Noocube is a nootropic supplement that describes itself as a “Brain Productivity” supplement. The brand’s website claims that their supplement can not only cause users to “gain razor sharp focus” but also to “boost memory & mental alertness.”
But does Noocube contain ingredients proven to have these effects, or is this just another nootropics brand making vague and unsupported claims? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? Where’s the best place to buy it? And how do real users rate its effects?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review every ingredient in Noocube based on published medical studies and share a real user review.
We’ll start by highlighting an ingredient disclosure issue that’s a consumer safety problem.
Brand Fails to Publish Supplement Facts Label
Noocube’s website lists their “13 science-backed ingredients” but does not appear to publish a Supplement Facts label as required by the FDA which is the full list of all active and inactive ingredients.
This is a huge consumer safety issue in our opinion, because the safety of ingredients depends on their dosage and consumers can have allergies to certain ingredients. Without the full set of ingredients and dosage, consumers cannot make an informed purchase decision.
We urge the brand to publish a Supplement Facts label on their website. We recommend that consumers avoid any supplement brand that fails to clearly and transparently publish a Supplement Facts label (or a full list of both active and inactive ingredients in text) on their website.
Does Noocube Work?
The ingredients listed in Noocube are in bold as follows:
Lutemax 2020 is the first active ingredient in Noocube, and is a patented carotenoid blend. There is no dosage listed for this ingredient which is unacceptable and prevents researchers and consumers from determining if this ingredient is effectively dosed for nootropic effect.
Bacopa monnieri extract is an effective nootropic compound, but may be underdosed in Noocube. A meta-study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine analyzed data on bacopa and cognition, and concluded that bacopa improved memory. However, the lowest dose in any of the trials was 300 milligrams (mg), and the dose in Noocube is 250 mg.
Huperzia serrata is another plant we consider potentially underdosed in Noocube. As we documented in our Alpha Brain reviews article, the effective huperzine A dose (which is the active compound in this plant) appears to be 0.4 mg.
The total Huperzia serrata dose in Noocube is only 20 mg, and huperzine A is included at a 0.5% concentration, which equates to a huperzine A dose in Noocube of only 0.1 mg, or 5x less than what appears to be the effective dose.
L-theanine is an amino acid that has anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effects, but we haven’t come across any medical studies suggesting it has nootropic effects.
We cannot identify any medical research suggesting that resveratrol or pterostilbene are cognitive enhancers at the doses included in Noocube.
Alpha-GPC was shown to cause no improvements to mental performance in a 2015 clinical trial, and the doses used were 4 and 8 times the amount in Noocube.
For the sake of brevity, we will simply state here that we can locate no medical research backing the remaining six ingredients in Noocube (l-tyrosine, oat straw extract 10:1, cat’s claw 4:1 concentrated extract, vitamin B1, vitamin B7, vitamin B12).
We do not recommend taking supplemental vitamins without a documented deficiency.
Overall we find this to be an unimpressive formula. We are unable to locate one single ingredient we consider effectively dosed for nootropic function, and while some of the ingredients do have research backing, we consider them underdosed based on medical research.
Real User Review of Noocube
One of the most popular YouTube reviews of Noocube comes from a channel called Your Inception that reviews nootropics. The creator shares his experience taking Noocube, and compares it to other popular nootropics:
Why You Shouldn't Buy Noocube on Amazon
While we don’t recommend Noocube at all, we would recommend that consumers intent on purchasing it do so from the official brand’s website rather than Amazon.
There are various supplements being sold currently on Amazon under the name “Noocube,” but none have the same ingredients as the official brand, and none seem to be sold by the official brand at the time of writing this article.
We consider it a health risk to buy “knock-off” supplements sold by companies impersonating another brand.
We do not want to link to Noocube as we do not support their business, but simply typing “Noocube” into Google should show the brand’s official website in the top three organic results.
Questionable Health Claims
Noocube makes a number of questionable and uncited health claims on their website.
The brand claims that their supplement can help users “recall details with ease” and “improve memory.” Neither claim is cited.
The brand also claims that Noocube can help “reduce mental fatigue caused by looking at screens all day,” and again this claim is not cited. The brand suggests that this effect is caused by an improvement to the “eye-brain connection.”
We recommend that consumers avoid supplements that make bold health claims without proving those claims. It’s a sign of a low-quality brand.
Our Nootropic Recommendations
There are herbal supplements which are proven in medical literature to be effective for cognitive enhancement and memory function.
Ginkgo biloba extract is arguably the most well-studied nootropic supplement apart from caffeine. It’s derived from the leaves of a tree native to China, and has been proven to improve memory, cognition and focus in hundreds of published medical research studies.
Ginkgo biloba has not only been shown effective in older adults (the population that most nootropic studies are conducted on), but also in young, healthy adults which is impressive. A medical review published in the Psychopharmacology journal found ginkgo biloba supplementation to improve attention and cognitive performance in healthy, young adults.
Illuminate Labs manufactures a ginkgo biloba extract supplement that's potent (standardized to minimum 24% flavone glycosides and 6% terpene lactones) and third-party tested to ensure purity and label accuracy. Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Ginkgo Biloba Extract at this link to the product page on our website.
Panax ginseng extract is another well-studied nootropic supplement. A 2013 clinical trial found that ginseng extract supplementation improved memory and short-term cognitive function.
Illuminate Labs manufactures a panax ginseng extract supplement that's potent (standardized to minimum 8% ginsenosides) and third-party tested to ensure purity and label accuracy.
Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract at this link to the product page on our website.
Both Illuminate Labs nootropic supplements referenced in this section cost only $15 on a subscription basis, while an order of one bottle of Noocube costs $59.99.
