Wakers Happy Coffee is a TikTok-famous coffee brand. The company claims their coffee is "packed with 12 essential superfoods" and that it supports mental cognition and anti-aging.

But what's actually in Wakers Happy Coffee other than coffee, and are its active ingredients shown in research studies to have these effects? Does it contain any unhealthy additives? Is the company violating FDA violations with their ingredient label? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Wakers coffee?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Wakers Happy Coffee to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also share our concerns about the brand's ingredient label, and feature real customer reviews.

Ingredient Analysis

The active ingredients in Wakers Happy Coffee are shown above.

As you can see in the ingredient list above, no total active ingredient dose is listed, which is a violation of FDA regulations (source).

This is a consumer safety issue, because without information about ingredient dosing, it's impossible to determine safety. We recommend avoiding all supplements without active ingredient dose information. 

There are some ingredients in this formulation which are clinically shown to support cognitive function.

Cocoa was shown to support optimal cognition and neuroplasticity in a medical review published in the Nutrients journal.

Caffeine is one of the most well-studied nootropic compounds, as we discussed in our Ryze Mushroom Coffee review article.

Cordyceps was shown to improve learning and memory in a 2018 animal study.

There are two ingredients in this blend we consider potentially unhealthy.

Green tea extract may increase metabolic rate, but Health Canada warns consumers that green tea extract may cause liver damage.

Cinnamon is included, but the brand doesn’t list which form of cinnamon is used.

The cheaper cinnamon, called Cassia cinnamon, contains a toxic compound called coumarin which may cause liver damage according to a 2010 medical review.

The inactive ingredient in this coffee, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:

Overall, we consider Wakers Happy Coffee likely to support cognitive function given its research-backed active ingredients.

However, we don't currently recommend this supplement due to our health concerns about the lack of dosage information and the inclusion of green tea extract and cinnamon at unstated doses.

Real People Try Wakers

A TikTok creator named Jennifer shared her thoughts on whether or not Wakers Happy Coffee actually works or not:

@k9_cobra Day 2 of Does It Really Work: Wakers Happy Coffee edition. 🤞🏼 #wakershappycoffee #honestreview #viralcoffee #healthycoffee #healthycoffee #boostmetabolismnaturally #doesitreallywork #TikTokShop #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt ♬ vlog, chill out, calm daily life(1370843) - SUNNY HOOD STUDIO

A TikTok creator named Skyler did a first-time taste test of Wakers Coffee:

@skylerrr_maeee Try wakers coffee lol i said workers, clearly i needes coffee😂 #coffee #coffeetiktok #sample #fypシ #fyp #fypシ゚viral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #creator #microinfluencer #tiktokgrowth ♬ original sound - Skyler🪻🐆⚡️

Our Concern About TikTok Supps

It can be more challenging to determine whether or not supplement reviews on TikTok are sponsored than on YouTube or other channels in our opinion.

When browsing on TikTok shop, a video often shows up highlighting the chosen supplement in a favorable light.

In our tests, none of the videos associated with TikTok Shop products were ever negative.

We recommend that consumers research the brand behind supplements on TikTok Shop before making a purchase to stay safe.

Is Wakers an MLM Scam?

A YouTube creator named "JulieJo" suggests that Wakers Happy Coffee is part of a multi-level-marketing (MLM) scam:

Our Clean Coffee Picks

MBG Clean Coffee+ is our top coffee product, because it’s ground for convenience, organic certified, and third-party lab tested for purity (which is highly uncommon for coffee).

Four Sigmatic Think is our top nootropic coffee brand, because it contains organic Lion's Mane which is clinically shown to enhance cognitive function.

Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Wakers Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Wakers Happy Coffee in our opinion:

Pros:

• Should support cognition
• May increase metabolic rate
• Contains some antioxidant ingredients
• Safe inactive ingredient

Cons:

• Failure to publish active ingredient doses
• Potential FDA violation
• Contains cinnamon of undisclosed origin
• Contains green tea extract
• Unclear official manufacturer
• One YouTube creator suggests company is involved in MLM scam

Conclusion

Wakers Happy Coffee is one of the worst coffee brands we've reviewed to date on Illuminate Health.

The supplement does contain some active ingredients with research backing for supporting cognition, but we have safety concerns.

The brand fails to publish active ingredient doses (even the total active blend dose), which appear to be a violation of FDA guidelines.

Consumers need to know dosing information to determine safety.

This supplement also contains cinnamon of unknown type (which is concerning because Cassia cinnamon contains relatively high levels of a toxin called coumarin), and green tea extract (which can cause liver damage at high doses).

TikTok Shop is a risky place to buy supplements in our opinion, because the videos promoting the products may be paid advertisements, and it may be unclear to consumers due to limited ad disclosures.

We recommend that consumers conduct research outside of TikTok on the manufacturer of a supplement, before choosing to purchase a supplement on TikTok Shop.