{ "dataset": "pine-bark-extract-cost-by-brand", "title": "Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol®) Supplements Compared — genuine-vs-generic split, standardization disclosure, and cost per mg", "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/pine-bark-extract/best-overall/", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Pine Bark Extract Cost Comparison", "dateModified": "2026-07-19", "methodology": "4 of 6 tracked products are genuine, trademarked Pycnogenol® (Horphag Research) — the ingredient nearly every human RCT in this evidence pack tested — and 2 are generic/unbranded pine bark extract. This genuine-vs-generic split is the PRIMARY ranking axis, ahead of price: no trial in this evidence pack tested a generic pine bark extract and found it equivalent to Pycnogenol® in a head-to-head human comparison, so a cheap generic is NOT proven to deliver what the trials showed. Within each tier, products are ranked by whether a specific procyanidin/proanthocyanidin standardization % is restated on the listing, then by cost per day. costPerMg = price / (servings x mg per serving). \"verdict\": pycnogenol-stated (genuine Pycnogenol®, procyanidin % explicitly restated on-label), pycnogenol-implied (genuine Pycnogenol®, manufacturer's own ~65-75% procyanidin spec implied by the trademark but not separately restated on this listing), generic-disclosed (generic pine bark extract, standardization % disclosed on-label), generic-undisclosed (generic pine bark extract, no standardization % disclosed at all — a real transparency gap on top of unproven equivalence to Pycnogenol®). EVIDENCE CONTEXT (small, industry-adjacent, YMYL category — not a disease-treatment claim): Cochrane's 2020 review of 27 RCTs (PMID 32990945) found \"no definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy or safety of pine bark extract supplements are possible\" for any of 10 conditions studied. Three blood-pressure meta-analyses of overlapping trials disagree: Fogacci 2020 (PMID 31763928) found no significant effect; Pourmasoumi 2020 (PMID 31637782) found a modest significant reduction; Zhang 2018 (PMID 30087862) found a significant pooled reduction but its own conclusion states \"this significant reduction was not observed in well-designed trials.\" Possible antiplatelet/blood-thinning effect — anyone on blood thinners or facing surgery should talk to a clinician before use. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.", "headline": { "productsCompared": 6, "genuinePycnogenolCount": 4, "genericCount": 2, "bestGenuineBrand": "BESTVITE", "bestGenuineCostPerDay": 0.64, "bestGenericDisclosedBrand": "Nutricost", "bestGenericDisclosedCostPerDay": 0.08, "undisclosedGenericBrand": "Pure Naturals", "typicalDoseRangeMg": [ 100, 200 ], "note": "Genuine Pycnogenol products cost roughly 5-15x more per day than generic pine bark extract. Nearly all human RCTs in this pack tested the branded ingredient; equivalence for a generic has never been tested head-to-head." }, "columns": [ "brand", "product", "slug", "form", "mgPerServing", "isPycnogenol", "pctDisclosed", "activeMg", "servings", "price", "costPerServing", "costPerMg", "verdict", "certification" ], "units": { "mgPerServing": "mg pine bark extract", "activeMg": "mg procyanidins (where disclosed on-label)", "price": "USD", "costPerServing": "USD/serving", "costPerMg": "USD per mg of extract" }, "citations": [ { "claim": "Cochrane systematic review of 27 RCTs (N=1,641) across 10 conditions: \"no definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy or safety of pine bark extract supplements are possible\" — very low-certainty evidence for every outcome.", "source": "Robertson NU, Schoonees A, Brand A, Visser J. 2020, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "pmid": "32990945" }, { "claim": "PRISMA meta-analysis of 7 RCTs (N=626): no significant effect of Pycnogenol on SBP, DBP, MAP, or pulse pressure.", "source": "Fogacci F, et al. 2020, Angiology", "pmid": "31763928" }, { "claim": "Meta-analysis of 12 trials (N=922): modest significant SBP/DBP reduction, larger when co-administered with other treatments.", "source": "Pourmasoumi M, et al. 2020, Phytotherapy Research", "pmid": "31637782" }, { "claim": "Meta-analysis of 9 trials (N=549): significant pooled SBP/DBP reduction, but the paper's own conclusion states this reduction \"was not observed in well-designed trials.\"", "source": "Zhang Z, et al. 2018, Iranian Journal of Public Health", "pmid": "30087862" }, { "claim": "Independent RCT (n=130), 200mg/day of a different, non-Pycnogenol pine bark extract, 12 weeks: no effect on blood pressure or any cardiovascular risk factor.", "source": "Drieling RL, et al. 2010, Archives of Internal Medicine", "pmid": "20876405" }, { "claim": "Narrative review of 39 Pycnogenol RDP trials, authored in part by a Horphag Research employee — cited as direct, self-disclosed evidence of how industry-concentrated the positive Pycnogenol literature is.", "source": "Weichmann F, Rohdewald P. 2024, Frontiers in Nutrition", "pmid": "38757130" } ], "products": [ { "brand": "Life Extension", "product": "Pycnogenol 100mg (Genuine, 65% Procyanidins Stated)", "slug": "life-extension-pycnogenol-100mg", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 100, "isPycnogenol": true, "pctDisclosed": 65, "activeMg": 65, "servings": 60, "price": 51.75, "costPerServing": 0.86, "costPerMg": 0.0086, "verdict": "pycnogenol-stated", "note": "Genuine trademarked Pycnogenol®, and the ONLY product in this comparison that explicitly restates the procyanidin percentage (65%) on its own label rather than relying on the Pycnogenol® trademark alone — the clearest standardization disclosure of any product tracked here.", "certification": "Labeled Pycnogenol®; \"std. to 65% procyanidins\" stated on label" }, { "brand": "BESTVITE", "product": "Pycnogenol 100mg (Genuine, Trademarked)", "slug": "bestvite-pycnogenol-100mg", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 100, "isPycnogenol": true, "pctDisclosed": null, "activeMg": null, "servings": 120, "price": 76.99, "costPerServing": 0.64, "costPerMg": 0.0064, "verdict": "pycnogenol-implied", "note": "Genuine trademarked Pycnogenol® — the ingredient nearly every RCT in this evidence pack tested. Manufacturer-standardized to Pycnogenol's own ~65-75% procyanidin spec, though that percentage is not separately restated on this listing. The cheapest of the confirmed-genuine picks.", "certification": "Labeled Pycnogenol® (Horphag Research trademark)" }, { "brand": "Healthy Origins", "product": "Pycnogenol 100mg (Genuine, Clinically Studied)", "slug": "healthy-origins-pycnogenol-100mg", "form": "Veg capsule", "mgPerServing": 100, "isPycnogenol": true, "pctDisclosed": null, "activeMg": null, "servings": 120, "price": 94.99, "costPerServing": 0.79, "costPerMg": 0.0079, "verdict": "pycnogenol-implied", "note": "Genuine trademarked Pycnogenol®, manufacturer-standardized to the ~65-75% procyanidin spec (not separately restated on this listing). At a 100mg/day dose, this matches the most common human trial dose in this pack (Liu 2004, Zhao 2021).", "certification": "\"100% Clinically Studied French Maritime Pine Bark Extract\"; labeled Pycnogenol®" }, { "brand": "Solgar", "product": "Pycnogenol 100mg (Genuine, Small Bottle)", "slug": "solgar-pycnogenol-100mg", "form": "Veg capsule", "mgPerServing": 100, "isPycnogenol": true, "pctDisclosed": null, "activeMg": null, "servings": 30, "price": 45.64, "costPerServing": 1.52, "costPerMg": 0.0152, "verdict": "pycnogenol-implied", "note": "Genuine trademarked Pycnogenol®, manufacturer-standardized to the ~65-75% procyanidin spec (not separately restated on this listing). A reputable brand, but the weakest cost per day in this comparison and only a 30-day supply per bottle.", "certification": "Labeled Pycnogenol® (Horphag Research trademark); reputable long-standing brand" }, { "brand": "Nutricost", "product": "Pine Bark Extract 300mg (Generic, 95% Standardized, 20:1 Extract)", "slug": "nutricost-pine-bark-extract-300mg", "form": "Capsule (20:1 extract)", "mgPerServing": 300, "isPycnogenol": false, "pctDisclosed": 95, "activeMg": 285, "servings": 180, "price": 14.95, "costPerServing": 0.08, "costPerMg": 0.0003, "verdict": "generic-disclosed", "note": "Generic (NOT trademarked Pycnogenol®) pine bark extract, 95% proanthocyanidins disclosed on label, 20:1 extract ratio stated — the best disclosed-standardization-to-price generic in this comparison, but has never been tested head-to-head against Pycnogenol in a human trial.", "certification": "None claimed" }, { "brand": "Pure Naturals", "product": "Pine Bark Extract 100mg (Generic, No Standardization Disclosed)", "slug": "pure-naturals-pine-bark-extract-100mg", "form": "Veg capsule", "mgPerServing": 100, "isPycnogenol": false, "pctDisclosed": null, "activeMg": null, "servings": 60, "price": 6.99, "costPerServing": 0.12, "costPerMg": 0.0012, "verdict": "generic-undisclosed", "note": "Generic pine bark extract with NO procyanidin/proanthocyanidin percentage disclosed anywhere on the label — the cheapest product in this comparison, but a real transparency gap on top of already-unproven equivalence to Pycnogenol®. Flagged, not ranked as a top pick.", "certification": "None claimed" } ] }