H erbalife is one of the most popular health and nutrition brands in the US. Herbalife products are typically sold by independent distributors, and there are a wide variety of Herbalife wellness products such as shakes, teas, weight loss products, protein powders and more.
But do Herbalife supplements contain research-backed ingredients? Do they contain any unhealthy additives? Why was the company sued over its business practices? And are Herbalife shakes better or worse than other popular meal replacement shakes like VitaHustle?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in popular Herbalife products to give our take on whether or not they're effectively formulated, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also explain why the company was sued, and compare Herbalife to other popular meal replacement shakes to pick our winners and losers.
Key takeaways:
- Shakes contain an effective protein dose
- Most products contain ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We don't currently recommend Herbalife
Herbalife Shakes Review
The ingredients in Herbalife's Creamy Chocolate shake are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
Shakes are arguably the most popular health product sold by Herbalife.
We question the positioning of this product as a "Meal Replacement" shake, given that it only provides 180 calories per serving.
Soy protein isolate is an effective choice for the core active ingredient.
Soy protein is a complete protein (meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids), and this shake provides 20 grams (g) of protein per serving, which is clinically shown to be a dose that optimizes post-workout muscle synthesis.
There are a number of ingredients in this formulation we would recommend avoiding for health reasons.
Artificial flavor may be toxic based on animal studies.
The above-linked study, published in the Brazilian Journal of Biology, found that all six artificial flavoring agents analyzed were toxic to animals.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that's clinically shown to worsen insulin function in healthy adults, as we documented in our Six Star Whey Protein reviews article.
Calcium phosphate and potassium phosphate may be best avoided, given that a 2012 medical review described phosphate additives in food as "a health risk."
We do not currently recommend Herbalife shakes due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Herbalife Settles With Justice Department
Herbalife has dealt with some legal and regulatory issues since its inception.
In 2016, Herbalife settled with the FTC for $200 million.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered Herbalife to pay $200 million back to its brand representatives, claiming that the company had advertised "misleading moneymaking claims" that had caused financial harm to individuals.
According to a Barron's exposé, Herbalife paid $123 million to the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over charges the company was attempting to bribe Chinese regulators.
Herbalife also settled a class-action lawsuit for $15 million over claims that the company is a pyramid scheme that makes it challenging for independent distributors to profit.
We would certainly recommend against becoming an Herbalife brand ambassador in light of this information.
Herbalife products were also described as causing liver damage in some customers in a medical review published in the LiverTox journal:
"The liver injury attributed to Herbalife products remains unexplained."
Herbalife Tea Review
The ingredients in Herbalife's Raspberry Tea Concentrate, which is categorized on Herbalife's website as a "Weight Loss Enhancer," are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
The brand describes this product as a "Weight Loss Enhancer."
Caffeine is associated with weight loss according to a 2019 medical review, although the caffeine dose in this supplement is only 85 milligrams (mg), which is less than that in one standard cup of coffee.
We haven't come across clinical evidence that caffeine at this low of a dose supports weight loss.
Green tea extract may be effective for weight loss, but it's an ingredient we recommend consumers avoid due to the potential for liver damage.
A review published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology described green tea extract as a "potential cause of acute liver failure" and Health Canada has issued similar warnings.
Natural raspberry flavor is a broad categorical term that fails to describe the specific chemical compounds used, as we explained in our Smart Sweets reviews article on another brand that uses natural flavors.
Overall, we're unconvinced that this product will support weight loss, and we don't currently recommend it due to the inclusion of natural flavor and green tea extract.
Herbalife vs. Meal Replacement Shakes
Here's how Herbalife shakes compare to other popular meal replacement shakes in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
VitaHustle
VitaHustle is a meal replacement shake co-founded by Kevin Hart that combines plant protein with a blend of organic fruits and vegetables.
Both shakes provide 20 g of protein per serving, but VitaHustle uses organic whole-food ingredients and natural flavor, while Herbalife's shake contains artificial flavor and sucralose, an artificial sweetener clinically shown to elevate insulin in healthy adults.
Both shakes contain ingredients we recommend avoiding, but VitaHustle has no artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners.
Winner: VitaHustle
Welleco
Welleco Super Elixir is a premium greens powder marketed for overall wellness.
Herbalife's shake is effectively dosed for protein, while Welleco lists several of its active ingredients at unspecified doses, and contains green tea extract, which can harm the liver, as we documented in our Welleco Super Elixir review article.
Both brands include ingredients we recommend avoiding, but Welleco contains fewer flagged additives and no artificial flavors or sweeteners.
Winner: Welleco
Kencko
Kencko sells freeze-dried smoothies made entirely from whole fruits and vegetables.
Kencko's smoothies contain no questionable additives, while Herbalife's shake contains artificial flavor, sucralose and phosphate additives that we recommend avoiding.
Kencko is the only brand in this comparison that we currently recommend from a health perspective.
Winner: Kencko
Herbalife Liftoff Review
The active ingredients in Herbalife Liftoff, which is an energy supplement, are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
Caffeine is included at a 75 mg dose, which is slightly less than one cup of coffee. This is an effective dose for energy and cognitive function, according to a 2017 medical review.
Panax ginseng is an herbal supplement that can promote energy and mental alertness.
However, Herbalife uses raw Panax ginseng root, while most of the medical research that we've come across on this compound uses Panax ginseng extract, which is more concentrated.
Guarana extract is clinically shown to have a synergistic effect with caffeine, meaning the two ingredients combined promote energy better than either alone, as we documented in our are Celsius drinks bad for you article.
The inactive ingredients in Liftoff are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer that's clinically shown to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals.
Sucralose and natural flavor are included in this formulation, and we explained in previous sections of this article why we recommend avoiding these ingredients.
Overall, we consider Herbalife Liftoff likely to increase energy, and from an efficacy perspective this is the best Herbalife supplement we've reviewed so far in this article.
We don't currently recommend this supplement due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Herbalife Protein Powder Review
The ingredients in the Chocolate flavor of Herbalife Protein Drink Mix are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
The ingredients in the Chocolate flavor of Herbalife Protein Drink Mix are shown above.
This product only provides 15 g of protein per serving, which is below the optimal threshold for muscle building based on the clinical trial we cited in the Herbalife Shakes review section above.
Natural and artificial flavors, phosphates and sucralose are all ingredients we recommend avoiding, for reasons explained in previous sections of this article.
Overall, we don't currently recommend Herbalife Protein Drink Mix because it provides a protein dose that's below our preferred threshold of 20 g, and it contains a range of questionable additive ingredients.
Herbalife Collagen Review
The active ingredients in Herbalife SKIN, a collagen supplement, are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
Collagen hydrolysate is the core active ingredient in this formulation, and is effectively dosed for skin health and wrinkle reduction at a 2.5 g dose, according to a medical review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
We haven't come across any clinical evidence that synthetic vitamin and mineral supplementation supports skin health in individuals not deficient in those nutrients.
The inactive ingredients in this formulation are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
Citric acid, natural flavor and phosphates are ingredients we recommend avoiding, for reasons described previously in this article.
Overall, we consider Herbalife SKIN likely to improve skin quality given its effective collagen dose.
We don't currently recommend this product due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Herbalife Pre-Workout Review
The active ingredients in Herbalife Prepare, which is a pre-workout supplement, are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
L-arginine and l-citrulline are amino acids that can support optimal blood flow and increase exercise endurance.
However, we don't consider either ingredient effectively dosed in this supplement.
We've never come across a clinical trial showing citrulline to have ergogenic (exercise-enhancing) effects at a dose below 1,000 mg.
L-arginine is clinically shown to improve exercise endurance at a 6,000 mg dose, but we can't find evidence that it improves exercise endurance at the 3,000 mg dose in Herbalife Prepare.
Creatine has been shown in research studies to support muscle building, as we documented in our Ryse Pre-Workout reviews article.
Caffeine is effectively dosed for both focus and increased power in this supplement.
Herbalife Prepare is NSF-Certified for Sport, which ensures that the supplement is accurately labeled and contaminant-free.
The inactive ingredients in Herbalife Prepare are shown below:
image source: https://herbalife.com/
Citric acid and natural flavors are ingredients we recommend avoiding from a health perspective, for reasons described previously in this article.
Overall, we consider this to be one of Herbalife's better formulations, and we consider it likely to be effective for both promoting energy and focus, and improving exercise performance.
We don't currently recommend Herbalife Prepare due to the inclusion of citric acid and natural flavors.
Herbalife Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Shakes have an effective protein dose
- SKIN should reduce wrinkles
- Prepare should increase energy and improve gym performance
- Prepare is NSF Certified for Sport
- Nutrition information now clearly accessible on website
Cons:
- Company settled with SEC over allegations of bribery
- Company settled class-action lawsuit
- Most supplements reviewed contain synthetic vitamins and minerals
- Some supplements contain artificial flavors
- Some supplements contain citric acid
- Some supplements contain artificial sweeteners
- Tea concentrate contains green tea extract
- Meal replacement shake has low calories
- Herbalife has been associated with liver injury in some customers
- Less healthy than some competitors
