Key points
- "Liposomal" means an ingredient is carried inside liposomes: tiny spheres with a double-layered wall and a watery center. On an NAD+ label, the word describes how the product is prepared. It does not describe what the product does.
- NAD+ is sold as capsules, tablets, powders, drops, liposomal liquids, patches and nasal sprays. Injections and IV drips are given in clinics and are not covered here.
- A format word describes a physical form. It is not a statement about what a product does.
- Compare formats on what you can check: the label and the measuring.
What is liposomal NAD+? It is NAD+ carried inside liposomes: tiny spheres with a double-layered wall and a watery center. The word describes how a product is prepared, not what it does. NAD+ is also sold in other formats, from capsules to drops. This guide explains the format names and how to compare them without reading more into a format than it can tell you.
What "liposomal" means
"Liposomal" describes a way of packaging an ingredient: it is enclosed in very small spheres called liposomes rather than mixed in directly. The finished product is usually a liquid, though liposomal ingredients can also go into capsules.
Liposomes in one paragraph
A liposome is built from fat-like molecules with one end that mixes with water and one end that does not. In water, they line up into a double layer that closes into a sphere. A review in Nanoscale Research Letters describes liposomes as sphere-shaped vesicles made of one or more phospholipid bilayers. An ingredient can sit in the watery center or within the layer, depending on how it behaves in water.
The same review notes that the properties of liposomes differ considerably with their composition, their size and the method used to prepare them. So the word "liposomal" tells you about a manufacturing choice. It does not tell you how the liposomes were prepared, and it is not a statement about what the product does.
The NAD+ formats you will see in the UK
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) lists forms that food supplements are supplied in: tablets, capsules, gummies, powders and liquids. The table below describes each NAD+ format by its physical form and how it is taken, and nothing else. Injections and IV drips are a different kind of product, given in clinics, and this guide does not cover them.
| Format | Physical form | How it is taken |
|---|---|---|
| Capsule | Powder or liquid sealed in a shell | Swallowed |
| Tablet | Pressed powder | Swallowed, or chewed, depending on the product |
| Powder | Loose powder in a tub or sachet | Mixed into a drink or food, then swallowed |
| Drops | Liquid in a dropper bottle | Measured with a dropper; sublingual drops are placed under the tongue |
| Liposomal liquid | Ingredient carried in liposomes, in a liquid | Swallowed |
| Patch | Adhesive pad | Stuck on the skin |
| Nasal spray | Liquid in a spray bottle | Sprayed into the nose |
Capsules and tablets
A capsule is a shell, usually gelatin or a plant-based material, filled with powder or liquid. A tablet is powder pressed into a solid shape. Both are swallowed, and both let you count units rather than measure them.
Powders
A powder comes loose in a tub or in single sachets and is mixed into a drink or food. With a tub, the amount depends on how the scoop is filled.
Drops, including sublingual drops
Drops are a liquid in a bottle with a dropper. "Sublingual" means under the tongue, so sublingual drops are a liquid placed under the tongue. That is all the word means. NAD+ Sublingual Drops, the product Pure Limitless sells, take their name from this format.
A format is not a result. Placing drops under the tongue does not, on its own, show that a product is absorbed better, works faster or has a stronger effect than any other format. We make none of those claims.
Patches and nasal sprays
A patch is an adhesive pad placed on the skin. A nasal spray is a liquid in a small pump bottle, sprayed into the nose. Both are taken differently from the formats above: neither is swallowed.
Format does not excuse an advertiser from holding evidence for what it says. In a ruling published in February 2026, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint about paid social media ads that included ads for an NAD+ patch, because the claims in them had not been substantiated.
What a format name can and cannot tell you
A format name tells you something physical: whether you swallow the product, hold it under your tongue, stick it on your skin or spray it, and whether the amount is divided by capsule, scoop, drop or spray.
It cannot tell you what the product does for the person using it. For how we write about NAD+ as a molecule, see the science page.
There is also an advertising rule behind this. Under the CAP Code, the rules UK advertisers follow, a health claim for a food can only be used if it is listed as authorized in the applicable register, or would have the same meaning to the consumer as one that is. A format word such as "liposomal" or "sublingual" describes a product's form. It should not be read as a statement about what the product does.
How to compare formats fairly
If you are comparing NAD+ products, compare the things you can check:
- What the label discloses: the amount of NAD+ the product contains and the name and address of the business responsible.
- How the amount is measured: counted units such as capsules, or measured amounts such as scoops, drops and sprays.
- What a headline number refers to: a large number on the front of a pack may be the total for the whole pack. Check what a figure refers to before comparing prices.
- Practical fit: whether you can swallow capsules, whether a product travels easily and whether you prefer counting or measuring.
We do not rank formats against each other by effect. For what the words "food supplement" mean on a UK label, read What Is a Food Supplement? The UK Definition, and for what the term bioavailability means, read What bioavailability actually means.
Frequently asked questions
What is liposomal NAD+?
NAD+ carried inside liposomes: tiny spheres with a double-layered wall and a watery center. The term describes how a product is prepared, not what it does.
What does sublingual mean?
Under the tongue. Sublingual drops are a liquid placed under the tongue with a dropper. The word describes where the drops go. The format alone does not establish a faster or stronger effect, and we do not claim one.
Which NAD+ format is best?
We do not rank formats. Compare labels and practical fit, and ask a pharmacist or GP whether a product suits you.
