Beneve is a multi-level marketing (MLM) supplement company founded in 2023. The company sells a wide range of products, and claims to "target the systems that power your life...so you can think sharper, move better, feel balanced, and live fully."
But does Beneve use research-backed ingredients in their supplements? Does the brand use any unhealthy ingredients? And is Beneve better or worse than other popular MLM supplement brands like Arbonne?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of Beneve's best selling supplements (Coffee Sticks and Liquid Collagen) to give our take on whether or not they're effectively formulated.
We'll also compare Beneve to other popular MLM supplement brands, in terms of formulation quality, to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Both products analyzed contained at least one research-backed active ingredient
- Both products analyzed contained ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Beneve
Coffee Sticks Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Beneve Xcelerate Original Coffee Sticks are shown below:
image source: nextgen.beneve.com
Coffee is the first-listed ingredient, and this supplement contains 230 milligrams (mg) of caffeine.
This is within the clinically proven effective dosing range for mental focus and physical endurance.
Guarana extract is another naturally-derived ingredient for energy, which is also clinically shown to cause weight loss.
Yohimbe extract is a stimulant that is clinically shown to cause serious side effects in some users, as we documented in our Hydroxycut reviews article.
Green tea extract is clinically shown to cause liver injury in some individuals, particularly when used at a high doses for extended durations.
As shown above, these ingredients are included in a proprietary (prop) blend without the individual ingredient doses published (only the total dose is published).
We very strongly recommend avoiding supplements containing yohimbe extract or green tea extract at unspecified doses, and consider this a consumer safety issue.
The inactive ingredients in this formulation, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:
image source: nextgen.beneve.com
Overall, we consider Beneve Xcelerate Original Coffee Sticks likely to be effective for energy and focus, but we don't currently recommend it due to the inclusion of yohimbe extract and green tea extract at unspecified doses.
Liquid Collagen Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Beneve Luxe Liquid Collagen are shown below:
image source: nextgen.beneve.com
Collagen is included at a 500 mg dose, which is below what we consider the effective dosing range for skin health.
A 2019 meta-study analyzed results from 11 studies on collagen for skin health, and the minimum dose used in any of the studies was 2,500 mg, or 5x the dose in Beneve's collagen supplement.
Hyaluronic acid at a dose of 120 mg is clinically shown to reduce wrinkles and improve elasticity of facial skin.
Spermidine has been shown in at least one clinical trial to have an anti-aging effect, as we documented in our Blueprint review article.
This product is a liquid supplement packaged in single-use plastic, which is a net-negative from a health perspective.
Microplastics can leach from bottles into liquid, and we consider powdered collagen to be a healthier choice for this reason.
The inactive ingredients in this formulation are shown below:
image source: nextgen.beneve.com
Potassium sorbate is a synthetic preservative which is clinically shown to be toxic to human cells in vitro.
Natural flavors is a broad, categorical term which "has no legal definition" according to a medical review published in the Food and Drug Law journal.
For this reason, we consider organic natural flavors (regulated by the USDA) to be safer and healthier.
Overall, we consider Beneve Luxe Liquid Collagen to be somewhat likely to support skin health given the effective dose of hyaluronic acid, but we don't currently recommend it due to the inactive ingredients and plastic packaging.
Beneve vs. Popular MLM Brands
Here's how Beneve compares to other popular MLM supplement brands, in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Isagenix
This MLM supplement company was sued over allegations that their supplements were causing toxicity in some customers.
While we consider Beneve's formulations to be questionable, we cannot identify any lawsuits or allegations of documented harm, so we consider Beneve to be the safer choice.
Winner: Beneve
Arbonne
Both products we analyzed in our Arbonne review contained multiple ingredients we consider unhealthy.
However, neither included ingredients we consider acutely dangerous like yohimbe extract and green tea extract at unspecified doses.
Arbonne is a safer choice in our view.
Winner: Arbonne
Xyngular
Both products analyzed contained ingredients we consider questionable, but not as much so as the yohimbe extract and green tea extract in Beneve.
Winner: Xyngular
Beneve Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Coffee Sticks contain effective caffeine dose
- Coffee Sticks contain research-backed ingredients
- Coffee Sticks should support physical and mental energy
Cons:
- Coffee Sticks contain yohimbe extract at unspecified dose
- Coffee Sticks contain green tea extract at unspecified dose
- Both ingredients can cause serious side effects
- Liquid Collagen contains questionable inactive ingredients
- Liquid Collagen contains relatively low collagen dose
- Liquid Collagen is packaged in plastic
- Company uses prop blends in some formulations
- Products don't appear clinically tested
- Less healthy than some competitors
