Mainstream nootropic supplements have three primary ingredients: Marketing, placebo effect, and very mild stimulants.<p>The hyperbolic marketing material primes the user for maximum placebo effect. When the mildly stimulating compounds kick in, the user can actually feel something. All of the marketing material about enhancing brain function through combinations of carefully-researched ingredients feels validated. The user may only feel a mild stimulating effect, but it feels so much more significant after reading elegant marketing about supporting neurotransmission, helping healthy brain signaling, and promoting healthy cell membranes.<p>It's easy to see why this combination is so effective. Caffeine's stimulating effects are well-known, as are the rebound, tolerance, and dependence that come from repeated caffeine dosing. Remove caffeine from the equation and now the user's expectations are a blank slate, malleable according to whatever marketing materials the team can dream up.<p>The BrainGear supplemented listed in the article is a prime example; The raw ingredients in each drink cost pennies (search Amazon for bulk Acetyl L-Carnitine, Choline, Inositol, and the other ingredients if you're curious). Their largest costs are likely distribution, storage, and marketing. Many of the ingredients can be found in similar quantities in a regular, healthy diet that includes eggs, leafy greens, and a cup of green tea each day. There is nothing magic, noteworthy, or particularly valuable in this supplement, yet here we are reading a vox.com article where a journalist happily links to their product and fails a strawman attempt to debunk it by solving some Sudoku for a couple of days. This is a great marketing success story.