Update 8/1/20. ThinGloss Lipgloss is no longer sold but Shark Tank reruns about still air so if you were curious here is what I discovered when I looked into this weight loss lipgloss. Ladies, have you heard of THINgloss lip gloss? It’s a lip gloss that’s said to help you lose weight! I admit, I never heard of THINgloss until I watched an episode of the TV show Shark Tank. THINgloss was featured on Shark Tank on 4/15/11. THINgloss is made by Express Effects Cosmetics. The founder of Express Effects is April Morris, who appeared on the TV show, Shark Tank. I'm not an expert on cosmetics but I am aware of the main weight loss ingredient in THINgloss, so let me review the facts so you can sort the wheat from the chaff.
What’s In THINgloss Lip Gloss?
When April Morris appeared on Shark Tank, she said that THINgloss contained hoodia. Hoodia is a cactus-like plant that grows in Africa and it shows up in many weight loss supplements. Here’s why. It appears that when people eat the root of the hoodia plant, it curbs their appetite. People don’t spread hoodia on their lips. They eat the root. When it comes to hoodia here are some facts:
- Fact. There is no published scientific proof that hoodia causes weight loss in people.
- Fact. There is no published scientific proof that putting hoodia on the lips causes weight loss in people
To me, the idea of spreading hoodia on the lips sounds somewhat similar to another product I reviewed called the Hoodia Patch.
The thing with hoodia to remember is that curbing appetite is not necessarily the same thing as weight loss.
One thing to remember is that the people in African who eat the hoodia root are already skinny. They don't need to lose weight. They eat hoodia to curb their appetite while they ran around the desert all day looking for food.
I've already written about the facts of hoodia and weight loss. Hoodia is also found in many weight loss supplements.
See the Healthe Trim Review
THINgloss also contains Kola nut. Kola nut has caffeine. Would caffeine in a lip gloss raise the metabolic rate or help you burn more calories? I don’t know if it would or wouldn’t but that’s why I think kola nut is in THINgloss. Kola nut is also found in many weight loss supplements including Lipozene.
THINgloss is also “infused with vibrational healing energies to uplift your spirits”. Huh? What are “vibrational healing energies”? This phrase makes no sense and since Express Effects doesn't define what this means, I would not pay any attention to this claim. It sounds like more marketing hype than science.
THINgloss also contains various good-smelling oils that are said to elevate our mood. This is the basis of aromatherapy. I could not determine what aromatherapy oils are in THINgloss.
April Morris On Shark Tank
When April Morris appeared on Shark Tank she was looking for $80,000 in exchange for a 5% stake in Express Effects. None of the entrepreneurs on Shark Tank was willing to get her any money. The main reason cited was the implied claim that Thin Gloss can help people lose weight.
The “Sharks” knew, that that Express Effect was potentially skating on thin ice with the FDA by implying that THINgloss lip gloss will help people lose weight. Even the way the product is spelled – “THINgloss” – emphasizes the notion that this lip gloss will help weight loss.
In a YouTube video from April 27th, 2011 titled “What Really Happened on Shark Tank, April (whose name in the video is April Yvette) explains that she was looking for an investment from the Sharks to help her get funding for a clinical trial of THINgloss.
In the YouTube, video April states that she did her own independent study of THINgloss because she didn't feel right not knowing if THINgloss worked or not. I can respect that reasoning and I share it myself.
In the video, she shows a picture of several women who she says used THINgloss for 30 days and lost weight. While I can applaud her for doing this, what she did is not really a “clinical trial.” Her trial was not published in medical/scientific journals.
The THINgloss Exercise Program
On the Express Effects website (which longer exists), no weight loss proof was given that THINgloss helps people lose weight. Instead, there was a “Meet the Experts” page. One of the experts was personal trainer Tony Wuebker. Tony is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the same organization I am affiliated with. On his website, Tony had a couple of THINgloss circuit training exercise videos.
While I like the idea of circuit training, the circuits, only lasted about 12 minutes, which is far less than the 60-90 minutes often recommended for weight loss. In my opinion, some of the exercises would be challenging for beginners and for those with:
- low back injuries
- knee injuries
- balance problems
- osteoporosis
- neck injuries
- shoulder injuries
- heart disease
- and arthritis to name a few
Here's my list of weight loss supplements with evidence – along with other things too that can help.
How Much Does It Cost?
While on Shark Tank April Morris stated THINgloss retails for $28. You can get it cheaper on the Empress Effects website (ExpressEffects.com – no longer working). April also stated that she has lost 18 pounds over the last 2 years while using THINgloss. That’s 9 pounds a year or about 3/4 lb per month.
Let’s assume that April’s weight loss is similar to what you might experience if you used THINgloss. Let’s also assume that a tube of lip gloss will last 1 month and each tube costs $20. That’s 12 lip gloss tubes a year for a total of 12 x $20 =$240 / year. If you did this for 2 years, that’s $480.
In a YouTube video from August 3, 2012, April Morris announced that she will no longer be selling THINgloss lip gloss.
The company website (ExpressEffects.com) no longer works. April appears to have shifted directions, doing many youtube videos as well as motivational speaking and stuff about business development, marketing, and sales.
What Do I Suggest
I've investigated dietary supplements since the early 1990s. I'm critical of most weight loss products. That said, here are a few weight loss products that I feel might work based on their clinical evidence:
Does It Work?
April has stated that she sold a lot of her products after appearing on Shark Tank. That said, while I can't be sure, April appears to have abandoned THINgloss and is moving in another direction with her career. My personal feeling is that THINgloss doesn't work and I base this on the hoodia weight loss research.
Thank you Joe for your dedication to helping people avoid being scammed. You should really meet Lee Causey, as he’s probably done more research on a lot of ingredients than most people have, including you, as he’s been doing fitness and nutrition for 55 years plus. He’s also the guy that developed the original diet shake that everyone else has copied, but they’ve all failed when it comes to tasting good.
I’ve only tried three of shakes, the one Lee Causey has put together, the shakes from It Works, and Herbalife. The It Works doesn’t have any vitamins or minerals in it, is very expensive which is why people buy it at a discount, and even then, it’s just way to much money for what you get. The Herbalife shake does have some vitamins and minerals, but not enough to make a difference in your day.
Lee Causey has personally developed over 300 different health and beauty products in that 55 years, and recently did come out with something that goes on your lips to help curb your appetite. It uses 8 essential oils and aromatherapy.
If you were to ever listen to Dr. Richard Kaufman, PhD (in BioNutritional Chemistry), you’d understand that there is serious science behind the product with regards to the ingredients. They also show the research from scientific and peer reviewed sources to validate what they’ve used and why.
If you check out http://slimbalm.com you can see it, but you can’t buy it. They don’t, and won’t, cut corners to make a dollar either. And after 25 years of being in business, they haven’t had any product recalls, or issues with the government either. Just my two cents worth. Keep up the good work. I too am a numbers guy and research everything.
HI Gareth, thanks. From the link you provided it appears you can purchase slimbalm. I didnt see any research on the website that it helps people lose weight. if you find any let me know. Id be interested to take a look at it.
Just saw this on Shark Tank tonight. Obviously an old episode. I am not convinced, but I thought it was a great idea…if only the correct formula is ever discovered.
Yolanda, yes and that’s going to take way more research on hoodia.
so does this stuff really work?
Krystal. I really doubt it. See my review of Hoodia.
If nothing else, it’s a placebo and we all know that the mind is very powerful and the mere thought of it working, causes it to work so in effect, it could help someone to lose weight, but in actuality it was their own mind…sort of like Dumbo and his feather or Jack Sparrow and his jar of dirt : )
no problem Joe….anytime 😀 you need cosmetic help….you know who to ask (i hope!) hehehehe oh and the 2-3 month range is IF we don’t lose it lol i lose them quite frequently….as do most of my girl friends lol it is indeed a female thing….
hope that helps with your researching it though…
Heather, I knew I should have listened to that little voice who kept saying “ask a woman about lip gloss” LOL. Thanks for setting me straight 😉
Good thing you have chicks that read your stuff! lol
1- average lip gloss in tube like that lasts 2-3 months…
2- women eat their gloss….not like from the tube…but constantly lick lips / gnaw on lip…so…IF it has caffeine / appetite suppressants…we would indeed ingest it…yeah I know…does not make much sense…
3- aromatherapy properties to energize….citrus usually…is a pretty common ingredient in many glosses….and we would “sniff” it…as we apply / wear it….experiment with a chap stick for a day and see how many times you have it near your nose or taste it when licking lips…lol
not saying it works….but it is definitely an area where you need a woman to experiment with it…some of the “applied theories” can be foreign to men who don’t wear cosmetics 😀
The average woman ingests 6 pounds of lipgloss and lipstick over the course of their lifetime. I read somewhere also that heavy lipgloss users (10x per day ) could ingest up to 84 milligrams of lipgloss every day. I think she needs to do some clinical trials because someone could get sick and sue them if they have a bad rx to the ingredients.
Collette, Yuck lol and I agree. Thanks for those statistics 🙂