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Welcome to our Qualia Resilience review!
Stress being in no short supply these days, Qualia has listened and responded with their take on an adaptogen (a compound that improves the body’s response to various stressors) supplement.
Qualia Resilience blends adaptogens and nootropics (stress-relieving and brain-boosting compounds) to create what Qualia Partnerships Manager Chase Imbert described to us as “The ultimate recipe for mental toughness.”
After a critical evaluation from our team (including sampling the product personally), we found that Qualia Resilience rose above the obscurity of the many, many competing adaptogen supplements out there, repeating the A-grade performance of Qualia Mind with a heavily researched formulation.
We recommend Qualia Resilience—which earns an overall grade of A from our review team—to anyone looking for a stress-relieving supplement that doesn’t dim your energy levels or awareness.
Thanks to a sound formulation that leaves you neither jittery nor drowsy, Qualia Resilience is ideal for anyone looking for a sustained boost of mental toughness to power through high-stress situations at work, school, or wherever else they meet you.
Grade: A+
Qualia Resilience uses 17 high-quality nootropics and adaptogens, all of which are affirmed safe and effective by sound science.
Beyond the ingredients themselves, which we will inspect more closely in the supporting research section, we award credit under this section for the quality and transparency of the sourcing and manufacturing processes behind the product, the presence or absence of preservatives and other harmful additives, and product certifications (non-GMO, vegan, etc.).
Between our correspondence with the Qualia team and a page on their site entitled “The Formulator’s View of the Qualia Resilience Ingredients,” we gleaned several key insights about each of the major ingredients in Qualia resilience, including, but not limited to the following:
Extramel® Melon is a melon juice concentrate derived from a specific, antioxidant-rich kind of cantaloupe grown in Southern France.
Noogandha® is a proprietary form of ashwagandha—an herb used in traditional Indian medicine (ayurveda) for many purposes—that uses fat-based vesicles called liposomes to enhance the body’s uptake of this adaptogen.
Eleuthero Root Extract is derived from the herbal adaptogen Eleuthero, a plant native to Russia, Korea, Japan, and China.
L-Theanine is a well-known amino acid in the supplement world, where it is prized for its ability to create a sense of focused calm through its promotion of alpha brain waves.
Here’s the complete list of Qualia Resilience ingredients, where you will find several more examples of adaptogens:
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Thiamin (as thiamine hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Niacin (as niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxal-5-phosphate), Folate (as calcium folinate), Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin), Pantothenic Acid (as calcium pantothenate), Magnesium ((from Aquamin® Mg (magnesium hydroxide from seawater)), NooGandha® Liposomal Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root and Leaf Extract, L-Theanine, Holy Basical (Ocimum sanctum) Leaf Extract, L-Ornithine (as L-ornithine hydrochloride), Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Root Extract, Citrus Bioflavonoids (from Citrus sinensis Fruit Extract), Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Root Extract, Extramel® Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Juice Concentrate [providing 140 IU of superoxide dismutase (SOD)].
Other ingredients: Hypromellose, Rice Concentrate, Silicon Dioxide, Rice Extract Blend.
Including the “other ingredients,” which deal mostly with the capsule, we see no reason to dock Qualia Resilience on the grounds of unnecessary additives, preservatives, or questionable active ingredients.
As ample as the ingredient breakdown is on the Qualia website, however, we would like to see a more complete and forthcoming explanation of where the ingredients are sourced from and at least a framework of the manufacturing process.
A bit more sleuthing revealed that Qualia Resilience is vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO, but the product label doesn’t bear any certification seals, which is either an oversight or a sign that they didn’t officially obtain these certifications.
All this considered, Qualia Resilience makes a strong showing for ingredient quality, earning an A+ for ingredient quality.
Grade: A+
Though some Qualia Resilience ingredients require more research than others, cumulatively, the product is backed by a robust body of research, including a study on the product itself.
As part of the research and development process for Qualia Resilience, Qualia conducted a 17-participant pilot study testing the product over a period of four weeks.
In the study, participants took two capsules (the standard serving) of Qualia Resilience in the morning, following a five-days-on, two-days-off schedule (also the standard recommendation).
Before and after this trial period, participants filled out questionnaires designed to assess the severity and frequency of stress-related symptoms like burnout, mental toughness, and so forth.
Qualia reports that 14 of the 17 participants (82%) demonstrated an average increase of 38% in mental toughness.
The aforementioned “Formulator’s View of the Qualia Resilience Ingredients” page also provides Pubmed studies supporting the use of Extramel®, Noogandha®, Holy basil extract, Eluethero, L-theanine, and B-vitamins, but in the interest of an objective review of the ingredients, we need to bring in some extraneous findings.
Here is what we found in (further) support of some of Qualia Resilience’s active ingredients:
Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) was demonstrated by this study from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Republic of Korea to “reduce hippocampal CA1 neuronal death” by as much as 53.1% (at the largest dose of 300mg/kg), meaning it slowed the rate of death of neurons, which can not only reduce stress, but enhance the body’s resistance against many neurodegenerative diseases.
As Qualia correctly attests, eleuthero has also been extensively studied by Former Soviet Union scientists (who initially investigated it) for decades.
Extramel, the active ingredient derived from melon juice concentrate, was found to significantly decrease perceived stress in this study from Bionov Company in Montpellier, France.
Moreover, an academic review of the safety and efficacy of holy basil found it to be “an effective treatment” for psychological stress, also citing anticonvulsant benefits as a potential bonus.
Though a couple of the active ingredients could use more fine-tuning on the research end, considering the overall breadth of the research base (and the fact that a pilot study on the completed product yielded positive results), we give Qualia Resilience an A+ for supporting research.
Grade: A-
What we found concerning severity and frequency of Qualia Resilience ingredients falls within reasonable bounds, but we need more safety studies for several ingredients.
Most studies like this one report no adverse effects related to eleuthero consumption, but researchers warn of a dearth of objective data concerning potential drug interactions and safety for pregnant or nursing mothers.
In rare cases, eleuthero users have reported insomnia, headache, and GI distress.
This study of Extramel, which contains superoxide dismutase (SOD), reported no adverse effects whatsoever, and most contemporary findings on superoxide dismutase agree.
However, the apparently pristine safety profile is just as much (if not more) a product of a lack of safety data as it is a demonstration of safe use in the very limited number of studies out there.
Noogandha and ashwagandha by itself are very rarely associated with adverse events in the relatively broad range of studies covering this herb and proprietary formulation, but large doses and/or long-time use have been associated with nausea, headache, drowsiness, and more.
Some of the benefits of holy basil—namely, lowering blood sugar and preventing toxic liver damage—can become worsened or reversed in the cases of large doses and/or prolonged use, causing liver damage and (pathologically) low blood sugar.
The liver damage issue is attributed to eugenol (clove oil).
L-theanine is among the more thoroughly researched nootropics, and is very well tolerated at therapeutic doses, but larger doses of the amino acid have been associated with GI distress and nausea.
However, researchers admit that both of these effects may be caused or facilitated by too much green tea, the most common dietary source of L-theanine.
Taking into account the severity and frequency of reported symptoms, the amount of research on each active ingredient, and the conditions required to induce symptoms, we give Qualia Resilience an A- for reported side effects.
Grade: A-
Qualia has laid solid foundations in website user experience and customer service, but could improve on a couple points.
This category binds together several different items from various aspects of the overall user experience with a given product/brand, including things like customer service experience, the online shopping experience, how informative and beginner-friendly the website copy is, and more.
Qualia’s website is replete with, frankly, a ridiculous amount of information explaining the science behind individual product formulations as well as the brand’s more general approach to nootropic supplements.
Many of their formulation breakdowns sit atop a list of more than 100 references, and though the language isn’t beginner-friendly, Qualia provides a large glossary.
As for our experience with customer service, we give Qualia full credit (for availability of services) for offering email, call, and text messaging support channels, but they did fail to respond to one inquiry made by phone (voicemail left).
However, the text and email services furnished personalized, helpful responses within seven minutes, which softens the deduction for the customer service component.
Finally, it’s very easy to browse and purchase products on Qualia’s website—thanks to a dropdown menu on the “products” link with products already separated into categories—and each product page provides individual ingredient descriptions, plenty of blurbs about the rationale behind the product, and more without clutter or unattractive design.
Taking all this into account, we award Qualia an A- for the brand experience they provide.
Grade: A
Especially when combined with the 50% off (your first order) subscription, the uncharacteristically low price point of Qualia Resilience stands out from the rest of their catalog and much of the competition.
Qualia Resilience, which provides a 28-day supply if you adhere to the recommended five-days-on, two-days-off rotation, costs $52 for a standalone purchase.
Subscribers will receive a 50% discount on the first purchase ($26), and will then pay $43.95 for each month thereafter.
In past Qualia product reviews, we’ve noticed they tend to poke at the price ceiling pretty liberally, but this price point is a definitive step in a more competitive direction.
For example, the standard version of Qualia Mind costs $139 for a standalone purchase.
It’s rare to see a month’s supply of a premium nootropic supplement dip below $65 or so, let alone as low as $26 for subscribers.
Considering the context, which includes Qualia’s typically robust justification for Qualia Resilience’s formulation, we’re giving them their first A for value this time.
All of our testers reported the same findings as it concerns how and when their products arrived: all delivered in an undamaged, darkly tinted bottle within the planned delivery window.
The bottle comes with a threaded lid, and the labels include use suggestions, warnings, and supplement facts and ingredients.
The capsules were neither outlandishly large or very small; they were easy enough to take, especially with the lower serving size of two capsules (some Qualia products go as high as seven).
When in calmer situations, we didn’t actively feel any differences in our mood or productivity after taking Qualia Resilience, but as promised, we noticed a significant improvement in our perception of and response to various stressors.
Qualia Resilience seemed to soften our responses to both jarring/acute stressors—like a metal pan sliding off the drying rack and clattering loudly on the floor right behind you—and more constant stressors (noisy/packed crowds, etc.).
These effects typically lasted between 3-4 hours, though it’s difficult to gauge based on the natural variability of stressful situations.
Overall, the difference was significant enough that we can see Qualia Resilience being useful for the everyday person and especially useful for those with high(er)-stress lives.
Qualia Resilience earns an overall score of A from our review team.
Here’s our overall impression of Qualia Resilience in “lightning round” format:
If you’re looking to combat stress without feeling high, wired, or both, Qualia Resilience offers a subtle approach grounded in sound science.
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