Equelle is a dietary supplement used for the treatment of menopause symptoms like hot flashes and sleep disruption. The brand claims that this is “the only supplement with S-equol” and that it “is proven” to naturally address the root cause of estrogen decline symptoms.
But is S-equol proven in research studies to relieve menopause symptoms? Does Equelle contain any unhealthy ingredients? Is it clinically proven to work? And is Equelle better or worse than popular menopause supplements like Estroven?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Equelle to give our take on whether the supplement is likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.
We’ll also analyze the clinical trial on Equelle, explain why we recommend avoiding this supplement on Amazon, and compare it to other popular menopause supplements to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Equelle contains an active ingredient shown to reduce hot flashes
- Active ingredients may be underdosed
- We do not currently recommend Equelle
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Equelle are shown below:
image source: https://equelle.com/
S-equol is the core active ingredient that the brand highlights in their marketing.
This ingredient has been studied in clinical trials.
A medical review on s-equol for menopause published in the Journal of Women’s Health reports that a trial on women in the US found significant reductions in menopause symptoms.
The study authors concluded the following:
“...preliminary evidence warrants clinicians discussing the potential of S-equol for the alleviation of [menopause symptoms] with patients.”
A 2021 clinical trial found that s-equol reduces inflammation and alleviates depressive symptoms in mice.
A 2021 clinical trial found that s-equol significantly reduced hot flashes in menopausal women, although the most effective dose was shown to be at or over 20 milligrams (mg), while the amount per-serving in Equelle is only 5 mg.
Calcium is the second active ingredient in this formulation, and it's clinically shown to reduce bone loss in menopausal women. However, we can’t find any medical studies showing this mineral treats menopausal symptoms.
The inactive ingredients in Equelle should be safe and non-toxic.
Overall, we consider Equelle potentially effective for menopause symptom relief, but we don't currently recommend this supplement due to our concerns over the active ingredient dosing.
Equelle Clinical Trial Analysis
Equelle claims that their supplement is clinically proven to be effective, as shown in the image below from the brand’s website:
image source: https://equelle.com/
To the brand's credit, they appear to have published research in legitimate, peer-reviewed medical journals on the efficacy of their supplement.
One trial found that the supplement reduced hot flashes.
Another trial published in the Menopause journal found that the supplement reduced all menopausal symptoms except for depression.
Here’s our concern: neither of the trials specifically name Equelle, and both trials use a higher dose (10 mg) than the dose in Equelle (5 mg).
Equelle’s website refers to these trials as though they were on the Equelle supplement, not just the active ingredient in the supplement, so we're left unsure of the status of these trials.
We hope that in the future Equelle publishes clarifications regarding these issues. In the vast majority of clinical trials on supplements that we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health, the supplement in question was named in the trial.
We find it unusual that the dose in the trial is different from the dose in the supplement.
Does Equelle Cause Side Effects?
Neither of the clinical trials cited on Equelle's website reported any serious side effects.
The first trial cited in the previous section of this article reported the following: “No changes in clinical parameters or serious adverse effects were reported.”
The second trial also found that no adverse effects were reported.
A 2011 clinical trial on the core active ingredient in Equelle (s-equol) reported no adverse effects, even at a dose much higher than that in Equelle.
Based on the available research, we do not consider Equelle likely to cause side effects in healthy individuals, although any consumer can have an individual response to a supplement and should clear its use with their doctor first.
Why to Avoid Equelle on Amazon
There is a product currently sold on Amazon branded “Equelle,” but this doesn’t appear to be the official Equelle supplement.
As shown below, the Equelle sold on Amazon has entirely different packaging:
image source: https://amazon.com/
The ingredients are not listed for this product which is even more concerning.
The official Equelle only appears to be sold on the brand’s website, which consumers can access at this link.
Equelle vs. Popular Menopause Supps
Here's how Equelle compares to other popular menopause products in terms of potential efficacy and safety, in our opinion:
Estroven
Contains an inactive ingredient which is banned in the EU for use as a food additive, due to genotoxicity concerns.
While we consider Estroven to be superior from a potential efficacy standpoint, Equelle wins from a health and safety perspective.
Winner: Equelle
Embr Wave
This wristband has been clinically shown to reduce hot flashes in a trial published in a peer-reviewed journal, as we documented in our Embr Wave reviews article.
Given that this is a hardware device, there is negligible risk of side effects.
We consider Embr Wave to be a better option from both a potential efficacy and safety perspective.
Winner: Embr Wave
MENO
Like Equelle, this menopause supplement contains titanium dioxide, but it also contains another inactive ingredient we consider to be unhealthy.
Equelle is the winner from a health perspective.
Winner: Equelle
Our Clean Menopause Support Pick
Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract is our top menopause sexual support 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.
This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Equelle Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Active ingredient is clinically shown to work
- Active ingredient has significant research-backing
- Doesn’t appear to cause side effects
- No unhealthy additive ingredients
- Healthier than some competitors
Cons:
- The clinical trials cited by Equelle use higher doses than in one serving of the supplement
