Mind Lab Pro is one of the few nootropic supplements on the market that's been validated in clinical trials. The company describes their supplement as "The world's smartest brain supplement," and suggests that it's "the only brain supplement scientifically proven to work."
But what did the clinical trials on Mind Lab Pro find? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our Product Tester's experience trying Mind Lab Pro for a month? And is Mind Lab Pro better or worse than popular nootropics like Alpha Brain?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the clinical studies on Mind Lab Pro to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for enhancing cognitive function.
We'll also analyze the ingredients in Mind Lab Pro from a health perspective, share our Product Tester's honest experience trying the supplement for a month, and compare Mind Lab Pro to other popular nootropic supplements to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Clinically proven to improve memory and cognitive function
- Our Product Tester noticed nootropic effects from Mind Lab Pro
- We currently recommend Mind Lab Pro
Is Mind Lab Pro Proven to Work?
Mind Lab Pro has been studied in two clinical trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals.
This is the gold standard of supplement research, and we commend the brand for investing in legitimate clinical trials.
The first trial, published in the Human Psychopharmacology journal, tested the effects of Mind Lab Pro on memory in healthy adults with an average age of around 31 years.
The trial reported that Mind Lab Pro improved memory to a statistically significant degree across a range of categories, including visual memory, visual working memory and delayed recall.
Visual memory improved in the group taking Mind Lab Pro by 66%, and these results are particularly impressive in our opinion given the relatively low average age.
Since most healthy 30 year olds generally don't have significant memory impairment, the fact that this supplement caused an improvement in memory even in young people is encouraging.
The second trial, published in 2023, tested the effects of Mind Lab Pro on information processing capacity in healthy adults.
Participants taking Mind Lab Pro experienced improvements in all three mental tasks, and the study authors concluded the following:
"The results of the current study therefore suggest that there are benefits to cognitive performance (processing information) when taking the nootropic Mind Lab Pro.
In this study there has been a significant positive impact on information processing for the experimental group and given the nature of the tasks this would indicate improvements in focus, attention and decision making."
Based on the available research, we believe strongly that Mind Lab Pro is likely to have a nootropic effect.
We Tested Mind Lab Pro
One of our product testers named Aly Goldstein used Mind Lab Pro. Here's her experience:
The box that the product arrived in was somewhat crushed upon arrival, but the supplement bottle was undamaged and easy to open.
The directions on the bottle were very clear, and I appreciated the recommended options to either take the supplement in the morning or in the afternoon.
Mind Lab Pro did positively impact my working memory. I was better able to stay attentive and process information in the afternoons after taking Mind Lab Pro. I was much less forgetful and more focused after taking the supplement.
I did not experience any noticeable side effects from taking Mind Lab Pro, and the capsules themselves were tasteless and moderately sized.
One unexpected effect was that I noticed an immediate improvement in my headaches (which I've been getting daily) when taking Mind Lab Pro in the afternoons, effectively delaying their onset.
Overall, I would rate this supplement 7/10, and I plan to purchase it in the future and keep a bottle on hand for more intense workdays to help prevent headaches.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Mind Lab Pro are shown below:
Analyzing the ingredients for potential efficacy is less important when a supplement has been clinically proven to work, so we'll focus first on the inactive ingredients.
The only inactive ingredients in Mind Lab Pro are capsule and filler material derived from rice, and should be entirely safe and non-toxic.
There are no ingredients in Mind Lab Pro that we consider to be unhealthy.
Some of the active ingredients in this supplement have been shown to have nootropic effects in isolation.
Phosphatidylserine was shown in a 2010 medical review to enhance memory at the exact same dose as exists in Mind Lab Pro.
Rhodiola rosea extract is clinically shown to improve memory, as we documented in our Feel Free reviews article on a nootropic drink.
Overall, we're impressed by Mind Lab Pro's formulation.
Mind Lab Pro is also the first Illuminate Labs Certified nootropic supplement, at the time of updating this article.
Does Mind Lab Pro Cause Side Effects?
Because Mind Lab Pro has been studied in two separate clinical trials, it's much simpler to evaluate the risk of side effects for this product than for most over-the-counter (OTC) supplements.
Neither clinical trial reported side effects in participants taking Mind Lab Pro, which leads us to believe that this supplement is highly unlikely to cause side effects.
We have reviewed the ingredients in this supplement individually, and consider them unlikely to cause side effects.
There is no mention of side effects on the Mind Lab Pro website at the time of publishing this article.
Mind Lab Pro vs. Popular Nootropics
Here's how Mind Lab Pro compares to other popular nootropic supplements in terms of formulation quality and research backing, in our opinion:
Alpha Brain
Like Mind Lab Pro, this nootropic brand has been tested in legitimate, peer-reviewed clinical trials.
However, one of those trials found the supplement to be no more effective than placebo, so we consider Mind Lab Pro more likely to be effective.
Winner: Mind Lab Pro
Thesis
Thesis sells "personalized" nootropics, which we consider to be a marketing play rather than a legitimate scientific approach, for reasons we documented in the linked article.
This brand doesn't appear to be validated in any clinical trials, so we give Mind Lab Pro the advantage in terms of potential efficacy.
Winner: Mind Lab Pro
Brillia
This is a homeopathic supplement brand, which makes it definitionally less efficacious than a clinically-backed supplement like Mind Lab Pro.
Homeopathy has been debunked numerous times in clinical research.
Winner: Mind Lab Pro
Mind Lab Pro Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Clinically proven to work
- Shown to improve memory
- Shown to improve cognitive function
- Our Product Tester experienced improved working memory
- No unhealthy additives
- Only nootropic supplement we're aware of with two positive clinical trials
- Healthier than competitors
Cons:
- Brand website charges for shipping
