Flip over a bottle of any cognitive-support supplement and you'll usually find a wall of ingredient names next to a single combined number — "255mg Proprietary Blend" — with no breakdown of what's actually in each capsule. That's not unique to us; it's how most blended formulas on the market are labeled. But if you're the person taking it, "trust us" isn't a satisfying answer to "how much of this is actually in here?" So we're going to do the less flattering thing and walk through exactly what's in Cognitive Support, what each ingredient is generally studied to do, and where the blend format genuinely limits what we can promise you.
What's dosed on its own, and what's blended
Cognitive Support isn't entirely a black box. Niacin (8mg NE) and Vitamin B6 (5mg) are individually dosed and labeled — you can see exactly how much of each you're getting, and both have well-established roles in normal energy metabolism and nervous system function. The rest of the formula — GABA, L-Tyrosine, Caffeine, Bacopa monnieri Extract, Phosphatidylserine (20%, sunflower-derived), Alpha GPC, L-Theanine, and Huperzine A (1% extract) — sits inside a 255mg proprietary blend. That means the label tells you all eight ingredients are present, in descending order by weight, but not how many milligrams of any single one you're getting.
Two of ten actives disclosed. That is the honest headline, and of our range only Sleep Formula discloses every per-ingredient dose.
The eight ingredients in the blend
GABA
GABA is the brain's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, and it's included here for a calmer, more settled kind of alertness rather than raw stimulation. Oral GABA research is genuinely thin — partly because GABA doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier easily — but one of the more-cited human trials measured reduced stress markers and increased relaxation-associated brainwave activity after roughly 100mg.1 We cannot tell you how much is in this blend.
L-Tyrosine
L-Tyrosine is an amino acid the body uses to build dopamine and norepinephrine. The theory behind supplementing it is that demanding or stressful conditions can deplete those neurotransmitter stores, and replenishing the raw material helps maintain performance. The clearest positive results — including a study of military cadets performing cognitive tasks after a week of combat training — used gram-level doses.2 A shared 255mg blend cannot realistically deliver anywhere near that. The full picture on L-tyrosine is here.
Caffeine
Caffeine is the most-studied stimulant in this list. It blocks adenosine receptors, which is what produces the classic increase in alertness, reaction time, and sustained attention. Decades of research generally show measurable benefits starting around 40mg and continuing through 200–300mg.3 Because caffeine is active at comparatively small doses, it's one of the few ingredients on this list that can plausibly sit at a meaningfully studied amount even inside a small shared blend. It also means you cannot add this product to a daily caffeine total from its label — treat it as an unknown rather than a zero.
Bacopa monnieri Extract
Bacopa is an Ayurvedic herb studied mainly for memory consolidation with consistent daily use over weeks, not single-dose effects. Proposed mechanisms include antioxidant activity and support for cholinergic signaling in the hippocampus. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials found consistent improvements in delayed recall memory using standardized extract at 300–450mg per day.4 That single-ingredient range alone is well above the entire 255mg blend. Why it takes weeks, not days.
Phosphatidylserine (20%, sunflower-derived)
Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid that makes up part of the structure of neuronal cell membranes, and it's mostly studied in aging populations for everyday memory and cognitive function, at 100–300mg per day.5 What the evidence in older adults actually shows.
Alpha GPC
Alpha GPC is a choline-donating compound that raises the brain's available acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter closely tied to learning and memory encoding. Acute human studies generally use single doses of 300–600mg.6 The trial detail, including its industry funding.
L-Theanine
L-Theanine is an amino acid found in tea leaves, associated with increased alpha-brainwave activity and a calmer, less-jittery form of alertness — particularly when paired with caffeine. A frequently cited trial combined roughly 97mg of L-theanine with 40mg of caffeine.7 How that combination was actually tested.
Huperzine A (1% extract)
Huperzine A is a plant-derived alkaloid that inhibits acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine — indirectly raising acetylcholine levels through a different route than Alpha GPC. It's potent enough that human studies dose it in micrograms, typically 50–200mcg per day.8 Cochrane found no usable trials in mild cognitive impairment at all.
What that means for you
Add up the low end of the typically studied doses for even three or four of these ingredients — Bacopa, Alpha GPC, and L-Tyrosine, say — and you're already well past 255mg before Caffeine, L-Theanine, GABA, Phosphatidylserine, or Huperzine A even enter the math. That's simple arithmetic, not a knock on any single ingredient's research. It does mean that for at least several of these eight, the amount you're actually getting per serving is almost certainly below the dose used in the studies referenced above. Caffeine and possibly L-Theanine, which are both active at smaller amounts, are the most likely to land in a meaningfully studied range; the others are harder to say much about without a milligram breakdown.
| Ingredient | What it's for | Typically studied dose |
|---|---|---|
| GABA | Calm, settled alertness | ~100mg |
| L-Tyrosine | Maintaining performance under stress | Gram-level (100–150mg/kg bodyweight) |
| Caffeine | Alertness, reaction time | 40–300mg |
| Bacopa monnieri Extract | Memory consolidation | 300–450mg/day, over weeks |
| Phosphatidylserine (20%) | Memory, everyday cognitive function | 100–300mg/day |
| Alpha GPC | Acetylcholine availability, learning/memory | 300–600mg |
| L-Theanine | Calm focus, esp. with caffeine | ~97–200mg |
| Huperzine A (1%) | Acetylcholinesterase inhibition | 50–200mcg |
A proprietary blend isn't dishonest by itself — almost every multi-ingredient formula on the shelf is built this way. It becomes a problem only when a brand pretends the missing numbers don't matter, or hopes nobody asks.
The honest position, stated without a softener: we asked, and the numbers are not available to publish. That is a real limitation of this formula, not a paperwork delay. We would rather print that sentence than keep implying a disclosure timeline that does not exist — and if you want to apply the same test to everyone else's label, here is how to read a Supplement Facts panel properly.
Bottom line
Cognitive Support is built from eight ingredients that each have a real, if sometimes modest, research base for supporting cognitive function, focus, or memory at specific studied doses. The honest caveat is that a 255mg proprietary blend cannot deliver all eight of those at their studied amounts simultaneously, and we do not have the individual numbers to tell you which ones come closest. If per-ingredient transparency is what matters most to you, that is a fair reason to choose a different product — ours or anyone's — that prints its numbers. Sleep Formula is the one in our range that does. We would rather say that than have you assume more precision than this label can support.
This article is for informational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Speak with a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you take medication or have an existing health condition.
References
- Abdou AM, et al. "Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration in humans." Biofactors. 2006. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16971751
- Deijen JB, et al. "Tyrosine improves cognitive performance and reduces blood pressure in cadets after one week of a combat training course." Brain Research Bulletin. 1999. sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0361923098001634
- McLellan TM, Caldwell JA, Lieberman HR. "A review of caffeine's effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2016. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4779187
- Pase MP, et al. "The cognitive-enhancing effects of Bacopa monnieri: a systematic review of randomized, controlled human clinical trials." Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2012. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22747190
- "Effect of phosphatidylserine on cognitive function in the elderly: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2022. koreascience.kr/article/JAKO202210261444695
- "Acute Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine Supplementation Enhances Cognitive Performance in Healthy Men." 2024. researchgate.net/publication/384847332
- Owen GN, et al. "The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood." Nutritional Neuroscience. 2008. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18681988
- Yang G, et al. "Huperzine A for Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials." PLOS One. 2013. journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0074916
Related reading: Inside Sleep Support: An Honest Breakdown and How to Build a Proco Stack That Actually Makes Sense.
Want to know what's actually in what you take? Join the list — no spam, just it straight.