Disclosure: TopShelf Mushrooms and Pilly Labs are operated by the same team. This page includes promotional links to Pilly Labs. Product comparisons are based on current labels, prices, policies, and cited research.
Rainbow Dust and Pilly’s Energy & Cognition Drops both promise focus and steady energy from a functional-mushroom base, but they’re built on almost opposite formats and dosing philosophies. One is a caffeinated powder meant to replace your coffee. The other is a caffeine-free liquid nootropic meant to sit alongside it. Below, we pull both labels apart line by line.
Quick Answer
Rainbow Dust is an 8g powder blend with 1,000 mg each of Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, and Chaga extract, plus 80 – 120 mg of natural caffeine per serving – it’s designed as a coffee replacement. Pilly’s Cognition Drops are a 1 mL sublingual liquid with 100 mg each of Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps extract, plus Alpha GPC, L-Tyrosine, and 500 mcg B12 – no caffeine, no mushroom coffee replacement, just an add-on stack. Rainbow Dust delivers far more raw mushroom milligrams per serving; Pilly’s drops trade mushroom volume for a broader nootropic ingredient list and full sublingual absorption. Neither finished formula has been independently clinically tested – both lean on ingredient-level research cited on their own product pages.
Format and Serving Size
Rainbow Dust is a cocoa-colored powder sold in flavors like Coffee, Vanilla Cinnamon, and Chocolate. One serving is 1 scoop (1 tbsp, roughly 8g), mixed into water, milk, or an existing cup of coffee. Spacegoods says users can take up to 3 servings a day. Total servings per bag were not stated in grams on the product page itself
Pilly’s Energy & Cognition Drops are a sublingual liquid. One serving is 1 full dropper (1 mL), held under the tongue for about 30 seconds before swallowing, or mixed into water, juice, or coffee. The bottle is labeled at 30 servings per container – a 1-month supply at the standard once-daily dose.
Active Ingredients, Milligram for Milligram
This is where the two products diverge sharply.
Rainbow Dust (per 8g serving):
- Lion’s Mane fruiting body extract – 1,000 mg
- Cordyceps Sinensis fruiting body extract – 1,000 mg
- Chaga fruiting body extract (12:1) – 1,000 mg
- KSM-66® Ashwagandha – 300 mg
- Maca Root – 250 mg
- Natural Caffeine (from coffee) – 80 – 120 mg
- Vitamin B5 – 6 mg
Pilly Energy & Cognition Drops (per 1 mL dropper):
- Vitamin B12 (as Methylcobalamin) – 500 mcg
- Cordyceps mushroom extract – 100 mg
- Lion’s Mane mushroom extract – 100 mg
- Alpha GPC – 25 mg
- L-Tyrosine – 25 mg
On raw mushroom weight, Rainbow Dust wins by a wide margin – 1,000 mg each of Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps versus 100 mg each in the drops, a 10x difference per serving. Neither dose hits the ranges used in the clinical trials both brands cite for their own ingredients (Lion’s Mane studies generally run 1,800 – 3,000 mg/day; Cordyceps studies often use around 3,000 – 4,000 mg/day), so treat both as everyday-supplement doses rather than clinical-strength ones. For a walkthrough of how to read extract ratios and compare doses against published research, see our mushroom supplement dose math guide.
What Pilly’s formula adds that Rainbow Dust doesn’t: Alpha GPC, L-Tyrosine, and a substantial 500 mcg B12 dose – none of which appear on the Rainbow Dust label. What Rainbow Dust adds that the drops don’t: Chaga, Ashwagandha, and Maca Root, none of which are in the Cognition Drops formula.
Stimulants
Rainbow Dust contains natural caffeine from coffee – 80 to 120 mg per 8g serving, roughly comparable to a cup of drip coffee, and Spacegoods explicitly markets it as a “coffee plus” product designed to be a swap-in for your regular brew. Users taking up to 3 servings a day could be consuming 240 – 360 mg of caffeine daily from this product alone, before counting any other caffeine sources.
Pilly’s Cognition Drops contain no caffeine and no listed stimulant. The formula relies on Alpha GPC, L-Tyrosine, and B12 for its energy-and-focus positioning, which is why Pilly frames it as a companion to your existing coffee rather than a replacement for it.
Sweeteners and Other Ingredients
Rainbow Dust’s product page states the powder has “no added sugar,” but the full nutritional breakdown is only available as an image on the flavor-specific info panels rather than as text, so exact sweetener type and per-serving calorie count are before this claim goes live.
Pilly’s Cognition Drops list their full “Other Ingredients” panel directly on the page: Glycerin, Purified Water, Natural Flavoring, Sweetener (Stevia), Potassium Sorbate, Nisin. It’s naturally sweetened with stevia and carries no added sugar.
Price
Rainbow Dust is priced in GBP: £49 for a one-time 1-month supply (about £1.63 per serving), dropping to roughly £1.31 per serving on a 2-month subscription plan, with a discounted £29 starter kit for new subscribers.
Pilly’s Cognition Drops are priced in USD: $47.99 per bottle as a one-time purchase, or $40.79 per bottle (15% off) on subscription – that works out to roughly $1.36 – $1.60 per daily serving across a 30-serving bottle.
Because these are listed in different currencies, a direct per-serving comparison depends on the exchange rate at time of purchase – worth checking current conversion rates rather than assuming parity.
Label Completeness and Manufacturing
Pilly discloses every dose on the label with no proprietary blends, states its Cognition Drops are made in a GMP-certified, FDA-registered U.S. facility, and are third-party tested for purity and potency – all stated directly on the product page.
Rainbow Dust discloses individual ingredient doses on its nutritional information panels and states the product is third-party lab tested and made in England. Spacegoods’ page did not specify GMP certification or FDA-registered facility status in the text we could extract before making a manufacturing-standard comparison claim in either direction.
Tradeoffs, Not a Winner
These products aren’t really competing for the same use case. If you already drink coffee and want one product to replace it while getting a meaningfully higher dose of Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, and Chaga, Rainbow Dust’s powder format and 1,000 mg-per-mushroom dosing may be the more direct fit – with the tradeoff of added caffeine. If you want a caffeine-free way to layer a nootropic stack onto whatever you already drink, without giving up your existing coffee ritual, Pilly’s sublingual drops could fit better – with the tradeoff of a much smaller mushroom dose per serving, offset by the added Alpha GPC, L-Tyrosine, and B12. Readers who want the broader Pilly product-line context, including how the coffee and gummy formats compare to the drops, can see our Pilly Labs mushroom coffee review and our Pilly mushroom gummies review.
Limitations
Neither finished formula has been independently evaluated in a clinical trial – the research each brand cites is at the individual-ingredient level, not on the combined product as sold. Reported benefits (focus, mental clarity, sustained energy) are based on ingredient research and self-reported user experience, not guaranteed outcomes. Individual response to functional mushrooms and nootropic compounds varies considerably.
Who Should Be Cautious
- Anyone sensitive to caffeine, or already consuming caffeine from other sources, should factor in Rainbow Dust’s 80 – 120 mg per serving before adding multiple servings.
- Pregnant or nursing individuals, and anyone under 18, should consult a healthcare provider before using either product.
- Ashwagandha (in Rainbow Dust) may interact with thyroid medication or sedatives – check with a healthcare provider if you take either.
- Alpha GPC (in Pilly’s drops) may interact with anticholinergic medications or cholinesterase inhibitors, per Pilly’s own safety notice.
- Anyone on prescription medication of any kind should talk to their doctor before adding a new supplement, mushroom-based or otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which product has more Lion’s Mane per serving?
Rainbow Dust, by a wide margin – 1,000 mg per 8g serving versus 100 mg per 1 mL dropper in Pilly’s Cognition Drops.
Does Rainbow Dust contain caffeine?
Yes. Each 8g serving lists 80 – 120 mg of natural caffeine sourced from coffee.
Are Pilly’s Cognition Drops stimulant-free?
Based on the listed label, yes – no caffeine appears in the ingredient panel. The formula relies on Alpha GPC, L-Tyrosine, and B12 instead.
Which is better if I already drink coffee every morning?
That depends on your goal. Rainbow Dust is designed to replace your coffee. Pilly’s drops are designed to be added into your existing coffee or drink, since they carry no caffeine of their own.
Are either of these doses considered “clinical strength”?
Not by the standards of the research each brand cites. Both fall below the milligram ranges used in the human trials referenced on their own product pages, which is typical for a daily wellness supplement rather than a clinical-dose product.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary. Consult a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a medical condition.
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