Is the 500 mg of NMN in Skin Essentials a trial dose? It sits between two doses that raised blood NAD+

One 33 g pouch holds 500 mg of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a direct precursor to NAD+. That sits between the 300 and 600 mg daily doses that both raised blood NAD+ versus placebo in a 60-day trial of 80 healthy middle-aged adults (Yi 2023); no trial we found tested exactly 500 mg. The pouch’s 5 g of creatine monohydrate is the daily amount that raised muscle creatine in a 14-day trial of healthy young adults (Askow 2022). The other three labeled ingredients, collagen peptides 12 g, liposomal vitamin C 1,000 mg and TMG (trimethylglycine) 500 mg, had no paired trial in our evidence, so we state them as amounts only.

What we checked

We took Renue’s own label for the Skin Essentials Chocolate Drink Mix, ingredient by ingredient, and matched each amount to the published human trials (from PubMed) that tested that ingredient at a nearby daily amount. We then read the label the way a reader would: amount per ingredient, servings per pack, and form. We did not look at whether the pouch works as a combined drink: no trial tested this exact combination.

The label, per 33 g serving:

• Collagen peptides: 12 g
• Creatine monohydrate: 5 g
• Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN): 500 mg
• Liposomal vitamin C: 1,000 mg
• TMG (trimethylglycine): 500 mg
• “plus other ingredients”

Each 33 g pouch carries 15 g of protein and 90 kcal (label). A pack is 15 single-serve pouches (495 g). Renue says the drink “supports skin hydration, elasticity, and firmness.”

500 mg of NMN: between doses that raised blood NAD+

NMN is the NAD+ ingredient in the pouch. In the four trials below that measured it, daily NMN from 250 mg to 2,000 mg raised blood NAD+ or an NAD+ marker versus placebo, and two of them also found better walking results than placebo. No trial we found tested exactly 500 mg a day, so we place the pouch’s amount among the doses that were tested (see the table below):

• 300, 600 or 900 mg a day for 60 days in 80 healthy middle-aged adults raised blood NAD+ at every dose versus placebo, highest at 600 and 900 mg; six-minute walk distance rose more than on placebo at all three doses, and NMN was safe and well tolerated up to 900 mg a day (Yi 2023).
• 1,000 mg once or twice a day for 14 days in 32 overweight or obese adults aged 55 to 80 gave substantial, dose-related rises in blood NAD+ and was well tolerated (Pencina 2023).
• 250 mg a day for 12 weeks in 36 healthy middle-aged adults raised an NAD+ marker (serum nicotinamide) versus placebo, with a trend toward lower arterial stiffness that did not reach significance, and no adverse events (Katayoshi 2023).
• 250 mg a day for 12 weeks in 60 older adults raised blood NAD+ versus placebo, shortened 4-meter walk time and improved sleep-quality scores, with no adverse effects; the primary outcome, a stepping test, did not differ (Morifuji 2024).
• 250 mg a day for 12 weeks in 108 older adults: the afternoon NMN group showed the largest effect sizes for sit-to-stand speed and drowsiness, though the placebo groups also improved over time (Kim 2022).
• 300, 600 or 1,200 mg a day for 6 weeks in 48 recreational runners training five to six times a week: oxygen uptake and power at the ventilatory thresholds rose more than on placebo at 600 and 1,200 mg; VO2max did not change (Liao 2021).
• 250 mg a day for 24 weeks in 14 men aged 65 or older with diabetes and reduced grip strength or walking speed was safe but did not improve grip strength or walking speed versus placebo (Akasaka 2023).

So the pouch’s 500 mg sits between the 300 and 600 mg doses in the Yi trial, both of which raised blood NAD+ and walking distance versus placebo, and below the 1,000 mg once-daily dose in Pencina. That places it inside the tested range; it is not itself a tested dose, so we do not claim a 500 mg result.

The trial amounts and what each measured:

Study	Design	People	Dose / duration	Result	Grade
StudyYi 2023	DesignRCT	People80 healthy middle-aged	Dose / duration300, 600, 900 mg / 60 days	ResultBlood NAD+ rose at every dose vs. placebo, highest at 600 and 900 mg; six-minute walk distance up more than placebo; safe to 900 mg	GradeA
StudyPencina 2023	DesignRCT	People32 overweight or obese adults 55-80	Dose / duration1,000 mg once or twice daily / 14 days	ResultSubstantial, dose-related rise in blood NAD+; well tolerated	GradeA
StudyKatayoshi 2023	DesignRCT	People36 healthy middle-aged	Dose / duration250 mg / 12 weeks	ResultNAD+ marker (serum nicotinamide) higher vs. placebo; trend toward lower arterial stiffness, not significant; no adverse events	GradeA
StudyMorifuji 2024	DesignRCT	People60 older adults	Dose / duration250 mg / 12 weeks	ResultBlood NAD+ higher vs. placebo; shorter 4-m walk time; better sleep-quality scores; primary stepping test unchanged; no adverse effects	GradeA
StudyKim 2022	DesignRCT	People108 older adults	Dose / duration250 mg / 12 weeks	ResultLargest effect sizes for sit-to-stand and drowsiness in the afternoon NMN group; placebo groups also improved	GradeA
StudyLiao 2021	DesignRCT	People48 recreational runners	Dose / duration300, 600, 1,200 mg / 6 weeks (training 5-6x/week)	ResultOxygen uptake and power at the ventilatory thresholds rose more than placebo at 600 and 1,200 mg; VO2max unchanged	GradeA
StudyAkasaka 2023	DesignRCT	People14 men 65+ with diabetes and reduced physical performance	Dose / duration250 mg / 24 weeks	ResultGrip strength and walking speed did not differ from placebo; no severe adverse events	GradeA
StudyAskow 2022	DesignRCT	People29 healthy young men and women	Dose / duration5 g / 14 days (with resistance exercise)	ResultMuscle creatine content rose with creatine monohydrate, not with placebo or a creatine-leucine compound	GradeA
StudyTarnopolsky 2001	DesignRCT	People19 untrained men	Dose / duration10 g with glucose after exercise / 8 weeks (resistance training)	ResultStrength gains similar to a protein-carbohydrate comparator; greater rise in total body mass	GradeA

5 g of creatine: the amount a trial used to raise muscle creatine

The pouch also carries 5 g of creatine monohydrate. A 14-day trial used that daily amount, and an older training trial used a higher one:

• 5 g a day for 14 days in 29 healthy young adults raised muscle creatine content with creatine monohydrate, but not with placebo or a creatine-leucine compound; participants also did supervised resistance exercise three times a week (Askow 2022).
• 10 g of creatine with glucose after exercise, over 8 weeks of resistance training in 19 untrained men, gave strength gains similar to a protein-carbohydrate comparator, with a greater rise in total body mass (Tarnopolsky 2001).

So the pouch’s 5 g matches the daily amount the Askow trial used.

The other three amounts: label facts only

Three ingredients on the pouch we state as amounts, with no research claim attached:

• Collagen peptides 12 g: a label amount. We did not find a paired trial in our evidence to compare it here.
• Liposomal vitamin C 1,000 mg: a label amount, stated as Renue lists it.
• TMG (trimethylglycine) 500 mg: a label amount, with no paired trial in our evidence.

What we can’t check

• No trial tested this exact five-ingredient combination together.
• No trial randomized exactly 500 mg of NMN a day; the pouch amount falls between tested doses, so we do not interpolate a 500 mg result.
• Both creatine trials had participants doing resistance training; the pouch is a drink, not a training program.
• We found no paired trial for collagen peptides, liposomal vitamin C or TMG at these amounts.
• No trial in our evidence tested the drink’s skin wording (hydration, elasticity, firmness); that is Renue’s description, not a measured result.

Who should check first: the trials above enrolled adults, mostly healthy, so people who are pregnant or breastfeeding or under 18 were not studied, and anyone on a prescription medicine or living with a medical condition should check with a clinician first.

A short checklist for any multi-ingredient label

• Amount per ingredient, in one serving.
• Whether each amount falls inside the range the human trials tested.
• Servings per pack.
• Form (powder, capsule, drink mix).

The product we read

The Skin Essentials Chocolate Drink Mix comes as 15 single-serve 33 g pouches (495 g). Each pouch holds 500 mg of NMN, between the 300 and 600 mg daily doses in the Yi trial, and 5 g of creatine monohydrate, the daily amount in the Askow trial, alongside 12 g of collagen peptides, 1,000 mg of liposomal vitamin C and 500 mg of TMG. Renue says the drink “supports skin hydration, elasticity, and firmness.” See the Skin Essentials Chocolate Drink Mix at renuebyscience.com.