| Ingredient | Studied for | Evidence in short | Usual form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citicoline (CDP-choline) | Memory (medicine in Japan) | Known in Japan only as a prescription medicine; food use needs its classification confirmed first | Medicine-only history in Japan |
| Lion's Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) | Memory and cognitive performance | Small positive Japanese trials in older adults; a 2025 acute trial in younger adults found no effect | Capsule, tablet, powder, drink |
| Phosphatidylserine | Memory recall in older adults | Mixed trial results; Japan has notified soy-derived PS for memory support | Capsule, tablet, powder |
| Plasmalogen | Verbal memory and mental concentration in small Japanese trials | Small trials in healthy adults mostly positive; a larger mixed trial significant only in a subgroup | Soft capsule, hard capsule |
Japan-made supplement OEM
Brain and focus supplements made in Japan
Brain and focus products in Japan often use ingredients studied for memory in healthy middle-aged and older adults, such as phosphatidylserine, and Japanese-developed ingredients such as plasmalogen. Much of this evidence comes from small trials.
Some ingredients sold abroad for focus have only a medicine history in Japan, such as citicoline. The guides below explain what can be made as a food and how to describe it.
Brain and focus ingredients at a glance
What each ingredient has been studied for, how strong the published evidence is, and the usual dosage form.
“Studied for” describes research on healthy functions. It is not a claim that any product prevents, treats or cures a disease.
Before you choose a formula
Dosage form selection How tablet, capsule, softgel, powder, jelly, drink and gummy compare for a Japan-made supplement Export labelling and documents Japanese vs destination-market labels, over-labelling, country-of-origin rules, and factory documents to request Food-medicine boundary (食薬区分) How Japan's shoku-yaku kubun system decides food versus medicine status, and what it means for an export OEM order Starting a Japan-made supplement brand The steps from concept to launch for a brand that wants a supplement made in Japan
Frequently asked questions
Is the evidence for brain supplements strong?
Mostly it is early. Many trials are small, and several were run in people with memory complaints. Each guide states the population and size of the studies.
Can citicoline be made in Japan?
In Japan citicoline has been used only as a prescription medicine, so its use in a food supplement would first need its classification confirmed. The citicoline guide explains the position.
How should a focus supplement be described?
By the functions studied, such as memory in healthy adults, never by any condition of the brain. Your market’s rules decide the exact wording.
Contact
Tell us what you want to buy or sell — in Vietnam or Japan
Selling into Vietnam or Japan, sourcing from either, or a product made under your own brand. One Japanese-managed team in Ho Chi Minh City, working in English, Japanese and Vietnamese.