Last updated: · Originally published August 9, 2026 · Published by Eternal Elixir
Edited by Elaine Fletcher, Researcher
Quick answer: Thorne makes well-tested supplements. It runs four rounds of testing in two in-house labs at its Summerville, South Carolina campus, and many of its products carry NSF Certified for Sport. Its premium price is real, though, and its longevity shelf is thin. Its NR capsule, NiaCel 400, costs $74 for 60 capsules, its glutathione gives 175 mg per capsule, and its product sitemap has no NMN, spermidine, TUDCA or calcium AKG. Our pick for a longevity buyer in this Thorne review for 2026 is Eternal Elixir Nicotinamide Riboside 500mg: 500 mg of NR chloride per capsule, 60 capsules for $59.99, or $1.00 a day.
Eternal Elixir makes supplements that compete with Thorne’s longevity products, so read this as a competitor’s review. Every Thorne figure comes from its product pages, quality pages, returns page and product sitemap, read on September 25, 2026. We did not buy or lab-test Thorne products. Here is how we write and review content.
Thorne review 2026: what the brand does well
Thorne describes itself as a company with more than four decades of clinical history. Its headquarters and a manufacturing campus of more than 735,000 square feet are in Summerville, South Carolina, where it makes its supplements from ingredients sourced worldwide. Three things set it apart, and all three are checkable on its own pages.
- Testing: Thorne says every supplement goes through four rounds of testing in its own two labs, starting with the identity and purity of raw materials and ending with checks on the finished product and its shelf life. Ingredients stay in quarantine until they meet specification.
- A “No List”: it publishes a list of fillers, additives and allergens it won’t use.
- Sport testing: many Thorne products carry NSF Certified for Sport, including its creatine, its Basic Nutrients 2/Day multivitamin and its NiaCel 400 NR capsule. Thorne says it works with more than 100 professional and US national teams.
That last point is the strongest reason to pay Thorne’s prices. If you are a drug-tested athlete, a product with NSF Certified for Sport is worth more than a cheaper bottle without it. For the wider NAD+ field, our NR supplement comparison and NMN supplement rankings compare the main brands on dose and price.
Why is Thorne so expensive? Prices per serving
Thorne’s basics are priced at the top of the market but not wildly so. Its creatine costs $44 for 90 servings of 5 g, or about $0.49 a day. Its Magnesium Bisglycinate powder costs $52 for 60 scoops of 200 mg of magnesium, and its Basic Nutrients 2/Day multivitamin costs $40 for 60 capsules, a 30-day supply at two a day. Thorne ties its prices to its testing, its own manufacturing and its sport-testing line, and those costs are real.
The gap widens on the longevity shelf, where doses are smaller and the formulas combine several ingredients. The table below puts Thorne’s closest longevity products next to ours. These are one-time prices as of Sep 2026.
| Product | Amount on the label | Capsules | Price | Cost per daily dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eternal Elixir Nicotinamide Riboside 500mg | 500 mg NR chloride per capsule | 60 | $59.99 | $1.00 (1 capsule) |
| Thorne NiaCel 400 | 415 mg NR hydrogen malate and 85 mg betaine per capsule | 60 | $74 | $1.23 (1 capsule) |
| Eternal Elixir Trans-Resveratrol 600mg | 600 mg per capsule | 90 | $59.99 | $0.67 (1 capsule) |
| Thorne ResveraCel | 150 mg resveratrol, 415 mg NR hydrogen malate, 250 mg quercetin phytosome and 85 mg betaine per 2 capsules | 60 | $60 | $2.00 (2 capsules) |
| Thorne Resveratrol Complex | 100 mg resveratrol, 100 mg pterostilbene and three 100 mg phytosomes per 2 capsules | 60 | $59 | $1.97 (2 capsules) |
| Eternal Elixir Reduced L-Glutathione 2000mg | 2,000 mg reduced glutathione per 2 capsules | 60 | $39.99 | $1.33 (2 capsules) |
| Thorne Glutathione-SR | 175 mg reduced glutathione per capsule, released slowly | 60 | $54 | $1.80 to $2.70 (2 to 3 capsules) |
Add Nicotinamide Riboside 500mg to cart · $59.99
NR: our capsule costs $1.00 a day against $1.23 for NiaCel 400. The two use different salts. Ours is NR chloride, the form used in the trial described below. Thorne uses NR hydrogen malate and adds betaine, and NiaCel 400 carries NSF Certified for Sport, which ours does not.
Resveratrol: one of our capsules holds four times the trans-resveratrol of a two-capsule ResveraCel dose and six times that of Resveratrol Complex, at about a third of the daily cost. Thorne’s two products are combination formulas, so part of their price buys NR, pterostilbene, quercetin, green tea and curcumin phytosomes. Thorne’s pages list 60 servings for these 60-capsule bottles, but at two capsules a day each bottle lasts 30 days, which is the basis we used.
Glutathione: Glutathione-SR is a sustained-release capsule of 175 mg, taken two or three times a day. That is 350 mg to 525 mg a day for $1.80 to $2.70. Our two-capsule serving gives 2,000 mg for $1.33. Our glutathione supplement comparison and resveratrol supplement comparison cover more brands.
What Thorne doesn’t sell for a longevity stack
Thorne’s product sitemap lists 209 product pages. We found none for NMN, spermidine, TUDCA or calcium alpha-ketoglutarate (Ca-AKG), four of the ingredients longevity buyers most often search for. If those are on your list, you will be buying them from another brand either way.
Our NMN 500mg gives 500 mg per capsule, 90 capsules for $49.99. Our Spermidine 10mg, TUDCA 500mg and Ca-AKG 500mg each come as one capsule per serving, 60 capsules per bottle. Our guides to spermidine supplements, TUDCA supplements and Ca-AKG supplements compare them with other brands.
Do Thorne’s longevity ingredients work? What the research shows
NR. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in Nature Communications (Martens and colleagues, 2018), 30 healthy middle-aged and older adults took 500 mg of NR chloride twice a day, 1,000 mg in total, and a placebo, for six weeks each. NR was well tolerated and raised NAD+ in blood immune cells by about 60% compared with placebo. The authors note this dose was higher than the label dose of the NR brand they used. A 2026 study in Nature Metabolism (Christen and colleagues) found that 14 days of NR or NMN raised circulating NAD+ by a similar amount in 65 healthy adults, so on NAD+ alone the two look similar.
Glutathione. In a six-month placebo-controlled trial in the European Journal of Nutrition (Richie and colleagues, 2015), 54 non-smoking adults took 250 mg or 1,000 mg of oral glutathione a day. At the higher dose, glutathione in red blood cells, plasma and lymphocytes rose by 30% to 35% at six months, and levels fell back to baseline a month after stopping. Thorne’s Glutathione-SR at two or three capsules a day sits between those two doses. Our two-capsule serving is above the higher one.
Evidence level: short human trials show NR raises NAD+ and oral glutathione raises glutathione stores. Neither has been shown to extend human lifespan, and neither trial tested a Thorne product or ours. Our Tru Niagen review and NMN versus NR guide go deeper on the NAD+ precursors.
Thorne’s ratings: why Trustpilot and product reviews disagree
Thorne’s Trustpilot page tells a different story from its product reviews. When we checked on September 25, 2026, the unclaimed profile showed 1.7 out of 5 from 85 reviews, with 72% one-star ratings. Trustpilot also notes that Thorne hasn’t invited customers to review there and warns that the reviews may not be representative. The complaints center on long phone waits, slow email replies, missing or damaged parcels and refunds, not on the supplements.
Refunds are worth reading before you order. Thorne’s returns page gives you 60 days from purchase to request a return, and it says all approved returns carry a 25% restocking fee. Eternal Elixir offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, free US shipping over $100 and dispatch within 24 hours.
Thorne or Pure Encapsulations?
Both are practitioner-led brands that sell basics at premium prices, and neither is better across the board. Thorne’s clearest edge is its NSF Certified for Sport line, which matters if you are tested. For Pure Encapsulations’ range, prices and ratings, see our Pure Encapsulations review. If your list is longevity ingredients rather than basics, compare doses per dollar across brands, which is the approach in our Codeage review, Life Extension review and Wonderfeel Youngr NMN review.
Who should buy Thorne, and who should buy from us
Buy Thorne if you are a drug-tested athlete, or if you want your creatine, magnesium and multivitamin from one well-tested maker and don’t mind paying more for it. Its sport-tested line is the reason to choose it.
Buy from Eternal Elixir if your list is longevity ingredients. Our NR costs less per day than NiaCel 400, our resveratrol capsule holds four times the trans-resveratrol of a ResveraCel dose, our glutathione gives several times Thorne’s daily amount for less, and we sell the NMN, spermidine, TUDCA and Ca-AKG that Thorne doesn’t. Each of our product pages states the evidence level for its ingredient and what hasn’t been shown. If you are building a routine around energy or men’s health instead, our ginseng evidence guide, natural testosterone booster comparison and berberine supplement comparison are the next reads.
Thorne review: frequently asked questions
Do Thorne supplements actually work?
That depends on the ingredient, not the brand. Thorne’s testing gives you good reason to trust that the label matches the bottle. Whether the ingredient does anything for you depends on the human research for that ingredient and whether you are short of it. For NR, trials show a rise in NAD+, but that has not been shown to change how people age.
Why is Thorne so expensive?
Thorne makes its own products at its South Carolina campus, runs four rounds of testing in two in-house labs, and keeps a large NSF Certified for Sport line, and all of that shows up in the price. On basics the premium is modest, with creatine at about $0.49 a day. On longevity products it is larger: its NR costs $1.23 a day against $1.00 for ours, and its glutathione costs $1.80 to $2.70 a day for 350 mg to 525 mg.
Why is Thorne so popular?
Mostly because of its reputation for testing and its sport-tested products. Thorne says it works with more than 100 professional and US national teams, and practitioners stock it. That reputation is earned on basics and sports nutrition more than on longevity ingredients.
Which brand is better, Thorne or Pure Encapsulations?
Neither wins across the board. Pick Thorne if you need NSF Certified for Sport products. For longevity ingredients, compare the milligrams per dollar on each label, because both brands price at the premium end.
Does Thorne sell NMN?
We found no NMN product in Thorne’s product sitemap on September 25, 2026. Its NAD+ products use nicotinamide riboside instead: NiaCel 400 and ResveraCel. If you want NMN, our NMN 500mg gives 500 mg per capsule, 90 capsules for $49.99.
What is the best NR supplement in 2026?
Our pick is Eternal Elixir Nicotinamide Riboside 500mg, which we make: 500 mg of NR chloride per capsule, 60 capsules for $59.99, or $1.00 a day. If you are a drug-tested athlete, Thorne NiaCel 400 is the sport-tested alternative at $1.23 a day.
Add Nicotinamide Riboside 500mg to cart · $59.99
Our verdict on Thorne
Thorne is a carefully run brand with thorough testing, and its NSF Certified for Sport line is the best reason to pay its prices. For a longevity stack it is the more expensive and less complete choice. Its NR costs more per day than ours, its resveratrol and glutathione products carry far smaller doses, and it doesn’t sell NMN, spermidine, TUDCA or Ca-AKG at all. If NR is where you start, ours gives 500 mg of NR chloride per capsule for $1.00 a day.
Browse the full range in the Eternal Elixir shop, or see how these ingredients fit together in our guide to the best longevity supplements.
Sources
- Martens CR, Denman BA, Mazzo MR, et al. Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nature Communications, 2018. PubMed 29599478
- Christen S, Redeuil K, Goulet L, et al. The differential impact of three different NAD+ boosters on circulatory NAD and microbial metabolism in humans. Nature Metabolism, 2026. PubMed 41540253
- Richie JP Jr, Nichenametla S, Neidig W, et al. Randomized controlled trial of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores of glutathione. European Journal of Nutrition, 2015. PubMed 24791752
- Thorne product pages for NiaCel 400, ResveraCel, Resveratrol Complex, Glutathione-SR, Creatine, Magnesium Bisglycinate and Basic Nutrients 2/Day; its quality page, about page, NSF Certified for Sport page, returns page and product sitemap, read September 25, 2026.
- Thorne on Trustpilot, checked September 25, 2026.
- Eternal Elixir product pages for Nicotinamide Riboside 500mg, Trans-Resveratrol 600mg, Reduced L-Glutathione 2000mg, NMN 500mg, Spermidine 10mg, TUDCA 500mg and Ca-AKG 500mg (US, September 2026).
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
