Want straight forward answers about GABA, our science, Alcarelle, botanical ingredient platforms, research and working with GABA Labs? We’re here to answer your questions.
GABA Labs develops functional ingredient platforms for a new generation of adult social drinks. We use neuroscience to explore how drinks can support relaxation, conviviality and social ease without relying on ethanol, then develop that science into ingredients that drinks companies can use.
GABA Labs was co-founded by neuropsychopharmacologist Professor David Nutt and technology entrepreneur David Orren. Professor Nutt leads the scientific programme as Chief Scientific Officer, while David Orren leads the business and commercial strategy.
GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter. It is a chemical messenger that helps regulate how active nerve cells are, balancing the brain’s excitatory signals and helping control states including arousal and relaxation.
Neurons communicate using chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. When GABA activates GABA receptors, it makes neurons less likely to fire. This process, known as GABAergic inhibition, helps keep brain activity in balance and contributes to the relaxation and reduced social tension associated with alcohol’s early effects.
No. GABA is produced naturally in the body. Alcohol is ethanol, an external substance that affects GABA but also acts on other systems including glutamate, dopamine and endogenous opioid pathways. GABA Labs aims to target selected GABA pathways much more precisely than alcohol does.
Alcarelle is GABA Labs’ synthetic functional ingredient under development. It is designed to enhance selected GABA-A receptor activity and reproduce some of the relaxation and social ease associated with low-dose alcohol, without using ethanol.
No. GABA is a neurotransmitter already present in the brain. Alcarelle is designed to act as a positive allosteric modulator, increasing the effectiveness of GABA already acting at selected GABA-A receptors rather than replacing GABA itself.
Not as the active ingredient. Botanical materials naturally contain varying amounts of GABA, but GABA Labs’ technology is based on compounds that influence GABAergic signalling. GABA itself crosses the blood-brain barrier poorly, which is one reason simply adding GABA to a drink is not the approach we take.
No. Alcarelle is a synthetic molecule. GABA Labs researches both synthetic molecules and naturally occurring botanical compounds, but they are separate development programmes.
No. GABA Labs develops both botanical and synthetic ingredient platforms. Alcarelle belongs to the synthetic programme. Our neurobotanical platforms use plant-derived ingredients.
No. Sentia does not contain Alcarelle. Sentia uses GABA Labs neurobotanical ingredient technology made from plant-derived ingredients selected for their chemistry, absorption, delivery and GABAergic activity.
Sentia is a consumer drinks brand of The Social Drinks Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of GABA Labs. The Social Drinks Company licenses GABA Labs ingredient technology and uses it in Sentia drinks. Sentia therefore acts as a real-world proof of concept for GABA Labs’ wider ingredient-platform model.
Yes. GABA Labs’ neurobotanical ingredient technology is already used in Sentia drinks sold to consumers. Synthetic ingredients such as Alcarelle are still in development and are not currently available commercially.
They are not designed to produce alcohol-style intoxication. Alcohol affects several brain systems and, as dose rises, can impair judgement, memory, coordination and executive function. GABA Labs’ synthetic programme is designed to be more selective and to incorporate a ceiling effect rather than the compounding effects associated with increasing alcohol intake. Those properties must still be demonstrated through testing before Alcarelle reaches market.
GABA Labs is designing its ingredients to avoid the mechanisms that make alcohol reinforcing and habit-forming. Alcohol’s addictive potential involves several systems, including dopamine and endogenous opioid signalling. Alcarelle is intended to act more selectively, but its abuse and dependence potential must be assessed as part of safety and regulatory testing before any definitive claim can be made.
No. CBD is a cannabinoid with effects across the endocannabinoid system and several other biological targets. GABA Labs’ ingredient programme is built primarily around GABAergic signalling.
No. THC produces its characteristic effects largely through cannabinoid receptors, particularly CB1 receptors in the brain. GABA Labs’ ingredients are designed around GABA receptor biology and are not cannabinoids.
There is no fixed launch date for Alcarelle. Timing depends on completing development, securing the investment required for regulatory testing and successfully completing the relevant regulatory process. GABA Labs’ first planned route is in the US.
GABA Labs intends first to establish Alcarelle’s safety for its intended use through the US GRAS, Generally Recognized As Safe, process and submit a GRAS notice to the FDA. Strictly speaking, the FDA does not “approve” a GRAS notice. It reviews the submission and may issue a “no questions” response. For more information on GRAS see here: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Evidence developed through that programme is intended to support subsequent regulatory work in the UK, EU and other markets.
Not directly through GABA Labs. Human research, where required, must recruit participants through independent research organisations and approved protocols designed to protect objectivity, safety and scientific integrity.
GABA Labs develops ingredients for adult social drinking, not for children. Current botanical products carry product-specific guidance for pregnancy, breastfeeding and other considerations. Some platforms contain liquorice and therefore carry advice for people with hypertension. Future synthetic ingredients will have their own guidance once regulatory assessment is complete.
It depends on the ingredient platform. Some neurobotanical products, including Sentia GABA Red, Black, Gold, Cask and Sentia Cider, carry daily serving guidance based on their botanical composition. Sentia Ease does not carry the same daily serving limit. Always follow the instructions on the finished product.
Any limits for Alcarelle will be determined through testing and regulatory review.
No product can guarantee how an individual will respond. GABA Labs ingredients are not treatments for alcohol use disorder, dependence or alcohol cravings, and we do not market them for that purpose. Anyone seeking help with alcohol dependence should use appropriate medical or specialist support.
Potentially a very wide range. Different platforms can be developed for spirits-style drinks, beers, ciders, cocktails, spritzes and ready-to-drink formats. The right platform depends on factors such as flavour, solubility, stability, dosage and the experience the drinks company wants to create.
That is largely up to the drinks maker. Our aim is to give partners functional technology they can build around, rather than prescribe one finished drink. Sentia already demonstrates the technology across spirits, cider and ready-to-drink formats.
It depends on the platform. Some botanical ingredients bring their own character and work particularly well with fruit, citrus, herbs, spice and bitter flavours. Other botanical and synthetic platforms can be designed to have minimal impact on flavour, giving drinks developers much more freedom.
There is no single GABA Labs flavour. Botanical platforms can have distinctive profiles. Sentia Red is herbal and bittersweet with berry notes, Gold is bright and citrus-led, and Black is earthy, peppery and smoky. Alcarelle is being developed to be colourless, odourless and tasteless so drinks companies can create the flavour themselves.
It depends on the platform. Alcarelle is a synthetic molecule. Neurobotanical platforms combine selected plant-derived materials, with the composition tailored to the function and drink format.
For examples of current neurobotanical formulations in Sentia products, see here
The ingredient and the finished drink are two different things. Alcarelle is not a sugar, but a drink containing it could contain sugar depending on the formulation. Current Sentia drinks are not universally sugar-free: GABA Red, Black and Gold contain sugar, while Sentia Ease currently contains 10g per 250ml can.
Calories depend mainly on the ingredient platform and finished drink. For example, Sentia GABA Red, Black and Gold provide around 9 kcal per 25ml serving, while Sentia Ease provides 45 kcal per 250ml can.
Current botanical formulations should be described according to the allergen declaration on each finished product. A synthetic ingredient such as Alcarelle is different from a botanical blend, but its formal allergen status will be established through its specification and regulatory assessment
GABA Labs ingredient platforms are designed without animal-derived ingredients. Finished-product manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that the complete drink and its production process meet any vegan claim they make.
GABA Labs’ current botanical ingredients are non-GMO. Alcarelle is a chemically synthesised molecule, not a genetically modified organism.
Halal status depends on the ingredient platform and whether it has been assessed. Sentia GABA Red, Black and Gold have halal certification. Sentia Ease and Alcarelle have not yet been assessed, so GABA Labs does not currently make a halal claim for them.
GABA Labs cannot give individual medical advice. Botanical ingredients can interact with medicines, so anyone taking medication should read the product information and speak to a doctor or pharmacist if they are unsure. Future Alcarelle guidance will be determined through its safety and regulatory assessment.
Current botanical ingredient platforms are sold under food or food-supplement rules in the markets where the relevant products are available. Alcarelle is not currently authorised for commercial sale and must complete the appropriate regulatory process before it can reach consumers.
GABA Labs’ botanical ingredient platforms do not themselves require an alcohol licence. Venues must still follow the food, beverage and licensing rules that apply to the finished drink and their local market. The aim for future synthetic platforms is also to operate as food ingredients rather than alcoholic drinks.
Yes. GABA Labs researchers have published peer-reviewed work covering the scientific rationale for functional alternatives to alcohol, approaches to reducing alcohol harm and GABA signalling across the brain-gut-microbiome axis. You can find out more here.
The scientific rationale is peer reviewed, while direct product-specific research is still developing.
A preliminary University of Exeter study involving 21 participants compared EEG activity before and after Sentia or alcohol. Both produced measurable changes in brain-wave activity, with different patterns across brain regions and frequency bands. Direct comparisons identified differences particularly in beta and gamma activity. These findings are promising but have not yet been peer reviewed.
Preliminary University of Portsmouth work using isolated mouse intestinal tissue also found that Sentia altered intestinal tone and contraction, with pharmacological experiments suggesting that some of these effects involve GABA-A receptors. This is preclinical research, has not yet been peer reviewed, and should not be interpreted as evidence of a clinical health benefit in humans.
GABA Labs starts with the neuroscience of alcohol and asks whether its valued social effects can be targeted more selectively. Our development platform combines neuropsychopharmacology, medicinal chemistry, QSAR modelling, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, botanical extraction, analytical chemistry, ADME testing, receptor studies, EEG research, toxicology and regulatory development.
GABA Labs works with drinks companies, ingredient businesses, universities, researchers and other organisations that share our interest in the future of functional social drinking.
Commercial, licensing and partnership enquiries should go through the GABA Labs contact page so they reach the right person.
Yes. GABA Labs is speaking to eligible investors who share our ambition to build a new category of functional social drinks. The current investment page accepts enquiries from qualifying HNW, professional, sophisticated and restricted investors, with investment ranges beginning at £50,000.
For investor enquiries please see here.
There are many ways to get involved beyond investing. GABA Labs welcomes input, expertise and connections from consumers, researchers, public-health professionals, hospitality, the drinks industry and other supporters who share our interest in better choices for social drinking.
Want to get involved? You can join the conversation here
If you have another question for us, ask it here.