Upgraded Selenium

Six-dimension breakdown

Why this scored 58/100

Single-ingredient selenium in a nano-mineral liquid delivery format from Upgraded Formulas (founder Barton Scott's biohacker-adjacent brand). Selenium itself is a legitimate essential trace mineral with well-established roles in thyroid hormone metabolism (deiodinase enzymes), glutathione peroxidase antioxidant function, and immune modulation; the Recommended Dietary Allowance is 55 mcg/day for adults and the Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 400 mcg/day. Where the product loses points: the '99.99% absorption rate' claim is marketing language without published pharmacokinetic head-to-head comparison against standard selenomethionine or selenium-enriched yeast, and 'promotes youthfulness' is a soft-wellness framing rather than a validated outcome claim. Per-drop selenium dose is disclosed in Upgraded Formulas' product literature, which keeps this out of proprietary-blend autofail territory. Manufacturing is small-brand DTC without published per-lot COAs at the SKU-page level. Safety concern: selenium has a relatively narrow therapeutic window and chronic supplementation above 200 mcg/day has been associated with adverse outcomes in some longitudinal studies (SELECT trial) — a nano-liquid format makes dose creep easier than a fixed-capsule product. Solid low-Standard tier as a targeted micronutrient for verified selenium insufficiency; not a general-population supplement without a clear rationale.

Evidence & sources

The Vyvata score's Evidence dimension measures the quality of published RCT support for a product's active ingredients at the label dose. Our source hierarchy: double-blind RCTs in MEDLINE-indexed journals > single-blind RCTs > open-label trials > observational studies > mechanism papers > N=1 case studies (anecdotes). Predatory journals and manufacturer-authored studies without independent replication are weighted down.

Product-specific evidence citations for this item are embedded in the analysis text on the "Analysis" tab. For the full framework and evidence hierarchy, see the methodology page.

How to read the Evidence dimension

• 80–100: Multiple double-blind RCTs in indexed journals directly testing this product OR the exact ingredients at the exact dose.
• 60–79: Single double-blind RCT + supporting ingredient literature at the studied dose.
• 40–59: Open-label trials + ingredient literature; no product-specific double-blind evidence.
• 20–39: Ingredient literature only; no product-specific trials or trials in predatory venues.
• 0–19: No credible evidence base or unverifiable claims.

FAQ data has not been generated for this product yet. See the site FAQ for general questions.

Customer reviews

All the data we have on this product

Every VSF-related metafield surfaced verbatim. Nothing hidden. If you spot data that looks wrong, let us know.

VSF score

58 / 100

Tier

Standard

Category

Supplements

Subcategory

vitamins micronutrients

Last scored

August 29, 2026

Third-party certifications

None on record at time of scoring

Vendor

Upgraded Formulas®

Product type

Supplements

Tags

Shopify Collective, Upgraded Formulas(R)

Every score is set from the published rubric, audit-logged, and rescored whenever new evidence emerges (published trials, updated labels, third-party testing releases). Every vendor is scored on the same criteria — no pay-to-play. See our editorial-independence disclosure for the full policy, including brands with an editorial relationship to this site.