Pink Pussycat Pill is a sexual enhancement supplement for women. It’s sold in a single pack that retails for $9.95, and is made by the same company that sells Pink Pussycat Honey. The brand claims that this supplement “arouses the genitals” and “will increase libido.”
But does Pink Pussycat Pill contain research-backed ingredients for improving sex drive and sexual function in women? Does it contain any harmful ingredients? Why did the FDA warn consumers about this brand? And is it better or worse than popular libido supplements like Olly Lovin' Libido?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Pink Pussycat Pill to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for enhancing libido, and whether or not it's healthy.
We’ll also share information from a concerning FDA warning about a hidden drug ingredient found in this supplement, and compare Pink Pussycat Pill to other popular libido supplements to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Poorly-formulated supplement
- FDA warning indicates it's contaminated with a drug ingredient
- We do not currently recommend Pink Pussycat Pill
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Pink Pussycat Pill are shown below:
Go ji extract is the first-listed active ingredient.
This appears to be a misspelling of “goji extract,” which is a concentrated version of a berry that’s native to the northwest of China. We can’t find any medical studies suggesting this plant extract is effective for libido.
Deng sen extract is listed as the second active ingredient, and we can’t even determine what plant this term refers to.
We cannot find any reference to “deng sen” or “deng sen extract” in scientific literature, and a 2017 press release suggests that it’s an entirely made up ingredient.
Atractylodes is another Asian plant species, and we cannot find any research backing its efficacy, nor does the manufacturer of Pink Pussycat Pill cite any.
Cinnamon bark is typically used to support blood sugar and cholesterol.
We cannot identify any clinical evidence that it’s effective for libido or sexual function in women.
As we explained in our review article on the best cinnamon, when the specific species of cinnamon is unlisted (as it is in this supplement), it’s often the cheaper Cassia cinnamon which is included.
This type of cinnamon contains a compound called coumarin which is toxic to the liver according to a 2013 medical review.
Dismutase is listed twice on this ingredient label. It’s listed once as “dismutase” and another time as “superoxide dismutase.”
We don’t understand why this ingredient would be included in a libido supplement, because according to a medical review published in the International Journal of Health Sciences it’s a “good therapeutic agent against reactive oxygen species-mediated diseases.”
These diseases include cancer and certain respiratory conditions.
Pink Pussycat Pill also contains a “Proprietary Formula” with unlisted ingredients.
This is a consumer safety hazard because it’s impossible to determine if a supplement is safe or not without knowing each ingredient it contains.
Overall, we do not believe that Pink Pussycat Pill is likely to improve sexual function or sex drive in women, because we are unable to identify one single active ingredient proven in medical research to do so.
Why Did Pink Pussycat Receive an FDA Warning?
In 2022, the FDA published a notice that the manufacturer of Pink Pussycat Pill would be recalling their supplement from the market due to a hidden drug ingredient.
Prior FDA testing had identified that this supplement was contaminated with sildenafil, which is the active ingredient in Viagra. The FDA had warned consumers to avoid the brand for safety reasons.
It’s a serious violation of consumer safety for a manufacturer to add a drug ingredient, because this can increase the danger of the supplement, and may expose a consumer to an ingredient they are allergic to but is not listed on the ingredient label.
It also makes the supplement an unapproved drug product, because all products with drug ingredients require FDA approval.
If the ingredient label wasn't enough to convince consumers to avoid this product and brand entirely, this FDA warning should hopefully sway them.
Does Pink Pussycat Pill Cause Side Effects?
Pink Pussycat Pill does not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials so we cannot determine for certain whether or not it causes side effects. However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
We are concerned about the risk of Pink Pussycat Pills to cause side effects.
Cuscuta, one of the supplement’s active ingredients, was shown to be toxic to animal cells in a clinical trial published in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine.
There are also concerns about the potentially fictitious ingredient “deng sen extract,” the proprietary formula with unlisted ingredients, and the potential for an ongoing hidden drug ingredient uncovered by the FDA.
We consider the risk of side effects from this supplement to be greater than from the average supplement, because of all of these concerns.
This is not a standard supplement with every ingredient listed and studied in clinical research.
It also seems logical that a company willing to hide active drug ingredients in a formulation may be more likely to hide other ingredients in their supplement.
Pink Pussycat Pill vs. Popular Libido Picks
Here's how Pink Pussycat Pill compares to other popular women's libido supplements, in terms of potential efficacy and safety, in our opinion:
Olly Lovin' Libido
Contains naturally-derived, research-backed active ingredients like ashwgandha extract, which is clinically shown to improve sex drive in women.
While the brand had an ingredient label discrepancy upon our last review, it has no FDA warnings, and we consider Olly to be a much safer choice than Pink Pussycat Pill.
Winner: Olly Lovin' Libido
Ristela
Ristela is a women's sex drive supplement sold by Bonafide.
As we documented in the above-linked review, it contains one inactive ingredient we consider to be unhealthy.
Winner: Ristela
Pink Pussycat Honey
Same manufacturer and similar hidden drug concerns to Pink Pussycat Pill.
However, Pink Pussycat Honey's stated ingredients list is free of any unidentifiable compounds, so we give this product the (slight) edge from a formulation quality perspective.
Winner: Pink Pussycat Honey
Our Clean Women's Libido Picks
Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract is our top libido pick.
A meta-study on natural products for treating female sexual dysfunction found that Panax ginseng was effective for improving sexual arousal and sexual desire in women.
MBG Vitamin D3 Potency+ is our top value women's libido pick.
Vitamin D was shown to improve sexual desire, orgasm and satisfaction in young women with low vitamin D status in a 2018 clinical trial.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of any ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Pink Pussycat Pill Pros and Cons
Pros:
- N/A
Cons:
- Manufacturer received FDA warning letter
- Contains unidentifiable active ingredients
- Contains cinnamon bark without type listed
- Unclear official manufacturer
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- Contains an ingredient clinically shown to be toxic
- May cause side effects
- Less healthy than competitors
