Focus Factor and Prevagen are common nootropic supplements readily available at your local grocery store. Does being on the shelf make them legit brain supplements?
I bought and tried both so I can give you the verdict if they are worth taking.
Quick Verdict
It is hard to pick a winner in this battle between two widely available and popular nootropics. I believe Prevagen is better because it has a narrower target group and a shorter list of benefits that it may realistically deliver. It is designed to delay memory loss from aging and restore normal brain function in older adults.
Focus Factor boasts a full list of nootropic substances, but the criminally underdosed proprietary blend mostly negates any possible benefits from the same ingredients in higher doses.
| Feature | Winner |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Focus Factor |
| Dosage | Prevagen |
| Short-Term Effects | Focus Factor |
| Long Term Effects | Prevagen |
| Third-Party Testing | Draw |
| Clinical Research | Draw |
| Side Effects | Prevagen |
| User Reviews | Draw |
| Price | Focus Factor |
Winner
I can’t recommend either Prevagen or Focus Factor. NooCube is a better nootropic supplement with a solid formulation for non-stimulant brain gains.
What Is Focus Factor?
Focus Factor is a popular brain supplement on the American market that has been available for decades. The supplement is intended to boost numerous elements of mental function, including memory, concentration, and focus.
The company also manufactures various other supplements and items, including energy drinks and energy shots.
The Focus Factor nootropic has a substantial advantage over many competitors in distribution and availability, as the product is widely available in major retailers like Costco.
My Focus Factor review goes into detail about the formulation and my experiences.
What Is Prevagen?
Prevagen is a popular brain health pill that boosts memory while promoting general brain health and performance. Its popularity comes from its availability in large grocery stores and pharmacies, making it easy to pick up when shopping for groceries.
Prevagen is known for using a single, distinct ingredient known as apoaequorin, a protein found in a specific type of jellyfish.
The unique component is not present in other brain supplements and may bring benefits not found elsewhere. It has also been proven safe to take and has no side effects.
My Prevagen review goes into detail about the formulation and my experiences.
Focus Factor vs Prevagen Main Differences
Benefits
Focus Factor claims roughly the same set of benefits as most other nootropics. These advantages include improved memory, concentration, focus, and overall brain health.
The product also contains solid doses of vitamins and minerals, making it a great multivitamin supplement with nootropic potential.
Prevagen’s primary goal is to enhance memory and support healthy cognitive function. To achieve this goal, the supplement uses the unique ingredient apoaequorin, which is believed to work by regulating calcium levels in neurons.
By supporting and maintaining optimal calcium levels, apoaequorin may support better cognitive performance and help mitigate mild cognitive decline. Another benefit of Prevagen is the minimal risk of side effects.
Ingredients
Focus Factor is the most underdosed nootropic I’ve seen. It contains 15 active components in a proprietary blend totaling 640 mg. This is less than what some substances require alone to match the studies confirming their efficacy.
There are two more powerful variants of Focus Factor, Extra Strength and Max Strength, with 798 mg and 868 mg blends, respectively. However, this is still nowhere near enough. This review is focused on the most popular Original edition.
Prevagen relies on a single active ingredient- the jellyfish protein apoaequorin.
I will not detail every Focus Factor ingredient because some are speculative and the doses are too low, but I will touch on the more potent ones.
L-tyrosine is mainstay nootropic element of many formulations, including Focus Factor, which has been proven to improve mind flexibility and multitasking [1].
Bacopa monnieri is another staple nootropic found in Focus Factor. The ayurvedic herb enhances verbal learning, memory acquisition, and delayed recall by assisting brain receptors in processing information [2].
Huperzine A is a component claimed to potentially reduce neuroinflammation and oxidative stress after traumatic brain injury and boost brain function in Alzheimer’s disease patients [3,4].
DMAE Bitartrate has been found to boost memory and attention, alertness, and mood and generate lucid dreams when taken as a supplement [6,7,8].
However, the tests were conducted at doses ranging from 500 to 2000 mg, whereas Focus Factor contains 650 mg in total for 15 components.
Phosphatidylserine and DHA are two more notable components of Focus Factor. The first helps to combat age-related cognitive decline by promoting memory formation, focus, and problem-solving [9].
DHA plays an important role in cognitive performance, and supplementation may improve it, but the dose in this product is unlikely to be effective.
Prevagen’s apoaequorin is used to reduce the development of Alzheimer’s disease and increase verbal learning abilities and working memory [5]. As apoaequorin is the sole ingredient of Prevagen, this is all the benefits you can expect from it.
Prevagen is offered in three versions. The Regular strength has 10 mg of apoaequorin, the Extra strength contains 20 mg, and the Professional formula contains 40 mg.
Stimulant vs. Non-Stimulant
Neither Focus Factor nor Prevagen contain stimulants. The most common legal drug used as a stimulant in nootropics is caffeine, usually supported by L-theanine and ideally also with taurine.
Short vs. Long-Term Effects
Being non-stimulant nootropics, both products require daily use over time for the full effects to be felt. They are intended to be taken daily throughout the year, with the best results achieved after three months and then maintained.
Prevagen’s clinical research, which claims significant benefits, was conducted after 90 days, while Focus Factor’s trial was conducted after 6 weeks of intake.
Even though both studies are not very reliable, as you will see in the next section, they should give you a timeframe for when you can expect results.
Clinical Research
Prevagen conducted an in-depth study on humans, although a few aspects raise questions about the findings’ validity. The study included 218 participants aged 40 to 91.
Some people from the experimental group got better results in verbal learning and recall tests than the placebo group.
The study has several problems. First, it was only recently peer-reviewed and done in-house by the parent company producing Prevagen.
Then, the subjects had only self-reported memory loss problems, and people with proven impairments were excluded from the study.
Outside of this trial, there is no scientific proof of the effectiveness of apoaequorin.
Focus Factor follows a similar playbook. They boast a complete formulation study, which I find hard to believe is honest because it was conducted and paid for by the company producing the supplement.
Nevertheless, the study’s results are outstanding. After 6 weeks of intake, the subjects showed a notable improvement in verbal learning and short-term memory compared to the placebo group.
Side Effects
Prevagen has been found to be safe and without side effects in the main study on humans, and judging by user reviews, few, if any, suffer from side effects. I also haven’t experienced any unpleasant effects.
Focus Factor is also safe, and I haven’t had any side effects. Studies show that only a small percentage of people experience headaches when taking the supplement. User reviews also don’t indicate common adverse effects.
User Reviews
Focus Factor is available to buy on Amazon and the company’s official website, both of which provide us with tons of user reviews to scout through. Overall, the scores are surprisingly high.
Prevagen is a popular product with tens of thousands of Amazon reviews. The high ratings imply that buyers are pleased with it. Nonetheless, other reviews claim they have felt no effects.
Some customers also complain about the price, which, in the more potent formulations, is equivalent to many other nootropics available.
Price
| Product | Regular / 1 Bottle | Regular / 2 Bottles | Extra Strength / 3 Bottles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prevagen | $39.95 / 30 servings ($1.33/serving) | $74.95 / 60 servings ($1.25/serving) | $59.95 / 30 servings ($2.00/serving) |
| Focus Factor | $29.99 / 37.5 servings ($0.80/serving) | $54.75 / 70 servings ($0.78/serving) | $77.88 / 107.5 servings ($0.72/serving) |
My Experience With Focus Factor And Prevagen
Both Focus Factor and Prevagen were lackluster in my test.
Prevagen didn’t work for me in 30 days, and I didn’t notice any memory improvements. I chose to take the regular strength because it was the product used in the clinical study. What I didn’t follow through on, like in the study, was the period, as I took it for 30 days instead of 90.
Perhaps if I took Prevagen for three months or used the extra-strength version, I might see an improvement in my memory.
In any case, Prevagen is marketed to older people in order to slow memory loss, and I am happy to say I am not yet in that group.
Focus Factor promises more well-rounded improvements for a much larger group of potential users, but my expectations based on the underwhelming formulation were met, and I haven’t felt any benefits whatsoever.
Should You Choose Focus Factor Or Prevagen?
It’s hard for me to recommend either product. Focus Factor may contain well-known nootropic ingredients, but the dosages are criminally low, and I am doubtful it will work even if you take it for months.
Prevagen relies on a single ingredient that lacks proper independent clinical research, but I have more trust in it.
The product is definitely not for me or for young and active people looking for a brain boost, but it can be a good supplement for older folks looking to battle age-related cognitive decline.
Winner
NooCube Brain Productivity
Non-Stimulant Nootropic For Instant Brain Boost
A better nootropic formulation than Focus Factor and Prevagen.
CHECK CURRENT DEALS
References
- Steenbergen, L., Sellaro, R., Hommel, B., & Colzato, L. S. (2015). Tyrosine promotes cognitive flexibility: evidence from proactive vs. reactive control during task switching performance. Neuropsychologia, 69, 50-55.
- Morgan, A., & Stevens, J. (2010). Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine, 16(7), 753-759.
- Li, J., Wu, H. M., Zhou, R. L., Liu, G. J., & Dong, B. R. (2008). Huperzine A for Alzheimer’s disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2).
- Mei, Z., Zheng, P., Tan, X., Wang, Y., & Situ, B. (2017). Huperzine A alleviates neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and improves cognitive function after repetitive traumatic brain injury. Metabolic Brain Disease, 32, 1861-1869.
- Moran, D. L., Underwood, M. Y., Gabourie, T. A., & Lerner, K. C. (2016). Effects of a supplement containing apoaequorin on verbal learning in older adults in the community. Adv. Mind Body Med, 30, 4-11.
- Malanga, G., Belen Aguiar, M., D Martinez, H., & Puntarulo, S. (2012). New insights on dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) features as a free radical scavenger. Drug metabolism letters, 6(1), 54-59.
- Blin, O., Audebert, C., Pitel, S., Kaladjian, A., Casse-Perrot, C., Zaim, M., … & Marien, M. (2009). Effects of dimethylaminoethanol pyroglutamate (DMAE p-Glu) against memory deficits induced by scopolamine: evidence from preclinical and clinical studies. Psychopharmacology, 207, 201-212.
- Dimpfel, W., Wedekind, W., & Keplinger, I. (2003). Efficacy of dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) containing vitamin-mineral drug combination on EEG patterns in the presence of different emotional states. European journal of medical research, 8(5), 183-
- Cenacchi, T., Bertoldin, T., Farina, C. et al. Cognitive decline in the elderly: A double- blind, placebo- controlled multicenter study on efficacy of phosphatidylserine administration. Aging Clin Exp Res 5, 123–133 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324139
Affiliate Disclosure:
The links provided may earn us a small commission at no additional cost to you if you choose to purchase the recommended product. This support allows our research and editorial team to continue providing high-quality recommendations. As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising initiative, we are able to earn advertising fees through providing links to products on Amazon.com. Please rest assured that we only recommend high-quality products.
