for purchase. Shipping is going to be the same, more or less, for all vendors.
Once we settle on a vendor and approximate quantity, we can set up a separate thread just for the group buy.
Good post RG,
I have two points:
(1) I've got a funny feeling that (B) is not what it seems to be.
I don't believe that anyone is seriously putting rhNGF into cosmetics.
I suspect their 'nerve growth factor' ... is a marketing term like ....'nanospheres'
... which was an ingredient in some facial cream advertised on european tv a few years back.
What are 'nanospheres' ? ... a cheap moisturiser with small lumps in it.
I think we need to be careful with option (B)... it might not be as advertised.
(2) I recommend patience.
Haste and regret travel together.
If we give ourselves another week, we'll find another X number of options.
Perhaps we'll find suppliers offering better quality, perhaps cheaper prices, perhaps both.
So i want to add a fifth option to RG's menu of choices (above)
F) Wait 7 days so that we can:
(i) find more suppliers and
(ii) learn more about buying, handling and storing rhNGF.
But in answer to the options above, i'm most inclined towards options (A) and {C}.
Ark might well be absolutely right about venom derived NGF.
I'm a little put off by this option because of the 'danger' associations of snake venom.
.... but this is a completely uninformed prejudice/fear on my part.
Someone should spend the time researching about snake venom NGF.
What is it exactly ?
How much does it cost ?
Is it exactly the same as rhNGF ?
Is it merely an active analogue of rhNGF ?
Playground.
Edited by playground, 11 June 2015 - 11:24 PM.