Microplastic exposure is becoming an increasingly visible consumer concern. People are learning more about the presence of microplastics in food, drinking water, packaging and everyday environments—and many are looking for practical ways to reduce avoidable exposure.
Shield Nutraceuticals, Inc. is developing Microplastic Protect, a finished chitosan-based nutraceutical designed for daily use. The product combines a consumer-ready formulation with an established raw-material supply chain, completed pilot production and a scalable wholesale model.
Addressing an Emerging Consumer Need
The market for microplastic-focused wellness products is still developing. Although consumer awareness has increased, relatively few finished oral products directly address microplastic exposure at the digestive level.
Shield Nutraceuticals sees an opportunity built around three foundations:
1. A Developing Product Category
Consumer interest in microplastics is expanding, yet the market still lacks many credible, finished products designed specifically for routine oral use.
This creates an opportunity for early brands to establish trust, educate consumers and build a recognizable position within this emerging category.
2. A Chitosan-Based Finished Formulation
Microplastic Protect is formulated with food-grade chitosan supplied through Chitosan Global.
Shield Nutraceuticals manages the finished brand, formulation and customer relationships, while Chitosan Global supports the production-grade chitosan supply. This relationship creates a more integrated path from raw material to finished consumer product.
3. Initial Manufacturing Proof
According to the company’s August 2026 investor materials, an initial commercial pilot of 570 finished bottles was produced and shipped to the United States.
The pilot demonstrates that the product has progressed beyond an early-stage concept and through an end-to-end manufacturing cycle. At the time the presentation was prepared, the company was also planning a larger 2,000-bottle production run to further evaluate reorder economics and operational readiness.
About Shield Nutraceuticals
Shield Nutraceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2014. The company originally developed its business around DigestShield®, its digestive-health product, and has since expanded its focus into chitosan-based wellness products.
The company manages:
- Product formulation
- Brand development
- Finished consumer SKUs
- Retail and direct-to-consumer distribution
- Customer relationships
- Marketing and product education
Microplastic Protect represents the company’s expansion from digestive-health support into a new consumer category centered on everyday microplastic exposure.
About Microplastic Protect
Microplastic Protect is a daily-use oral capsule formulated with food-grade chitosan.
Each bottle contains:
- 120 capsules
- 0.6 grams of chitosan per capsule
- 72 grams of chitosan per bottle
The finished format is designed to make chitosan convenient for consumers while providing the company with a standardized product that can be distributed through retail, Amazon and direct-to-consumer channels.
Leadership and Scientific Oversight
Shield Nutraceuticals combines entrepreneurial leadership with formulation and nutritional expertise.
Steve Nice — Founder and Co-CEO
Steve Nice is a three-time entrepreneur with approximately two decades of experience building and operating businesses. He previously co-founded and served as CEO of BedinaBox.com and helped develop what the company describes as the first Oeko-Tex-certified mattress in the United States.
Sheridan Nice — Co-Founder
Sheridan Nice brings extensive culinary experience to the company. She is a graduate of La Varenne École de Cuisine in Paris and has worked as a professional chef for 38 years.
Dr. Charles Collins — Vice President of Formulation
Dr. Charles Collins is a pharmaceutical scientist, dissolution chemist and former professor with more than 40 years of experience as a pharmacist and formulator.
Dr. W. Andrew Clark — Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. W. Andrew Clark is a nutritional biochemist and registered dietitian nutritionist. His work supports formulation, dosing and label-claim review for finished products.
A Scalable Production Model
The company’s investor presentation outlines a manufacturing and wholesale structure designed to support expansion.
The working per-bottle economics presented in the deck were:
- Estimated landed manufacturing cost: $8.35 per bottle
- Proposed wholesale price: $29.90 per bottle
- Suggested retail price: $49.95 per bottle
- Estimated retailer gross margin at MSRP: approximately 60%
This structure is intended to provide room for wholesale distribution, retailer margins, freight, tariffs, returns and marketplace-related costs.
These figures are management estimates and may change as manufacturing volume, distribution channels, advertising costs and market conditions evolve.
Proposed Use of Growth Capital
Shield Nutraceuticals’ August 2026 investor presentation outlined a proposed $500,000 Series Seed raise for 5% equity, implying a post-money valuation of approximately $10 million.
The proposed capital allocation included:
$300,000 for Inventory
Approximately 60% of the raise would support first-cycle inventory. At the modeled landed cost of $8.35 per bottle, this could fund approximately 36,000 bottles.
$200,000 for Marketing and Demand Generation
Approximately 40% would support customer acquisition and demand development, including:
- Amazon paid advertising
- A curated micro-influencer program
- Initial customer-acquisition testing
- Development of CAC and customer-lifetime-value benchmarks
The proposed strategy follows two connected paths:
Inventory creates sales capacity, while marketing creates consumer demand.
The Reinvestment Model
Management’s financial model assumes that wholesale revenue is reinvested into additional inventory across multiple production cycles.
Under the assumptions used in the presentation:
- An initial $300,000 inventory investment funds approximately 36,000 bottles.
- Selling those bottles at the modeled wholesale price generates approximately $1.08 million in wholesale revenue.
- Reinvesting that amount at the modeled production cost funds approximately 128,910 bottles.
- Continued reinvestment increases production capacity through subsequent cycles.
The four modeled production stages include:
| Production cycle | Estimated bottles | Modeled wholesale revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle 1 | 36,000 | $1.08 million |
| Cycle 2 | 128,910 | $3.85 million |
| Cycle 3 | 461,604 | $13.80 million |
| Cycle 4 | 1,652,929 | $49.42 million |
These figures represent a theoretical management model based on full inventory sell-through, stable production costs, consistent wholesale pricing and complete reinvestment. They should not be interpreted as guaranteed sales, revenue or investment returns.
Raw-Material Requirements at Scale
Every bottle of Microplastic Protect contains approximately 72 grams of food-grade chitosan. As production increases, reliable raw-material planning becomes increasingly important.
Based on the modeled production quantities, the estimated chitosan requirement would be:
| Production cycle | Bottles | Chitosan requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle 1 | 36,000 | 2.592 metric tons |
| Cycle 2 | 128,910 | 9.282 metric tons |
| Cycle 3 | 461,604 | 33.235 metric tons |
| Cycle 4 | 1,652,929 | 119.011 metric tons |
Across all four modeled cycles, total production would require approximately 164.12 metric tons of food-grade chitosan.
Chitosan Global is positioned as the company’s raw-material supply partner, supporting the transition from smaller commercial batches toward higher-volume manufacturing.
From Pilot Product to Emerging Category
Microplastic Protect brings together several components needed for commercialization:
- A finished consumer formulation
- A completed initial production batch
- Food-grade chitosan supply
- Experienced business leadership
- Scientific and formulation oversight
- Retail, Amazon and direct-to-consumer opportunities
- A financial model designed around inventory reinvestment
The larger opportunity is not simply to launch another supplement. It is to help establish a credible product category around a growing consumer concern.
As awareness of microplastic exposure continues to develop, Shield Nutraceuticals aims to combine education, responsible product positioning and scalable manufacturing to build Microplastic Protect into a recognizable daily-use brand.
Learn More
Learn more about Microplastic Protect and Shield Nutraceuticals:
Disclaimer: Certain operational and financial information in this article is based on Shield Nutraceuticals’ August 2026 investor presentation. Forward-looking figures are management estimates based on specific assumptions and are not guarantees of future production, revenue, market demand or investment performance. Statements about the product are for informational purposes and have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Go-to-Market Strategy: Amazon and Micro-Influencers
Shield Nutraceuticals plans to deploy approximately $200,000 in demand-generation capital during the first four quarters following launch. The strategy combines paid customer acquisition on Amazon with trusted, word-of-mouth content from carefully selected micro-influencers.
Approximately 60% of the marketing budget is expected to support Amazon advertising, including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, video advertising, brand registry development and category-keyword protection.
The remaining 40% is planned for partnerships with vetted wellness and longevity creators, generally within the 10,000-to-80,000-follower range. These partnerships may include product seeding, reviews, affiliate codes, creator-generated advertising and longer-form product storytelling.
The initial objective is not simply to increase visibility. It is also to collect real customer-acquisition data, identify effective advertising creative and establish reliable CAC and customer-lifetime-value benchmarks.
Building Operating Capacity Through Revenue
The proposed $500,000 investment remains allocated to inventory and demand generation. Office expenses and initial hiring are expected to be funded through operating cash flow generated by the first 36,000-bottle production cycle.
The planned operating structure includes:
- A small, functional U.S. office supporting inventory coordination, e-commerce operations, finance and creator-program management
- One operations and supply-chain lead managing manufacturing relationships, inbound inventory, returns and Amazon FBA coordination
- Two marketing and customer-experience roles supporting Amazon advertising, micro-influencer partnerships, community engagement and customer service
The hiring plan is designed to follow commercial progress. During months one through three, the company intends to focus on the initial launch, Amazon advertising and influencer product seeding. During months four through seven, it plans to add the operations lead, establish a small office and increase spending on validated marketing creative. Additional marketing and customer-experience capacity would be added from approximately month eight as fulfillment and sales stabilize.
The Series Seed Opportunity
Shield Nutraceuticals is seeking $500,000 in primary investment capital in exchange for 5% equity, representing an implied post-money valuation of approximately $10 million.
The company presents the opportunity as an entry into a broader chitosan-based nutraceutical platform rather than an investment in a single early-stage concept. The initial pilot has been completed, and the investor presentation states that a second production batch has been placed.
Management identifies four primary components of the opportunity:
- A finished product that has progressed through pilot manufacturing
- Specialized chitosan supply and formulation knowledge
- A defined inventory-reinvestment model
- An operating plan intended to fund office space and early hiring from commercial cash flow rather than investment capital
The company’s financial model projects approximately $49.4 million in wholesale revenue during the fourth modeled reinvestment cycle. This projection depends on full inventory sell-through, stable wholesale pricing, consistent manufacturing costs and the successful reinvestment of revenue. It is a management scenario rather than a guarantee of future performance.
