The collection of 5 supplements launches today, aiming to tackle energy, focus and immunity, but is it any good?
When you think of Alesha Dixon, 42, you’re most likely to think of her as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, a Strictly Come Dancing winner, or depending on your age, as a member of girl band Mis-Teeq. Chances are, you don’t think of her as a wellness guru.
She’s hoping to change that with the launch of her vegan supplements brand Nobleblu (the name Alesha means noble apparently and her seven-year-old daughter's name Azura is a shade of blue). Nobleblu dropped this week, with five supplements, priced between £25 and £40 and aiming to address everything from skin health to energy to immunity, comprising of Nobleblu Balance , £40, Nobleblu Beauty , £35, Nobleblu Energy , £35, Nobleblu Immunity , £25 and Nobleblu Focus , £30.
Alesha's famous friends rushed to praise her on Instagram, with fellow presenters Rochelle Humes, 32, and Tess Daly. 52, sending their support with Rochelle commenting "congratulations angel" and Tess writing "Congrats!!!".
Why did she decide to go into supplements? “I eat healthily and I exercise but I also feel it’s important to listen to your body and support your wellness needs, be it physical health, skin health or the effects of stress,” says Alesha. “I’ve found it difficult to find a product range that delivered exactly what I needed, so creating this range has been a focus over lockdown, with more time spent at home and health and wellness being increasingly on all of our minds.”
For the time being Nobleblu exclusively sells supplements, but Alesha hinted on her Instagram that the site might be a Goop-style wellness destination in future, with expert advice and content too – watch this space.
But are they any good? We ran the range past our trusted nutritionist Daniel O’Shaughnessy and he had mixed feedback.
“Overall they look quite nice; there’s an array of nutrients such as ashwagandha and lion’s mane mushroom for psychological function. There’s also COQ10 in the energy one and the beauty capsule has everything you need for healthy hair,” he told us. He also notes that there are no fillers or binders listed in the supplements (ingredients that pad out the capsule but don’t do anything) which is a plus point.
The cost comes under scrutiny from Daniel. “The prices are a little bit steep, particularly with regards to the beauty supplement where the price is racked up because it’s a beauty supplement. That’s my only bugbear,” he said.
“On the whole, they’re well-rounded supplements,” Daniel says. “You wouldn’t need to buy them all and there are probably better supplements out there, because some of the doses are a little bit low. From a practitioner’s eye, I’d look for something more potent, but each supplement is a good multi-purpose for what it’s designed for.”
Alesha agrees with Daniel's view on not needing to take all of the supplements, commenting on Instagram that Nobleblu is all about balance and tailoring your supplementation to what you need at the time. “I’ve always taken supplements, be it a multi-vitamin, pregnancy supplement or vitamin D, but I never felt like I had a focused vitamin for exactly what I needed. At the moment I work out five times a week in the morning, so I take Energy first thing in the morning after my breakfast to fuel my body, then I take Focus after lunch because I have a lot of afternoon meetings. It keeps me stay alert and clears brain fog."
Here's your need to know on the Nobleblu collection
Nobleblu Balance, £40 for 30 capsules
This capsule was designed to help protect the body against stress and support a physical and emotional state of calm. Plus it’s gut-supporting with friendly bacteria and digestive enzymes to balance the gut, though these aren't name-checked on the jar. It also includes 200 per cent NRV of vitamin B5 in the form of pantothenic acid, known to help concentration, learning and memory. There's 200 per cent of your biotin NRV is in each capsule too, which also supports concentration, learning and memory, plus 40 per cent of your recommended amount of magnesium to help with energy and 100 per cent of your iodine NRV, to aid thyroid function.
Nobleblu Immunity, £25 for 30 capsules
Immunity has been the word on everyone’s lips for the past year and this capsule is here to support a strong immune system with ingredients including black elderberry which has been shown in studies to dramatically improve recovery from flu C. Each capsule also houses 500 per cent of our vitamin D , which we’d been buying in droves since lockdown first hit and is government recommended to support our immune system, along with 150 per cent of our zinc NRV needs, another supplement that plays a big role in the function of our immune system. There's 240mg of vitamin C inside, which protects cells from oxidative stress, along with turmeric and ginger which have both been used in ayurvedic medicine for centuries for vitality.
Nobleblu Focus, £30 for 30 capsules
If you’re suffering the brain fog effects of long Covid or menopause this one’s for you, designed to improve focus and mental alertness with a blend of cognitive function supporting ingredients including zinc (50 per cent NRV), and vitamin B12, (500 per cent NRV), along with adaptogenic mushroom lion’s mane to support cognitive function, adaptogen ashwagandha, which is loved by Meghan Markle to support relaxation, and natural caffeine guarana to help with mental fatigue.
Nobleblu Energy, £35 for 30 capsules
This one is designed to support workouts and mental energy too with a combination of iron (50 per cent NRV), a vitamin B complex (714 per cent NRV) that plays an essential role in normal energy production, vitamin C (80mg, 100 per cent NRV) and co-enzyme Q10 which is known to improve muscle strength and performance. Vitamin B Pantothenic Acid is included too, also for energy production.
Nobleblu Beauty, £35 for 30 capsules
These use vitamin C (213 per cent, 170mg) vitamin A (100 per cent NRV), selenium (200 per cent NRV) and vitamin E (100 per cent) to support healthy skin and strong hair and nails. Copper is in the mix too, for its melanin production powers, which helps to filter UV light and protect the skin against sun damage and premature ageing. Hyrdator hyaluronic acid and antioxidant resveratrol are in there too. “After I had my children I lost a lot of hair which I found disheartening, and I’ve never had strong nails, so I love the beauty supplement," Alesha said on Instagram Live. "I eat a lot of fruit and vegetable and drink a lot of water to keep my skin clear, but this supports that.”