Exipure is a weight loss supplement that claims to have found the “tropical secret” for weight loss. The company claims that their supplement targets low brown adipose tissue levels, which they claim to be the root cause of weight loss.
But are levels of brown adipose tissue associated with weight, or is this just a marketing claim? Are the ingredients in Exipure shown in research studies to cause weight loss? Does the supplement contain any unhealthy additive ingredients? And why does it matter that this is a ClickBank product?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we survey clinical studies on brown adipose tissue to determine if it's associated with weight loss.
We'll analyze the ingredients in Expiure based on clinical trials to give our take on whether or not this supplement is likely to be effective for weight loss, and whether or not it's safe.
We'll share our concerns about the ingredient disclosure on the Expiure website, and explain why we recommend avoiding all ClickBank supplements (of which Exipure is one).
Exipure's Misguided Claims
Exipure’s value rests on the idea that modulating levels of a certain type of body fat is the key to weight loss.
The brand states that a medical study from 2022 documented that low brown adipose tissue levels were associated with obesity.
We found the study Exipure is referring to. It was published in January of 2021, not 2022, and we urge the brand to correct this in order to be accurate in their marketing claims.
The study itself is interesting, and documents how brown fat cells dissipate energy as heat, while white fat cells store excess energy.
The researchers behind the study did find an association between the ratio of brown fat and white fat, and body weight.
Individuals with higher ratios of brown fat to white fat had lower body weight on average. However this does not mean that increasing the brown fat ratio necessarily causes weight loss.
That is yet unproven, and we find Exipure’s marketing about the study to be highly questionable. The term “weight loss” is not found once in the entire study, and further research is needed to determine whether brown fat can be modulated with supplements to promote weight loss, or whether brown fat percentage is mostly determined by genetics.
We strongly disagree with Exipure's health claims about brown fat tissue, as the study the brand appears to cite only explains the differences between brown fat and white fat, and does not prove that taking herbal supplements increases brown fat percentage or causes weight loss.
Ingredient Analysis
Some of the active ingredients in Exipure are shown above.
Exipure claims that all of their active ingredients are “clinically-proven” to increase brown fat levels.
Perilla frutescens, more commonly known as Beefsteak plant, is the first-listed active ingredient.
Exipure's website references one clinical trial on this ingredient, which didn't actually study the Beefsteak plant. It studied a chemical compound which can be isolated from the Beefsteak plant called luteolin.
Just because a derivative of the plant was effective for fat browning doesn't mean the whole plant will be, and the study is a mouse study rather than a human study.
Kudzu is the second active ingredient. Exipure cites another animal study to suggest this ingredient is effective.
The above-linked study found that an extract of Kudzu increased brown tissue in mice, but extracts are more concentrated than raw herbs, and Exipure doesn't mention using an extract, so we will assume that this ingredient is ineffective.
Holy Basil is the third-listed ingredient in Exipure. Again, the company references a medical study which didn’t actually test Holy Basil.
The above-linked study showed that one isolated compound of the holy basil plant, called ursolic acid, at a dietary concentration of 0.14%, increased brown fat in mice.
This is not the same as stating that holy basil with an unknown concentration of ursolic acid increases brown fat in humans, so we consider this ingredient to be likely ineffective until further research emerges.
Panax ginseng is the next-listed ingredient in Exipure.
The clinical trial that Exipure cites to prove the efficacy of ginseng is again on one synthetically-isolated derivative compound rather than the whole plant.
In the above-linked in vitro (test tube) study, ginsenoside Rb1 promoted fat cell browning, but that does not prove that whole Panax ginseng promotes fat cell browning in humans.
For the sake of brevity, we will conclude the individual ingredient review here, because the theme is clear: Exipure cites medical research on anything related to the ingredients they use (including derivative compounds), which fails to prove that the whole plants in Exipure are effective for fat cell browning in humans.
We are unable to identify one single ingredient in Exipure that's proven to be effective for weight loss in human studies, so we will consider this supplement likely ineffective.
PhD on Optimizing Brown Fat
For a more thorough and medically accurate explanation of white fat and brown fat than that provided by Exipure, we recommend the below video published by a channel called "HCPLive" where a PhD explains the difference between white fat and brown fat and what you can do to shift the ratio to promote optimal health and weight loss:
Failure to Publish Supplement Facts
Exipure’s website has an Ingredients section but it only highlights the eight active ingredients.
At the time of updating this article, the brand fails to publish a Supplement Facts label including ingredient doses, formats and inactive ingredients, which is a consumer safety issue.
Herbal supplements are typically composed of both active ingredients (like the botanical compounds which have health effects) and inactive ingredients (like the capsule, any fillers and sweeteners, etc).
When a company fails to publish the entire ingredients list it’s a sign of a low-quality brand that doesn’t care about the health or safety of their consumers.
People taking a supplement have a right to know the full set of ingredients, because they may have allergies to or medication interactions with any of the ingredients.
This is why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires supplement manufacturers to publish a Supplement Facts label detailing every ingredient, which Exipure does not appear to do.
Failing to publish ingredient doses is an even bigger safety risk in our opinion. Herbal ingredients can be safe at one dose and unsafe at another, and without dosage information, consumers are unable to make an informed purchase decision.
We strongly recommend avoiding all dietary supplements that fail to transparently publish a full ingredients list that contains dosage information for every active ingredient.
ClickBank Product Risks
Exipure is a product promoted on ClickBank, which is an affiliate marketplace. The disclosure in the footer of Exipure's website, shown above, details that “ClickBank is the retailer of products on this site.”
Brands sign up on ClickBank and allow third-party website owners and marketers to sell their products and receive a cut of earnings.
Because anyone approved by ClickBank can make an anonymous website and promote this product and receive a cut of earnings, the risk of misleading health claims is higher than with traditional affiliate marketing in our opinion.
One red flag to look out for in identifying a ClickBank product is when you search for reviews of the product in search engines like Google, most of the results are from local news publications such as Bellevue Reporter, LAMag and Gazette Tribune that don't typically cover dietary supplements.
To date we have never reviewed a ClickBank product on Illuminate Health that we considered safe and effectively dosed, so we recommend that consumers be extremely wary when considering a purchase from this retailer.
Is Expiure on Amazon?
There are products sold on Amazon under the "Exipure" name at the time of updating this article, as shown above.
However, none of the Amazon listings appear to have the official product's formulation, and none are listed by ClickBank, so we recommend avoiding supplements branded "Exipure" on Amazon.
The supplement shown above is retailed by a company called Prime Ninja LLC.
As we discussed in our review of Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic, it's a sign of a low-quality brand to sell supplements under another company's trade name.
While we don't recommend purchasing Expiure at all, for consumers intent on doing so, we only recommend using the brand's official website which can be located here.
Real Exipure Customer Complaints
There are a number of concerning consumer complaints on Exipure’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page.
Several consumers state that Exipure is not honoring their money-back guarantee. Here’s one example:
“I purchesed the 6 month suply of exipure. Since it was 100 % money back guareentee no questions asked.. after 4 months and no results i emailed and asked for a refund. They want all bottles shipped back. I didnt keep the empties and that was never stated anywhere.. i feel ripped off twice”.
Some of the Exipure bad reviews involve allergic reactions, which is exactly why the brand needs to publish the full Supplement Facts panel as a consumer safety measure:
“Took 1 capsule as directed on 12/22/21 had allergic reaction starting minutes after taking the 1 capsule. Spent 2 days so far taking Benadryl full doses every 4 hours.”
It’s notable that Exipure hasn’t bothered to respond to any of the complaints on their BBB page at the time of updating this article, another sign of a low-quality brand that doesn’t prioritize consumer safety.
Does Exipure Cause Side Effects?
Exipure doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it more challenging to determine whether or not the supplement is likely to cause side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
While there are no active ingredients in this formulation that appear to be directly toxic, we're concerned about the risk of side effects because we can't locate much clinical data on the safety of some of these ingredients in humans.
Specifically, we can't find human studies supporting the safety of Phellodendron amurense and Perilla frutescens for oral use.
At the time of updating this article, the Exipure website suggests that the supplement is unlikely to cause side effects, but recommends that potential consumers speak with their doctor first, which is a sign of a high-quality brand, and which is a recommendation that we agree with.
Pros and Cons of Exipure
Here are the pros and cons of Exipure in our opinion:
Pros:
- Some active ingredients have research backing
- Stimulant-free
- Affordable when purchased in bulk
- Some health claims made by the brand about brown adipose tissue are accurate
Cons:
- We can't find evidence this formulation will support weight loss in humans
- ClickBank product
- Brand fails to publish Supplement Facts label
- Misleading health claims on brand's website
- Some negative customer reviews
- Brand fails to respond to customer complaints on BBB
Exipure FAQs
Does Exipure really work?
Exipure may be effective in some individuals, but there is no clinical research proving this formulation to work. We do not believe Exipure is likely to cause weight loss.
Is Exipure a scam?
We don’t believe it’s an outright scam, because the company does appear to legitimately manufacture and ship products. However, we do consider the brand to have highly questionable marketing practices and we recommend that consumers avoid this supplement.
Is Exipure approved by the FDA?
Supplements aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); only pharmaceutical medications are. Supplement manufacturers are allowed to go directly to market in the US without any pre-approval process.
This means that Exipure isn’t approved by the FDA, but neither is any other supplement company.
Is Exipure safe?
There is no proof that Exipure is safe, because the company hasn’t published any clinical trials on their proprietary formulation. We don’t believe this product is safe to take, because the company fails to clearly publish a Supplement Facts label which discloses all ingredients.
Ultra Proven vs. Exipure?
We don’t recommend either of these products. We consider the formulation of both to be likely ineffective.
Both of these products have a significant number of negative customer reviews.
