TGA-Listed Cognitive Supplements (Australia) — AUST L vs AUST R + Permitted Indications

ARTG listing categories

ARTG status of the products we review in Australia

On 6 October 2026 we queried all 12 products in our Australian catalogue directly, by product name and by sponsor, in two TGA databases: the ARTG search (tga.gov.au/resources/artg?keywords=) and the cancellations-by-sponsor database (tga.gov.au/resources/cancellations-by-sponsors?keywords=). None returned a current ARTG entry. Blackmores Brain Active is the only one with an ARTG history: two entries, 227270 and 227319, both cancelled at the sponsor's request (in 2014 and 2021). A “no matching entry” result means only that the queries listed returned no matching row on that date; it does not prove a product was never entered under another name or sponsor, and the cancellations database covers sponsor-requested cancellations only.

A product bought from overseas without an ARTG entry falls under the Personal Importation Scheme rules below. Verify any AUST number yourself with the ARTG search above.

The Personal Importation Scheme

In the TGA's words, the Personal Importation Scheme “allows individuals to import therapeutic goods not entered in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), provided certain conditions are met.” Products typically arrive by mail or courier from overseas.

• Quantity limits: “The import cannot be more than a 3-month supply at the maximum prescribed dose (prescription-only medicines) or dose recommended by the manufacturer (non-prescription medicine). The total quantity imported within any 12-month period must not exceed a 15-month supply.”
• Prescription-only medicines: “If the medicine is prescription-only in Australia, you must hold a valid Australian prescription or written authority at the time of importation.” The TGA adds that electronic prescriptions (eScripts) cannot be accepted as valid written authority for importation.
• What an import must not do: it must not include any vaping products, contain a controlled substance, or be prohibited under Australian Customs or quarantine rules. “Counterfeit (fake) medicines and medical devices are prohibited from being imported under any circumstances.”
• No TGA evaluation: “Products imported under the Personal Importation Scheme are not evaluated by us, meaning their safety, quality and efficacy cannot be guaranteed.”

Travellers: a separate Australian Border Force exemption

The mail-order scheme above is not the same as the Australian Border Force traveller exemption. Under that exemption you do not need a permit to bring in most prescription medicines if you arrive as a passenger on a ship or aircraft, the medicine is in your accompanied baggage, you carry a letter or copy of your prescription written in English, and the quantity does not exceed three months' supply. The ABF lists substances the exemption does not cover, which need written permission from the Office of Drug Control: abortifacients, yohimbe (yohimbine), aminophenazone/amidopyrine/aminopyrine/dipyrone, amygdalin/laetrile, and hormones and peptides carried by athletes and sporting staff.

How the Poisons Standard schedules common nootropic substances

Australia classifies medicines and poisons in the Poisons Standard. The current version is the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2026) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01327), registered on 30 September 2026 and in force from 1 October 2026 under its own commencement provision; it repealed the June 2026 instrument (checked 2026-10-08). In the TGA's scheduling table, Schedule 4 is Prescription Only Medicine, Schedule 8 is Controlled Drug and Schedule 9 is Prohibited Substance.

A name-level search cannot rule out a class or generic entry that captures huperzine A. Separately, huperzine A and Huperzia serrata were not found under those names in Schedule 1 of the Therapeutic Goods (Permissible Ingredients) Determination (No. 2) 2026, F2026L00707, as compiled 17 September 2026 — Compilation No. 1, F2026C00940 (checked 2026-10-08); the TGA says an ingredient not listed in the Determination can't be used in listed or assessed listed medicines. We have also not confirmed how the Personal Importation Scheme conditions apply to each Schedule 4 substance, so check with the TGA before importing anything prescription-only.

What the Advertising Code lets a listed medicine claim

The Therapeutic Goods (Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code) Instrument 2021 is published on the Federal Register of Legislation as F2021L01661. The TGA says the Code ensures advertisements to the public “promote their safe and proper use; do not mislead or deceive the consumer or create unrealistic expectations about product performance; support informed health care choices.”

• AUST L listed medicines may only use claim wording drawn from the TGA's pre-approved Permitted Indications list.
• Restricted representations (references to serious diseases or conditions that need a health professional to diagnose or treat) cannot be used in advertising without the TGA's prior approval or permission.
• Prohibited representations include claims to treat, cure, prevent, diagnose or monitor cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, hepatitis C or mental illness. Vitamin products also must not be represented as a substitute for good nutrition or a balanced diet.

That is why this page describes each product only by its ARTG status and makes no therapeutic claims for it.

Where Australians buy nootropic supplements

In pharmacy retail, Chemist Warehouse listed Melrose FutureLab Cognition Nootropics 30 Capsules (a sage and bacopa formula) at AUD 24.98 against an RRP of AUD 49.95 when we checked on 30 September 2026. We did not check its ARTG entry; look up the AUST number on its label with the ARTG search above.

The imported stacks in our catalogue are sold direct through the brands' own storefronts, such as au.mindlabpro.com and noocube.com.au, which makes each order a personal import rather than a purchase of a TGA-listed product.

Frequently asked questions