Do Sex Supplements Work? We Asked An Expert

Last year, in search of “more pleasure, more often,” Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop concocted a new formula called DTF (yes, it stands for exactly what you think it does). Using plant and mushroom extracts, the capsules supposedly shift your sex drive into high gear. It’s a similar blend to Moon Juice’s Sex Dust and has the same aim.

But is there truly such a thing as a mojo-enhancing elixir? Likely not, says Meredith Chivers, an associate professor and clinical psychologist with expertise in sexuality at Queen’s University. A decrease in libido can be caused by factors such as aging, stress and disconnection from a partner—none of which has a one-size-fits-all fix.

Neither Sex Dust nor DTF have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Any improvement that occurs when using them, says Chivers, is likely a placebo effect: “If it were really straightforward and simple to increase sexual desire, we would have something that was approved by the FDA at this point.”

Your best bets? Learning more about psychological effects on libido and talking to your doctor about the best way to approach waning sexual desire. Instead of supplements, invest in one or two good books on human sexuality. (Chivers recommends Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski and Lori Brotto’s Better Sex through Mindfulness.)