Top 5 Nootropics of 2025: Complete Guide

Brain and memory health supplements are called nootropics, and they seek to focus, improve memory, mental energy, and problem-solving skills.

This quick guide will help you know what to look for and what to avoid so you can make a smart decision when it comes to your nootropic needs. At the end of the guide you will find a list of top 5 nootropic supplements with our rating.

The popularity of nootropics has led to flooding the market. Some of the most popular products use low quality ingredients and ineffective doses.

How Do Nootropic Supplements Work?

There are different types of pills that are supposed to improve the natural function of your brain, divided into two main sections: pharmaceutical nootropics and herbal nootropics.

Pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers are the result of clinical research and laboratory testing, first on animals and then on human volunteers, of chemicals that are supposed to have a definite effect on the brain and nervous system¹. Many of these products work primarily by stimulating the nervous system which can cause heightened awareness and wakefulness – unfortunately, the same products can cause drastic side effects such as insomnia, nausea, and vomiting². These products also require a prescription, as they’re considered drugs and thus not allowed to be sold over the counter.

The other type is what we’re calling herbal nootropics. They don’t necessarily have to contain literal herbs for this name to apply to them. Generally, they contain either herbs, natural extracts from plants and fruits, or otherwise natural chemicals. They are meant to work by doing a number of things, including increasing blood flow (and nutrients) to the brain, as well as to reducing inflammation and protecting cellular health in order to prevent cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s from forming³. Unlike pharmaceuticals, these natural supplements don’t require any sort of prescription to take. Unfortunately some companies oversell the benefits of their products, and they’ve gotten in trouble with the FDA for doing so⁴. Also, since there’s no regulation, it depends on who you buy them from. They could also end up being potent – or pointless.

Click here to see 2025's list of best nootropics available on the market.

Many of these nootropic supplements are packed with fillers, low-quality ingredients, and stimulants that can not only slow down your mental performance, but even cause unpleasant side effects that leave you feeling worse than before. That's why we've compiled this top 5 list to help people separate the good from bad, the healthy from the unhealthy, and ranked our top nootropic supplement picks.

What To Look For In A Nootropic Supplement

We know a lot about natural cognitive enhancement, and that’s why we've been able to assemble this list of the top things to look out for in a nootropic pill.

Ginkgo Biloba

This popular ingredient comes from the leave of the Ginkgo tree, which has been used for centuries to treat various conditions. Among its benefits are increased blood flow to the brain, something which is thought to help improve cognition.⁹

St. John's Wort

This plant is found all over the world, and is known for its yellow flowers in the shape of stars. It's been used as a natural remedy for a number of issues, and science has learned that it contains chemicals that can help regulate the mood and improve focus.¹⁰

Bacopa Monnieri

Also known by the name "brahmi," this plant is used in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine. More recently, it has been tested for its effects on cognition, and has yielded some impressive results: in one double-blind study, it was shown to correlate with improved memory among participants who used it.¹¹

All-Natural Ingredients

The last thing you want to do is clutter up your body with a bunch of artificial ingredients that have been associated with causing toxicity and even cancer, such as titanium dioxide¹². Natural ingredients, including the inactive parts of pills like the matrix in which the formula is delivered, ensure that your body is getting something that’s harmonious with it. It also shows the company making it is dedicated to giving you a clean product, which shows respect for the human body.

Money-Back Guarantee

One of the only advantages a consumer can have when dealing with a business is making sure the business is held to its promises. If you pay them for a product, that product may not work, but if you can’t get your money back, what does the company care ? They have your money already, and have no reason to make a proper supplement. That’s why you should always make sure you buy from companies that offer a money-back guarantee – that means if their product doesn’t work, you can send it back for a refund. That puts the onus on them to make a pill that does what they say it will¹².

GMP-Certified, Made in the USA

It’s not only important to make sure a supplement is all-natural, but to make sure it’s clean and free of impurities. The best way to ensure that is by making sure the pill is made in the USA, in a GMP-certified facility. The United States has strict regulations when it comes to manfacturing anything to do with health, and the Good Manufacturing Practices group is a third-party organization that ensures high standards of manufacturing quality¹³. That means you’re getting a product that isn’t tainted, fraudulent, or assembled in unsafe working conditions.

How We Rank Things

Here, we rank things according to a number of different factors and qualities. We look at a range of things including value, customer reception, and company policies in order to show people what they should be looking at, and how we derived our top list.

The 5 Best Brain Enhancement Supplements On The Market

Based on our own extensive research, the metrics provided by our Brain Supplement Ranking System, and consideration of numerous reviews by Smarter Shoppers just like you, we've compiled a list of what we've found to be the top five products in this category, on the market today.