SeroVital is an anti-aging supplement brand marketed to women. It’s owned by a company called SanMedica, which maintains this product line can “reverse the signs of aging.”
But has SeroVital actually been shown in research studies to reverse the signs of aging? Does this supplement contain research-backed ingredients? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And does it cause side effects?
In this review we’ll address all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in SeroVital ADVANCED and SeroVital HGH to give our take on whether or not these supplements are likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.
We’ll also share our concerns about SeroVital's clinical trial, discuss the risk of side effects, and compare SeroVital to other anti-aging supplements to pick our winners.
Key takeaways:
- We can't find any evidence SeroVital has anti-aging effects
- Brand improved formulation since our initial review
- We do not currently recommend SeroVital
SeroVital ADVANCED Ingredient Analysis
SeroVital Advanced consists of two separate supplements: an “Evening Blend” and a “Morning Blend.”
The Supplement Facts Panel below is from the Evening Blend:
L-lysine and l-arginine are amino acids. We haven't found any medical studies establishing that either amino acid is effective for measurably improving skin quality or reducing visible signs of aging when taken orally.
Oxo-proline is an amino acid derivative and we can’t find any research suggesting it’s effective for anti-aging or skin.
Fermented l-cysteine extract is a strange choice for an anti-aging formulation in our opinion. We can’t locate any medical studies suggesting this would be effective against aging.
Finally, we were unable to find any research suggesting l-glutamine or schizonepeta powder are effective anti-aging ingredients.
To the credit of the brand, they have updated their formulation to remove two questionable additive ingredients that were included when we first reviewed this supplement: candurin silver fine, and titanium dioxide.
We can't find any safety data on candurin silver fine, and titanium dioxide has been banned for use as a food additive by several regulatory agencies as we'll explain in more detail in the next section of this article.
We do not currently recommend this supplement because we are unconvinced of its potential to have an anti-aging effect, but it does not have any unhealthy ingredients.
Morning Blend Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in SeroVital ADVANCED Morning Blend are shown below:
Vitamin C and Vitamin B2 are part of a blend of vitamins and minerals included in this supplement, in some cases at high doses (zinc is included at more than 100% of the Daily Value).
Taking high doses of supplemental vitamins and minerals without evidence of a deficiency in those vitamins and minerals may have negative health effects.
In 2022, a wellness company had to recall some of their products from the Canadian market because they were causing vitamin overdose in some customers, according to the CBC.
We haven’t come across any evidence that vitamin and mineral blends have an anti-aging effect.
The remaining active ingredients are included in a proprietary (prop) blend with a total dosage of 1,016 milligrams (mg), which only equates to a 92 mg average ingredient dose.
Collagen is clinically shown to improve visible signs of aging, but the minimum effective dose of collagen for skin is 2,500 mg in our view.
A 2019 medical review analyzed 11 clinical trials on collagen for skin, and the minimum dose used in any of the trials was 2,500 mg. This is a 27x higher dose than the average ingredient dose in SeroVital's prop blend.
Chlorella, which is the first-listed active ingredient in this formulation, may be an effective anti-aging ingredient.
A clinical trial published in the Journal of Food Biochemistry found that a drink containing chlorella caused favorable metabolic changes such as reduced inflammation, reduced oxidative stress and improved immune response which the study authors suggested combined for an overall anti-aging effect.
Hyaluronic acid was effective for improving skin moisture in a clinical trial at a dose of 120 mg per day, so this ingredient may be effectively dosed in SeroVital ADVANCED (given that 120 mg is close to the average ingredient dose in this blend).
There are two inactive ingredients in this formulation that we consider questionable from a health perspective.
Titanium dioxide is banned for use as a food additive in the EU over toxicity concerns, and California’s assembly recently passed a bill to ban use of this ingredient in food by 2025.
Talc is a mineral that was associated with increased risk of stomach cancer in a 2019 medical review.
Overall, we consider Morning Blend more likely to be effective than Evening Blend for anti-aging, given its multiple research-backed active ingredients.
However, we don’t currently recommend this supplement due to the inclusion of titanium dioxide and talc.
Does SeroVital Increase HGH?
To this point in the article, we have addressed the ingredients in SeroVital ADVANCED, which is a two-part supplement (Morning Blend and Evening Blend).
But the company also sells a supplement simply called SeroVital that has the exact same active ingredients as the Evening Blend, but is marketed differently.
The company claims that this supplement can increase human growth hormone (HGH) levels.
This supplement also contains the same active ingredient formulation (down to the 2.9 g total dose) as GF9, another supplement sold by the same parent company, called SanMedica.
The clinical trial on which the maker of SeroVital relies to support claims about HGH increases does show that the supplement transiently increases HGH, but does not show that the supplement increases HGH long-term.
The research firm behind the study, called Sierra Research Group LLC, has the exact same registered address as SeroVital according to Zoominfo.
The clinical trial did show that HGH levels improved significantly after participants consumed the supplement, but the trial had a relatively short time frame (120 minutes total). We also know from medical studies that protein consumption alone can stimulate HGH release.
We have not come across any convincing medical evidence that SeroVital will improve HGH levels long-term, so this is not a supplement we currently recommend.
It’s also unclear whether taking dietary supplements that transiently increase HGH have any anti-aging effect.
Just because younger people have higher levels of HGH than older people, it does not necessarily follow that adjusting one biomarker (in this case, HGH) to transiently mirror that of a younger population has an anti-aging effect.
We have not come across any clinical studies establishing that SeroVital directly reduces biological markers of aging (like telomere length).
Does SeroVital Cause Side Effects?
Since SeroVital was studied in a clinical trial, it’s easier to assess the risk of potential side effects than for most supplements.
Only one patient in the trial reported minor adverse effects, and the study authors concluded that those effects were due to the process of giving blood (which can cause nausea and lightheadedness in those with a phobia), rather than due to the supplement itself.
The FAQ page on the SeroVital website does not mention any risk of serious side effects, but suggests that consumers consult with a physician about their risk of side effects, which is the most legitimate response, and for which we commend the brand.
Overall, we do not consider SeroVital likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy individuals based on the results from the clinical trial, and based on its ingredients.
SeroVital vs. Popular Anti-Aging Supps
Here's how SeroVital stacks up against other popular anti-aging supplements in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Spoiled Child
Contains several unhealthy inactive ingredients, including one which is clinically shown to worsen bone health.
Their anti-aging drink is also packaged in plastic, which is subject to leaching into liquid.
Winner: SeroVital
Dermal Repair Complex
This supplement contains at least one active ingredient which is clinically shown to reduce signs of skin aging, and which is effectively dosed, as we documented in our Dermal Repair Complex reviews article.
Both contain inactive ingredients we recommend avoiding, so Dermal Repair Complex gets the edge in regard to potential efficacy.
Winner: Dermal Repair Complex
Vital Proteins
This brand sells many collagen powders at research-backed doses, and some of their offerings are free from any unhealthy additives (like their unflavored Collagen Peptides product).
Collagen is one of the most well-studied compounds for reducing visible signs of skin aging.
Winner: Vital Proteins
SeroVital Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Backed by clinical trial
- Should increase HGH levels transiently
- Evening Blend has clean additives
- Mostly positive Amazon reviews
Cons:
- Questionable anti-aging efficacy
- Expensive
- Clinical trial funded by company with same registered address as supplement brand
- Morning Blend contains titanium dioxide
- Morning Blend contains talc
- We can’t find any evidence that transiently increasing HGH improves health
