Flo Vitamins, also called Flo Gummies, is a supplement brand that makes products for women. Their most popular supplement, called FLO, is used to treat premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and the brand claims it's made with ingredients that "have been shown to alleviate cramps, acne and mood swings."
But can a gummy vitamin really relieve PMS? Does it contain research-backed ingredients? How do real users describe and rate the effects of FLO? And are FLO's other supplements well-formulated?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in FLO (the PMS gummy) to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for reducing PMS symptoms, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also share FLO customer reviews, and analyze the brand's other supplements including RETRO (anti-aging), GOGO (fiber) and MOTO (weight loss).
FLO Gummies Ingredient Analysis
FLO Gummies contains four active ingredients: vitamin B6, chasteberry extract, lemon balm, and dong quai.
Vitamin B6 appears to be effective for treating PMS symptoms based on clinical studies, but may be underdosed in FLO.
A medical review analyzed nine clinical trials on vitamin B6 for PMS.
The vitamin was found to be effective at reducing symptoms like pain and lack of energy, but the lowest dose used in any of the trials was 40 milligrams (mg), or 200% of the dose in FLO.
The remaining three active ingredients are included in a "Proprietary Herbal Blend" with a total dose of 111 mg, which equates to an average ingredient dose of 37 mg.
Chasteberry extract was described in a medical review published in the Complementary Therapies in Medicine journal as “confirmed to be effective in the reduction of PMS symptoms," and the dose used in several of the studies was close to the dose in FLO.
Lemon balm is another effective but potentially underdosed active ingredient.
A clinical trial found that lemon balm was effective at treating PMS symptoms in high-school-aged females, but the dose was 1200 mg, or 32x the amount of the average ingredient dose in FLO's blend.
Another study found that supplementation of lemon balm decreased the severity of “systemic signs associated with menstruation."
The dosage used in this study was 330 mg, and it was an extract, which is more potent than the raw plant material in FLO.
Dong quai is the final active ingredient in FLO, and we can't find any medical evidence backing its efficacy for the reduction of PMS symptoms.
There are three unhealthy additive ingredients in FLO Gummies in our opinion.
Added sugars are included at a dose of 3 grams (g) per serving. While this is a relatively low amount, we typically recommend avoiding supplements with added, refined sugar.
As we documented in our Goli Ashwagandha Gummies reviews article, excess added sugar intake is associated with a range of negative health outcomes like obesity and diabetes.
Titanium dioxide is an artificial colorant that has been banned in the European Union (EU) for use a food additive over toxicity concerns.
Natural flavors is a better option than artificial flavors, but is still a poorly-regulated term in our opinion, as a medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal found there to be potential toxicity regarding some natural flavoring agents and their metabolites.
Overall, we consider FLO to be potentially effective for PMS symptom relief, because it contains one ingredient that's effectively dosed based on clinical research and several other ingredients that are shown in clinical studies to relieve PMS symptoms.
We don't currently recommend this supplement due to the inclusion of questionable additive ingredients like titanium dioxide and added sugars.
For consumers intent on purchasing this supplement, we would recommend the capsule version which is free of added sugar and natural flavors.
An OB/GYN named Dr. Jennifer Lincoln reviewed FLO Gummies on her YouTube page along with other PMS supplements. We've timestamped the video below to begin when she starts discussing FLO:
Real People Try FLO
A YouTube creator named "Wild Simple Joy" explains why she doesn't recommend FLO vitamins, and describes the side effects she experienced:
A TikTok user named Justine Ercira claims the supplement was ineffective after two months of use:
@justinebeans Final #honest #review #update on #flovitamins ♬ Lo-fi hip hop - NAO-K
Are FLO's Other Supplements Better?
FLO sells other supplements beyond FLO (it's somewhat confusing that both the brand name and their most-popular supplement bear the same name).
Here's our quick takes on their other supplements:
GOGO – Fiber
The powder version contains 6 g of dietary fiber which can improve gastrointestinal health and help promote a healthy weight (higher fiber intake is associated with weight loss in overweight individuals).
Also contains two questionable additives (natural flavors and citric acid).
Our take: Not a cost-effective way to obtain fiber, and not super healthy.
RETRO – Anti-Aging
This contains a patented form of astaxanthin, which is a natural antioxidant compound derived from salmon among other sources.
The only clinical trial we could identify on this compound found it to be effective for reducing degradation of skin over time, but the doses used were 200% and 400% of that in RETRO.
Vitamin C may be effective for improving skin quality, but this is easily obtainable from whole foods.
Our take: We're not impressed by this formulation.
MOTO – Weight Loss
Contains chromium at an effective dose. This mineral is clinically shown to support weight loss, as we referenced in our review of Olly Metabolism Gummies.
Also contains EGCG which is clinically shown to cause "significant weight loss" (at a higher dose than used in MOTO), but also may be harmful to the liver.
No unhealthy additives.
Our take: Effective formulation, not one we'd recommend due to our concerns about the safety of long-term EGCG use.
We consider FLO to be better-formulated than the other supplements sold by the brand.
Our Clean PMS Picks
Relizen by Bonafide is our top overall PMS relief pick.
Purified pollen extract is clinically shown to relieve PMS symptoms like night disturbances and irritability, and Relizen contains the same format of purified pollen as used in the above-linked trial.
Performance Lab Magnesium is our top value PMS relief pick.
Magnesium is clinically shown to relieve negative mood changes associated with PMS when supplemented orally.
Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Customers Rate FLO Vitamins
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
FLO Gummies have been reviewed five times on Amazon at the time of updating this article (which is surprisingly low to be honest), with an average review rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Stacey N." who gave the product a 5/5 rating, and claims it was effective:
"They taste great and they help me with my problems."
A top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from an anonymous Amazon Customer who gave the product a 2/5 rating, and claims it was improperly packed:
"Bottle says 30 capsules. I took my first one yesterday and noticed it seemed like a low amount in the bottle. 25 capsules left and an empty one at that."
FLO currently has an average review rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars on Facebook.
FLO Gummies currently has an average review rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars on Google.
FLO Vitamins Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of FLO Vitamins in our opinion:
Pros:
- Contains research-backed active ingredients
- Should improve PMS symptoms
- MOTO supplement may support weight loss
- Great branding and packaging
- Affordable
Cons:
- Gummies contain refined, added sugar
- Gummies contain citric acid
- Gummies contain titanium dioxide
- Gummies and capsules contain natural flavors
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- Somewhat mediocre online customer reviews
