If you’ve ever watched the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper, then you’ve probably imagined a world with a pill or supplement that can unlock your brain’s true potential. The rise of nootropic supplements has resulted in a variety of different products designed to do just that, but finding the right one can prove difficult at times.
Many nootropic supplements claim to have certain cognitive benefits, but fall short of their claims just to leave you wasting your money. Other nootropic supplements that don’t get enough attention end up providing lasting benefits to the user.
Luckily, you can dissect any nootropic supplement by taking a look at their ingredients — which will always be the tell-all for what to expect out of the product.
What Is Untapped Focus?
If you’ve come across Untapped Focus, then you’re likely shopping for a supplement that can improve your short-term and long-term cognitive function and health. Untapped Focus claims to do just that with a powdered formula using all-natural ingredients.
Untapped Focus is marketed as a product designed for veteran and aspiring entrepreneurs looking to unlock the ultimate mental clarity with a little boost.
The founder and CEO, pictured as “Pete” on their website, notes his inspiration came from his own experience of drinking coffee and energy drinks. He wanted to make a nootropic supplement that got rid of the sugar, carbs, fat, jitters, and funky taste.
Listed throughout their website, Untapped Focus makes the following claims for their product:
- Improve mental focus and clarity
- Reduce stress and anxiety when faced with a lot of tasks
- Enhanced information processing
- No more losing track of time just to have nothing completed
- Prevents loss of motivation
- Improved mental memory and capacity
- Boost energy levels
- No jitters or crashes
- No sugar, no carbs, no fat
- Long-term and short-term cognitive benefits
That all sounds great, but it only matters if the ingredients back those claims up. Well, why waste any time? Let’s take a look at these ingredients.
Breaking Down The Ingredients
Untapped Focus doesn’t go crazy with the ingredients like many nootropic supplements, but still makes use of 10 different ingredients — Thiamin, Biotin, Sodium, Potassium, L-Citrulline, DMAE Bitartrate, Eleuthero Extract, Caffeine, TeaCrine, and L-Theanine.
At first glance, they don’t seem to have many dangerous or harmful ingredients — which is good. I will say the ingredients are rather boring and doesn’t present a lot of bang for your buck, but they do use all-natural ingredients. The dosage levels are a bit confusing too, mostly consisting of L-Citrulline, DMAE, and Eleuthero Extract.
Thiamin (100mg)
Also known as Vitamin B1, this water-soluble vitamin can be found in our everyday diet through cereals, beans, meat, nuts, and peas. Thiamin can be found in many nootropics, like Thrivous Clarity and Neurohacker Qualia Mind & Focus. It is known to help control mood, reduce stress, strengthen the immune system, improved metabolism, and digestion. There isn’t enough scientific research to back any mental benefits, but it can help with long-term neural health.
The 100mg is way more than the recommended daily amount, which is around 10-20mg daily. Just taking one scoop of Untapped Focus will give you more Thiamin than needed.
Biotin (285mcg)
Also known as Vitamin H, Biotin is another B-complex vitamin that is known to improve mood, boost your energy, and promote long-term cognitive health benefits. It can help with neurotransmitter activity, nerve signals, improve your memory, give you a positive outlook, and improve your concentration.
The 285mcg of Biotin is right around the recommended daily amount, coming in at 95% DV.
Sodium (100mg) & Potassium (55mg)
Sodium and potassium deficiency can result in brain fog, fatigue, and poor overall mood. Many people suggest a healthy sodium:potassium balance of 1500mg:4000mg per day. The 100mg of sodium and 55mg of potassium won’t provide a whole lot of value, especially since we find these ingredients throughout our normal diet.
L-Citrulline (6,000mg)
L-Citrulline is a non-essential amino acid produced in the liver and intestines. It is known to be vital in converting ammonia to urea, which then leaves the body through urine. It can also help utilize your oxygen more efficiently, increase blood flow, decreases blood sugar, and even a cognitive boost due to the increased oxygen and blood flow.
There’s 6,000mg of L-Citrulline, which is a modest dosage. For those looking to increase workout performance, users are recommended to take a dosage of up to 5,000mg per day for up to a week.
DMAE Bitartrate (500mg)
DMAE is known to support cognitive memory, reduce hyperactivity, and supporting an overall better mood by increasing motivation. DMAE is also naturally produced by the body and is thought to increase the production of acetylcholine, which assists with nerve cell signals.
DMAE can also regulate normal functions that the brain controls, like REM sleep, pain responses, and muscle contractions. The 500mg in Untapped Focus is far more than the recommended 100-250mg per serving. For those that don’t eat fish, that could be a great thing.
Eleuthero Extract (300mg)
Also known as Siberian Ginseng, Eleuthero extract comes from a plant known to boost your immune system and act as a stimulant. It can increase energy, reduce fatigue, help with blood flow to the brain, preventing and repairing nerve damage, reducing stress, fighting depression, and stabilizing blood sugar levels.
Eleuthero plants have been used dating back several thousand years ago in China and continue to have many of the same benefits today. I like the 300mg dosage here, though they could’ve put in a bit more.
Caffeine (150mg)
What better way to give yourself an energy boost than good ‘ole caffeine. Many people suggest no more than 400mg of caffeine today, making the 150mg serving respectable. Just be careful with the rest of your caffeine intake throughout the day, especially coffee, soda, and energy drinks.
TeaCrine (125 mg)
TeaCrine is a patented compound designed to help increase endurance, mood, satiety, longevity, energy, focus, and cognition. There is scientific evidence backing it and has increased effects when combined with its “cousin” caffeine!
L-Theanine (100mg)
Another amino acid, L-Theanine is known as an effective stress-reliever and helping people to unwind after a hard day. Theanine can be found in many nootropics, such as NooCube and Mind Lab Pro. L-Theanine can also help focus and attention when combined with caffeine. Still, a lack of research doesn’t give a clear dosage recommendation for L-Theanine. Older studies show that 100mg of L-Theanine and 40mg of caffeine have had positive benefits in young adults.
Dosage, Packaging, & Pricing
I’m going to start with the packaging for Untapped Focus, which is actually one of my favorite things about the product. With a green, black, and white label, Untapped Focus keeps it simple — but attractive. The logo is a lion wearing a crown, for crying out loud. Not plastered with claims, professional look, a clear nutrition label, I think they nailed it with the packaging.
Speaking of that nutrition label, they clearly list out the ingredients included and the dosage of each ingredient — including %DV. Here’s a quick breakdown of the ingredients and dosages again:
- Thiamin (as Thiamine HCl) – 100mg
- Biotin – 285mcg
- Sodium (as Sodium Chloride) – 100mg
- Potassium (as Potassium Chloride) – 55mg
- L-Citrulline – 6,000mg
- DMAE Bitartrate – 500mg
- Eleuthero Extract (Root) – 300mg
- Caffeine – 150mg
- TeaCrine – 125mg
- L-Theanine – 100mg
The doses above are in relation to one scoop of Untapped Focus powder with 8-10oz of water, which is the suggested intake. For an extra boost, you can take one scoop in the morning and one in the afternoon, but it is not suggested to take more than 4 scoops in a 24-hr period.
As far as the pricing goes, they have three options to choose from on their official website. For $75, you will receive a one-month supply (30 servings or scoops). For $180, you will receive a three-month supply (3 tubs or 90 servings). For $315, you will receive a six-month supply (6 tubs or 180 servings).
They do include a 60-day money back guarantee, as well as a bonus offer to purchasing today – which includes a workflow & activity planner, daily accountability goal tracker, and an In-Depth BUILD System Training from the Founder and CEO.
Pros vs. Cons
There are definitely some pros and cons with Untapped Focus. Above everything, it doesn’t seem to be harmful and shouldn’t be taken with fear. Much like other nootropic supplements, this product’s effectiveness will likely come down to the individual.
It’s worth a try if you have the money to spend, but only if you have the money and haven’t already found a favorite nootropic.
Claims vs. Reality
Earlier in this review, we detailed the many claims that were found on Untapped Focus’ website. Let’s take a quick look at those again:
- Improve mental focus and clarity
- Reduce stress and anxiety when faced with a lot of tasks
- Enhanced information processing
- No more losing track of time just to have nothing completed
- Prevents loss of motivation
- Improved mental memory and capacity
- Boost energy levels
- No jitters or crashes
- No sugar, no carbs, no fat
- Long-term and short-term cognitive benefits
After looking at the ingredients, they definitely support these claims. Unfortunately, the scientific backing behind the ingredients is rather non-existent. A lot of the mental benefits are going to come as a result of better oxygen and blood flow to the brain, with the protection of neurons and neural pathways over the long-term.
The caffeine combined with L-theanine and TeaCrine will surely give you an energy boost, while the Thiamin and Eleuthero Extract will provide an enhanced mood.
Final Verdict
Overall, there’s not really anything I hate about this product. I certainly think they could’ve done a better job at choosing some more nootropic-heavy ingredients like choline, huperzine-A, rhodiola rosea, ginkgo biloba, or bacopa monnieri. I think that’s what this is truly missing.
When I take this supplement, it’s more for the energy boost than the cognitive benefit. You might feel a slight incline in cognitive ability, but I think there are better nootropics out there that can truly unlock your brain’s potential. Untapped Focus unfortunately won’t do that.
Pros
- Uses all-natural ingredients
- Caffeine, TeaCrine, L-Theanine are good combination
- 60-day money back guarantee
- Claim a free bottle
- Will likely do what it claims, but might not be as strong as it claims
- Will provide short-term boost and long-term benefits
Cons
- Limited reviews online
- Money-back guarantees can be sketchy
- Only comes in powder, no capsules
- A lot of their ingredients don’t have scientific backing on cognitive benefits
- Not evaluated by FDA
- “Claim a Free Bottle” is also sketchy at times
- Doesn’t utilize any popular nootropic ingredients with scientific backing