Biocol Labs is a dietary supplement company focused on liver health. The company describes itself as "The post chemical pharmacy."
But do Biocol Labs supplements contain research-backed ingredients? Do they contain any unhealthy ingredients? Will they cause side effects? And is Biocol Labs better or worse than other liver-focused supplement brands like High Voltage Detox?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Biocol Labs Liver Detox to give our take on whether or not it's effectively formulated.
We'll also discuss the risk of side effects, and compare Biocol Labs to other popular liver health supplement brands to pick our winners (and losers) from a formulation quality perspective.
Key takeaways:
- Contains research-backed ingredients for liver health
- Contains two ingredients we recommend avoiding
- We do not currently recommend Biocol Labs
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Biocol Labs Liver Detox are shown below:
Some of these ingredients are clinically shown to support liver detoxification.
Artichoke root extract was shown to significantly reduce liver enzymes in a 2021 meta-study.
The 400 milligram (mg) dose in this supplement is within the effective dosing range based on the above-linked study.
Fennel seed extract was shown to protect the liver from damage in a clinical trial published in the Food Science & Nutrition journal.
Rosemary leaf extract is also clinically shown to have hepatoprotective effects.
The inactive ingredients in Biocol Labs Liver Detox are shown below:
Artificial flavour has been clinically shown to be toxic in animal studies, as we documented in our Stinger Detox reviews article.
Potassium sorbate is a synthetic preservative, and while it doesn't appear particularly harmful, we generally recommend avoiding synthetic preservatives in diet.
Overall, we consider Biocol Labs Liver Detox likely to support liver detoxification, but we don't currently recommend this supplement due to the two inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Highly Questionable Website Claims
There are a number of health and clinical claims on the Biocol Labs website that we consider highly questionable and unscientific.
The brand claims that nearly all deaths can be traced to poor liver health:
image source: biocollabs.com
There is no citation or proof at all provided for this claim, nor have we come across any scientific evidence suggesting this.
Biocol Labs also claims that their Liver Detox supplement provides "clinically-backed" benefits but it doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials:
image source: biocollabs.com
If the company is referring to user self-reports, that is not clinical research.
We urge the company to cite or link to the clinical backing they claim to have in this statement, or remove it from their website.
Users on the Biocol Labs website can take a quiz and encounter questions like the following:
image source: biocollabs.com
You cannot diagnose serious health conditions like fatty liver with an online quiz, and the suggestion of such is unscientific and dangerous.
As we've made clear in a number of Illuminate Health reviews, we consider inaccurate health and clinical claims, used to market a dietary supplement, to be a sign of a low-quality brand.
Does Biocol Labs Cause Side Effects?
Biocol Labs Liver Detox doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to determine whether or not it's likely to cause side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on the stated ingredients.
There are no ingredients in Biocol Labs Liver Detox that we consider likely to cause side effects in healthy adults.
Artificial flavors can cause hyperactivity in children in some cases, but this supplement is marketed to adults.
At the time of publishing this article, there doesn't appear to be any mention of side effects on the Liver Detox product page.
Biocol Labs vs. Popular Detox Supps
Here's how Biocol Labs compares to other popular liver health supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
High Voltage Detox
Unhealthy formulation that includes 42 grams of high fructose corn syrup, which is clinically shown to have negative health effects when consumed in excess.
Biocol Labs' supplement is the healthier option.
Winner: Biocol Labs
Liver Health Formula
Liver Health Formula contains some research-backed active ingredients we consider to be underdosed.
However, the supplement is free of unhealthy inactive ingredients, so we give this brand the edge from a health perspective.
Winner: Liver Health Formula
Inno Cleanse
Contains active ingredients which can harm the liver.
Biocol Labs Liver Detox is a much safer and healthier supplement.
Winner: Biocol Labs
Biocol Labs Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Research-backed active ingredients
- Effectively-dosed active ingredients
- Should support liver detoxification
- Unlikely to cause side effects
- Individual ingredient doses listed (no prop blend)
Cons:
- Doesn't appear clinically tested
- Questionable health claims on brand website
- Questionable clinical claims on brand website
- Contains artificial flavors
- Contains a synthetic preservative
