Best Stem Cell Supplements

After gaining public attention in the 1990s, stem cells periodically receded from and returned to a broader health conversation about ethics. Now, three decades later, stem cells have again entered the conversation, but in a more ethically neutral, supplemental form meant to strengthen and mobilize the stem cells that you already have. In doing so, they hold the potential to improve your cellular health and, therefore, your body’s ability to repair itself as it ages.

Currently, stem cell supplements account for only a slight fraction of the health products market. The competitive field is correspondingly small, but there are enough players in the space to complicate its navigation. This guide aims to make it easier for you to find a stem cell supplement tailored to your needs, as we’ve filtered out all products that fail to meet the qualities described in the current scientific literature.

For a snapshot of what we’ve found, check out our summary of recommendations below. Then read further to gain a deeper understanding of how these supplements work.

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Evaluating the market’s best stem cell supplements initially involved conducting in-depth research into what stem cells are, as well as how a nonprescription supplement could reinforce their functions. Using the knowledge we’d gained, we defined the parameters of what constitutes a stem cell supplement and searched multiple niches to identify products whose formulations aligned with the scientific literature. We purchased those products, interacted with the respective companies, and documented our findings throughout the process.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this guide was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy and will continue to be monitored for updates by our editorial team.

We based our recommendations in this guide on the four criteria that are likeliest to inform consumer decisions regarding stem cell supplements:

• Effectiveness: What does the scientific literature have to say about each product’s ingredients, doses, and protocol?
• Safety: Are any adverse effects likely to occur? If so, how severe might they be?
• Cost: How accessible is the product to the average person?
• Customer experience: How easy or difficult is it to resolve queries and other issues with the company?

We name our picks and discuss our rationale in the sections below.

Effectiveness

Advantage: STEMREGEN Release

A complex will give you better odds at stem cell boosting than a single ingredient can, for the same reason that a team of builders can finish the job more efficiently than a lone worker. After surveying the market, we identified STEMREGEN Release and Qualia Stem Cell as front-runners among complex formulations.

In our opinion, STEMREGEN ultimately prevails over Qualia because each of its seven ingredients has effectively enhanced the proliferation or mobilization of stem cells in animal and human studies, and its daily dosing regimen aligns with current research.32 Some of its ingredients are potentially underdosed, but the big ones are likely to hit clinical amounts.

In contrast, Qualia Stem Cell has users follow a peculiar dosing schedule of only four consecutive days per month, which doesn’t appear to have a basis in the scientific literature. So, while it also delivers its most potent ingredients in clinical doses, that may all be moot in the light of its quasi-regular protocol.

Safety

Advantage: Bulk Supplements Sea Buckthorn Oil

Whereas the simplicity of a single-ingredient supplement presents a disadvantage in effectiveness, it provides the upper hand in terms of safety. With Bulk Supplements Sea Buckthorn Oil, specifically, the upper hand extends even higher because of sea buckthorn’s slim side effect profile. As a supplement, its most common adverse effects are the sorts of mild gastrointestinal issues that arise with pretty much any orally administered treatment, and a toxic quantity would amount to an astonishingly large dose that you’re unlikely to approach with even a whole bottle of Bulk Supplements.71

If we narrow our scrutiny to just complexes, though, then STEMREGEN Release appears to be the safer option compared to Qualia Stem Cell. In either one, the most problematic ingredient is a species of beneficial cyanobacteria called Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, which can potentially grow in waters alongside toxic members of its phylum.22 But between the two brands, only STEMREGEN has verified that it conducts thorough testing of its Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, limiting its concentration to below the safe threshold of 1mcg/g.23 Qualia, on the other hand, is vague about its Aphanizomenon flos-aquae testing, so while the concentration is likely at a nontoxic level, we simply have less assurance on the matter.

As for Biopelle Tensage Stem Cell Cream — it has a solid safety pedigree as well (even its retinol hasn’t caused on our testers any of the irritation commonly associated with it), but because it occupies an outlying niche in the context of this guide, it could hardly be weighed against the other three recommendations.

Cost

Advantage: Bulk Supplements Sea Buckthorn Oil

Partly because stem cell supplements are still a relative novelty in the supplements market, they tend to cost near or upwards of $100 per retail unit. That’s certainly true of Qualia, Biopelle, and STEMREGEN (approximately $70, $180, and $190, respectively, for one-time purchases).

Bulk Supplements, however, specializes in selling large-volume units at affordable price points, and its Sea Buckthorn Oil tracks perfectly with the brand. It costs just $24 for a one-time purchase. Even with the roughly $10 shipping charge, you could buy 2-5 Bulk Supplements Sea Buckthorn Oils for the price of just one Qualia, Biopelle, or STEMREGEN.

Customer experience

Advantage: Bulk Supplements Sea Buckthorn Oil

Bulk Supplements is our pick for customer experience because of how quickly and seamlessly it allows customers to resolve queries. Have a question about your order or a product? Just click that live chat widget in the lower right-hand corner of any page on the Bulk Supplements website. Once you enter your question, you ought to be connected with a company representative within seconds, even on the weekend, and get exactly the sort of response you wanted.

With our other recommendations, customer support was a much slower affair. In our experience, email was the only reliable way to get a hold of a rep at STEMREGEN, Qualia, or Biopelle, so the speed of resolution depends on how soon someone gets to your message. Of the three companies we mentioned, only Qualia replied on the same day we sent our query, but the response we received didn’t sufficiently answer our question. STEMREGEN and Biopelle averaged a turnaround of three days (though, to their credit, their responses were thorough).

We do wish that Bulk Supplements had a better money-back guarantee, as it’s limited in both length and scope in its current form, but the ease of dealing with its customer support leaves us with a more satisfied impression than any other brand’s return policy could.

Before we get into the various aspects of stem cells, here’s a quick-reference chart to help you visualize the differences between our recommendations (prices are rounded up to the nearest cent where applicable; bulk and bundle options are excluded):

Stem cells are present in nearly all of the body’s tissues.1 What makes them special is that they’re (entirely or largely) unspecialized, have a long period of self-renewal, and can become other types of cells.2

Stem cells can be categorized in relation to the life form’s stage of development. An embryo at the earliest developmental stage has embryonic stem cells, which are the blank checks of the stem cell world because they can become any of the human body’s 200+ different cell types.3 They’re also known as pluripotent stem cells. Because they self-renew and have yet to become cells with specific functions, they accumulate into a pool of high-potential units that can satisfy a diverse range of needs.

Embryonic stem cells then specialize to some degree to generate the various parts of a fetus. From then on, and until the end of life, it’s all adult stem cells, which are tissue-specific. In a process called differentiation, by which a cell takes a specific function, they become progenitor cells, which are unipotent or multipotent (i.e., they can develop into just one or a few cell types). The role of adult stem cells is to replace any fully specialized cells that die because of injury, disease, or normal wear and tear. In that sense, from the moment it begins to take shape, the human body is like a baseball team with not just a fully assigned roster but also a large reserve of recruits. When a rostered player can no longer play their position, a recruit can be brought up to the major league to take their place.

Stem cell locations, types, and niches

Embryonic stem cells are do-it-all wild-card players, taking whatever role you need them to take. But adult stem cells generally operate within specific anatomic locations, just as a baseball player typically covers only a particular part of the field.4 The location they’re assigned to, as well as their specialization, designates their type:

• Hematopoietic stem cells are found in the blood and bone marrow. They develop into various forms of blood cells.5
• Mesenchymal stem cells are also in the bone marrow. They develop into the cells of the skeletal tissues, such as bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle.6
• Neural stem cells are found in the brain and spinal cord, and thus develop into the cells of the central nervous system.7
• Epithelial stem cells are found in locations such as hair follicles and sebaceous glands.8 They become the cells that constitute the skin, eyes, hair, and internal organs.

Within their respective locations, adult stem cells reside within microenvironments called niches. (This, by the way, is where our baseball analogy falls apart.) Niches are essentially protective to both stem cells and the body itself. They help to keep stem cells alive so that they’re available when needed, but also prevent stem cells from over-multiplying, a dysfunction implicated in the development of cancer.9 10

A stem cell supplement acts on the adult stem cells in a person’s body. In this guide, specifically, we’re generally talking about health products that strengthen existing stem cells, stimulate their proliferation or mobilization, and/or support their functions.

Because stem cells primarily repair tissue, an effective stem cell supplement enables your body to repair itself more effectively. In turn, your overall cellular health could improve, and your body could potentially operate more like that of a younger and healthier person.

A 2018 review on endogenous stem cell reinforcement sketches out the possibilities, which include:11

While the review in question exclusively examines the effects of implanted materials on native stem cells, the relevant principle also applies to stem cell supplements: if we optimize use of our existing stem cells, we can spur their regenerative properties. In theory, then, an effective stem cell supplement could yield benefits for:

• Skin health13
• Neurologic health14
• Bone formation and healing15 16
• Wound healing17
• Immune function18
• Anti-aging in general18

The primary health risk associated with stem cell supplements is their theoretical potential to promote the proliferation of cancer cells. This risk arises when an individual’s stem cells have undergone mutations that cause them to become cancerous.19 20 If they were to proliferate and mobilize, they could then affect their target tissues and lead to tumorigenesis and metastasis.

Again, the risk here is theoretical, as well as contingent on genetic and lifestyle factors.21 So, if you have a personal or family history of cancer, or you regularly engage in cancer-causing activities (e.g., smoking, drinking), then we recommend avoiding stem cell supplements or at least speaking with your doctor before taking one.

Other than that, the safety of a given stem cell supplement depends on the operating practices of its manufacturer (discussed under each brand section) and its ingredients.

Most of the ingredients used in our top recommendations are generally safe for human consumption. The one notable exception is Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, featured in STEMREGEN and Qualia. The risk is that Aphanizomenon flos-aquae often grows in the same environments as cyanobacteria whose toxic microcystin can cause kidney and liver damage in concentrations above 1mcg/g.22 23 The risk is low as long as the manufacturer tests for the microcystin and ensures that it’s below the toxic threshold. (We also discuss the testing standards of STEMREGEN and Qualia under their respective brand sections.)

Stem cell supplements are aimed at nonpregnant, nonbreastfeeding adults who want to see improvements to their general health and well-being, as the regenerative properties of endogenous stem cells could potentially enhance the body’s ability to repair damaged cells. These properties would most likely benefit the areas of skin health, neurologic health, bone regeneration, wound healing, immune function, and anti-aging.13 14 15 16 17 18

As to who they’re not for, that’s a varied group. Besides people with allergies to specific ingredients and those with other health contraindications (e.g., a history of cancer, pregnancy, lactation), it includes anyone expecting the sorts of miraculous health outcomes commonly associated with stem cells. We’re talking about products that mobilize your existing stem cells, so they’re much more limited than embryonic stem cell therapy, which itself isn’t the cure-all for pain, neurogeneration, and age-related declines that the hype makes it out to be.24 25 26 Users should therefore temper their expectations.

Best stem cell–boosting complex

STEMREGEN specializes in stem cell supplements. Its catalog currently consists of four well-formulated products, with Release being its main attraction. Every two-capsule serving contains 1,430mg of a proprietary blend that features seven ingredients with solid research support for their potential to proliferate or mobilize stem cells:

Although we can’t say for certain that each ingredient hits a therapeutically effective dose, we can deduce that at least a couple of big ones do. Hippophae rhamnoides and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, specifically, are likely to be present in clinically relevant quantities since they appear first and second on the ingredients list.

Moreover, reinforcing the research on individual ingredients, two independent studies in 2025 tested STEMREGEN’s effects on animals and came away with positive results. In one, STEMREGEN led to reduced inflammation and bone destruction in rats with severe gum infection via mobilization of specialized mesenchymal stem cells;42 and in the other, STEMREGEN appeared to spur some amount of neural cellular repair.43

Of note, there’s one potential safety concern associated with Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. Although it, by itself, is nontoxic, there’s a chance that it could grow alongside algae that produce a kidney- and liver-damaging toxin called microcystin.22 But microcystin is considered safe in concentrations of 1mcg/g or less, and STEMREGEN limits its microcystin quantity to that amount (typically, the testing yields even lower, safer concentrations), as verified by third-party testing by ISO 17025–accredited Light Labs.23 In fact, all of STEMREGEN’s products are tested by this lab for heavy metals, allergens, lactose, microbials, and other substances, and test results are posted on the product page.

We were able to confirm STEMREGEN’s testing for microcystin through the customer support team, which is thorough in its response quality but inconsistent in terms of response times. In one line of query, we had to wait several days to receive an answer; in another, just a few minutes. It doesn’t help, either, that the customer support channels are limited to email and telephone, and that no one ever picked up the phone when we called.

Pricing, shipping, and returns

Through the STEMREGEN website, you can purchase Release as a standalone supplement in a few ways:

The price is steep, no matter which way you go. A one-time purchase costs $9 more than the Biopelle cream, approximately 2.4 times more than Qualia, and 5.5 times more than Bulk Supplements. Also, you might notice that the three-pack bulk option is equivalent in price to three months’ worth of a subscription. Seeing as you can’t subscribe to the three-pack, we don’t see a compelling reason to choose it over a standard subscription plan.

Release is also part of two STEMREGEN bundles, called Protocols:

Respectively, Signal and Mobilize are $134 and $164 as one-time purchases, and $121 and $148 per month as subscriptions. Do the arithmetic, and you see that the pricing almost exactly amounts to buying each supplement separately. (We say “almost” because you do save $1 if you subscribe to the Daily Maintenance Protocol.) In other words, the Protocols don’t really save you any money. Their only practical benefit is that you don’t have to visit multiple product pages to buy them in a single order.

But STEMREGEN isn’t all downsides and nullities on the spending side of things. For one thing, it ships free to all 50 U.S. states, which isn’t the case with Qualia or Bulk Supplements. Plus, per household, the company’s 30-day money-back guarantee protects every first-time order, in which regard it’s at least better than Bulk Supplements.

Best lower-cost alternative to STEMREGEN

Qualia Stem Cell is a 15-ingredient complex meant to be taken just four consecutive days per month. At a glance, it looks to have the advantage over STEMREGEN. But closer scrutiny uncovers why it’s relegated to what’s effectively runner-up status in this guide.

Four of STEMREGEN’s ingredients also appear in Qualia, except with specified doses: sea buckthorn (500mg), Aphanizomen flos-aquae (400mg), Aloe macroclada (300mg), and Panax notoginseng (200mg). The first two are clinically dosed, and the Aloe macroclada might also be, but the ginseng seems to fall short of a therapeutic quantity.44 (And when we say “clinically dosed” or “therapeutic quantity,” we mean in terms of daily use. Keep that in mind for the time being.) Also, the customer support team somewhat evaded our question about Qualia’s testing for microcystin: rather than assuring us that the toxin’s levels are kept to a minimum, they only pointed us to the fact that Qualia products undergo third-party testing.

As for the remaining 11 ingredients, they’re another mixed bag:

You’ve got a few ingredients dosed within clinical ranges, but many more that aren’t. But even with the clinically dosed ingredients, you have to consider that in studies that have shown positive stem cell–related outcomes, subjects were administered their interventions on a daily basis. Remember that Qualia Stem Cell is meant to be taken just four consecutive days a month — that’s four days on, 26-27 days off — so its dosing schedule doesn’t align with most research protocols.

So, when you take the good and bad of Qualia Stem Cell together, you see the picture of a decently put-together complex that doesn’t match the potential or safety pedigree of STEMREGEN.

Pricing, shipping, and returns

As a one-time purchase, Qualia Stem Cell sells for $79 before the added shipping fee. Delivery to the Midwest added around $9 to our bill, so the total cost came to over $90 after tax.

Through Qualia’s subscription program, your first order is only $39.50, but subsequent orders are $69 each. The difference in discount amounts to 50% and around 12% respectively. You save money either way, but we can’t deny the discouragement that comes with the price increase. Also discouraging is the fact that even subscriptions are subject to a shipping fee.

On the plus side, Qualia offers a 100-day money-back guarantee. The policy applies to one unit per product, per household. To illustrate, if you bought two Qualia products and your partner bought the same two products separately, only one of each product would qualify for a full refund. It’s a reasonable limitation, and even with it, Qualia has the best return policy among all the brands in this guide.

Best single-ingredient stem cell supplement

Here, Bulk Supplements offers us a supplement whose only active ingredient is sea buckthorn, which you’ll have noticed is the lead-off in both STEMREGEN and Qualia. We’ve already covered how sea buckthorn can effectively mobilize stem cells, as well as its activities against oxidative stress, inflammation, cancer, and pathogens.27 28 But because it’s the only ingredient in this Bulk Supplements product, it’s worth further examination to see how well it works by itself.

The scientific literature suggests that it does quite a good job:

• A 2021 study showed that omega-7 fatty acids, of which sea buckthorn has an abundance, stimulate the activity of an enzyme called telomerase, which in turn promotes stem cell proliferation for wound healing.66
• In a 2022 animal study, sea buckthorn “significantly stimulated the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts,” leading to improved bone mineral density in mice with osteoporosis.67
• In a 2025 in vitro study, mesenchymal cells treated with sea buckthorn–derived particles exhibited increased expression of biomarkers associated with bone healing.68

Because aging tends to impair the body’s bone regeneration and wound-healing abilities, these studies suggest that sea buckthorn could potentially improve a person’s quality of life in their later years.69 70

It’s true that Bulk Supplements’ Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil softgels are inadequately dosed at just 150mg per serving, but you can take a double or triple serving to get you closer to the 500mg clinical amount.27 For reference, a toxic amount of sea buckthorn would be something like several whole bottles of the softgels.71 Also, in a quick live chat, we verified with Bulk Supplements’ customer support that there’s no specific daily serving limit for this product. You should, of course, speak with your doctor before upping your day’s dosage.

Pricing, shipping, and returns

As of this writing, Bulk Supplements Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil is available in just a 240-serving bottle size for $23.97 as a one-time purchase and $21.57 on subscription (a 10,000-serving option is displayed on the product page but marked as “sold out” at this time). Unless you spend at least $59, shipping adds a flat rate of $9.95, so the total cost of the Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil alone amounts to $33.92 and $32.52, respectively.

If you end up taking a 3x serving to meet the clinical dose of sea buckthorn, then a single bottle should still last you 80 days, with a per-serving cost of around $0.40-$0.42. That’s approximately 13-15 times less than the per-serving cost of STEMREGEN. A solid deal.

Bulk Supplements does have a 30-day money-back guarantee, but it provides only partial refunds “equivalent to the price of the smallest unit.” When there’s only one unit size, as is the current case with Sea Buckthorn Oil softgels, your refund would be half the price of your order. Note, however, that getting a half-price refund may require explaining to Bulk Supplements that only one unit size was available at the time of your purchase.

Best topical stem cell supplement for skin care

Other than its price tag and its effect on stem cell mobilization, Biopelle Tensage Stem Cell Cream occupies a unique niche in this guide. For one thing, it’s a topical cream, not an oral supplement. For another, its key active ingredients don’t appear in any of our other recommendations.

The main player in its formulation is an extract of the eggs of Cryptomphalus aspersa (a.k.a. garden snail), and it’s one that has yielded promising results in recent scientific research. A 2024 study, for example, found that the extract had the following effects on human mesenchymal stem cells:72

• Fortification of stemness (i.e., a stem cell’s ability to proliferate into differentiable cells and interact efficiently with its environment)73
• Alleviation of oxidative stress, potentially preventing premature senescence
• Inducement of autophagy, or the clearing out of old cells, thereby supporting stem cell metabolism and function74

The researchers thus concluded that Cryptomphalus aspersa egg extract “comprises bioactive compounds that can demonstrate strong antioxidant/anti-ageing [sic] effects,” which seems in line with the kinds of results that Biopelle has aimed to achieve with this product.72

Further along the ingredients list are three other components that have no bearing on stem cell activity but have high potential to improve skin health in general:

So, while Biopelle Tensage Stem Cell Cream won’t do anything to improve your body’s overall cellular health, it has what it takes to help your skin look a little younger.

We have only a couple of gripes with the cream. One is the smell. It doesn’t smell bad, necessarily, but it has a strong “cosmeticky” perfume fragrance that might not be to everyone’s liking. And the second is its price.

Pricing, shipping, and returns

Biopelle Tensage Stem Cell Cream is available in a 1fl oz bottle for $180. At this price point, it’s just $9 less than STEMREGEN as a one-time purchase, making it overall the second-most expensive product in this guide in terms of up-front cost. It should, however, last around three months with daily one-pump applications, so the “per-serving” cost here ($2 per pump) is low compared to STEMREGEN and Qualia.

All Biopelle orders ship for free, too, and the Stem Cell Cream is eligible for 1-2 complimentary samples of other Biopelle products.

Moreover, Biopelle protects your purchase with a 60-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee.

Even the best stem cell supplements on the market aren’t the right solutions for everyone. With most of these products, the price tag is hard to abide. And some people might just prefer a slightly different approach to their health and wellness.

Here are some alternatives, then.

Other supplements

Several other supplement types can help you see some of the skin health, wound-healing, immunological, and/or anti-aging benefits that stem cell supplements offer:

Lifestyle changes

As with most things health-related, a combination of diet, exercise, and sleep can help you boost your stem cell function naturally. Broadly, this approach says to:

• Restrict your calories and eating windows84
• Regularly engage in resistance and endurance exercises85
• Aim for around 7-9 hours of sleep per night86

Your exact caloric, exercise, and sleep needs will depend on individual factors such as age and medical history, so these are topics to discuss with your healthcare provider.