Performance Lab Energy

What it does

Performance Lab Energy is a caffeine-free capsule sold through performancelab.com. The vendor calls it a 'caffeine-free workout and daily energy supplement' for 'cellular energy, cardio performance, muscle strength, and clean focus'. One serving is 2 vegan pullulan capsules holding 500mg acetyl-L-carnitine (from acetyl-L-carnitine HCl), 100mg microencapsulated BioEnhanced R-lipoic acid, 100mg MicroActive Q10 (coenzyme Q10), 10mg BioPQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone), 60mg magnesium as magnesium malate (14% of the US Daily Value) and 2.5mg BioPerine black pepper extract (95% piperine), which the vendor adds 'for enhanced absorption'; a bottle holds 30 servings. The label suggests 2 capsules in the morning or early afternoon on an empty stomach. The vendor states it is 'third-party tested for purity and potency' but names no lab. Health Canada's Licensed Natural Health Products Database had no Performance Lab entries when we searched it on 2026-10-05, so we found no Natural Product Number (NPN) for it, and Canadian buyers import it for personal use rather than buying a licensed product.

How it works

Energy is built around mitochondria, the parts of cells that turn food into usable energy. Acetyl-L-carnitine carries fatty acids into mitochondria and donates acetyl groups for making acetylcholine; its positive cognitive trials used 1.5-3g a day in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, mild dementia or pre-frailty (Montgomery 2003 meta-analysis; Passeri 1990; Malaguarnera 2022), at least three times the 500mg here, and we found no trial in healthy young adults. PQQ improved some memory and attention scores in three small 12-week trials at about 20mg a day (Itoh 2016, Shiojima 2021, Tamakoshi 2023), two of them with authors affiliated with the PQQ manufacturer; Energy has 10mg. The vendor describes CoQ10 and R-lipoic acid as mitochondrial cofactors and antioxidants, but we found no positive cognitive trial of either: 300mg CoQ10 a day did not improve attention or working memory over 6 months in a trial in schizophrenia (Maguire 2021), and 100mg alpha-lipoic acid a day did not improve cognition in the only dose-matched trial we found, also in schizophrenia (De Lima 2023). BioPerine is there to aid absorption; we have not verified whether 2.5mg of piperine changes how well these ingredients are absorbed. Energy itself has not been tested in a published trial.

What to expect

Performance Lab says Energy starts working in around 30 minutes and that you may notice 'increased vitality', more motivation, a brighter mood and better muscle strength and cardio performance during exercise. It contains no caffeine or other stimulant. The positive cognitive trials of acetyl-L-carnitine and PQQ ran for 12 weeks or longer at 2 to 6 times these doses, so any cognitive effect at Energy's doses is uncertain. The label suggests 2 capsules in the morning or early afternoon on an empty stomach; the product page also suggests 2 capsules 30-45 minutes before a workout. Orders to Canada leave the UK depot by tracked airmail (5-20 working days) or DHL courier (2-7 working days), and the Canadian storefront's shipping page says the buyer is responsible for any customs charges, duties or taxes (per performancelab.com, checked 2026-10-05). We saw only US-dollar prices ($69 one-time) when we checked.

Hero ingredients

• Acetyl-L-Carnitine500mg
• PQQ10mg
• CoQ10100mg
• R-Lipoic Acid100mg

Number and quality of evidence-graded ingredients. Trademarked extracts and standardized actives raise this score.

How many ingredients meet their clinical-trial dose. Underdosing flagship actives is the biggest score deduction.

Full disclosure of every ingredient at its exact dose. Proprietary blends are scored as opaque.

Cost per month relative to per-serving clinical doses delivered. Cheaper products with underdoses score lower.

Brand reputation, third-party testing, refund track record, and Trustpilot signal across multiple years.