The wellness industry is filled with products and trends that overpromise and underdeliver. While some wellness habits are backed by science, others are nothing more than marketing gimmicks. Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest scams in the wellness space right now—and what actually works instead.
Cortisol Face
The Scam: A trending idea that chronic stress alone changes your face shape, making it puffier or causing jowls.
The Reality: What people are calling “cortisol face” is actually Cushing’s syndrome, a medical condition caused by excessive cortisol due to adrenal dysfunction, tumors, or long-term steroid use. While mild stress-related fluid retention can happen, it does not drastically change facial structure.
What to Do Instead: If you’re concerned about high cortisol, focus on evidence-based stress management:
- Prioritize consistent sleep
- Incorporate resistance training, go on walks after meals, and drink electrolytes with water
- Maintain balanced blood sugar control with high-protein meals (avoid extreme fasting) If you suspect a hormonal issue, get actual lab tests instead of self-diagnosing.
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GLP-1 Supplements
The Scam: Over-the-counter supplements claiming to be “Nature’s Ozempic” and mimic prescription GLP-1 medications for weight loss.
The Reality: These supplements may contain ingredients that help stabilize blood sugar, but they do not work like GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., Ozempic, Wegovy). GLP-1 medications have been around since 2015 with a strong safety record and remain unmatched in weight loss efficacy. Some people don’t tolerate them—just like any medication—but implying that they aren’t safe to promote your Zempic* supplement (or similar products) is unethical.
Many of these so-called GLP-1 supplements contain proprietary blends, which is a huge red flag.
Why This Is a Problem:
- We don’t know if the product contains effective doses of active ingredients.
- The doses could be too low to work or too high, posing potential risks.
- Hiding ingredient amounts prevents transparency, making safety impossible to assess.
- I love Berberine from Fleur Supplements, but they advertise it as what it is- something that helps stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings.
The Bottom Line: No food or supplement burns fat. If something truly “burned fat,” the weight loss industry would cease to exist. If these products were truly revolutionary, why have scientists and obesity researchers not discovered them until now? If any of its ingredients were that effective, why aren’t they first-line treatments for obesity?
Probiotics That Are Not Refrigerated or Shelf-Stable
The Scam: Many probiotic supplements on the market contain live bacteria that aren’t actually alive by the time they reach your gut.
The Reality: Certain probiotic strains (like lactobacillus and bifidobacterium) are highly sensitive to heat, light, and oxygen. If they aren’t properly refrigerated or formulated to be shelf-stable, they die before reaching your gut, making them completely ineffective.
What to Do Instead:
- Choose shelf-stable, spore-forming probiotics (e.g., Bacillus coagulans, Saccharomyces boulardii).
- Look for clinically studied strains (e.g., “Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG”).
- Get probiotics from fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, and yogurt—which contain live and bioavailable strains.
Blue Light Glasses
The Scam: Companies claim blue light glasses prevent eye damage, improve sleep, and reduce headaches.
The Reality: Blue light exposure from screens is not harmful to eye health—there’s no scientific evidence that it causes permanent damage. The real reason screens cause eye strain is from prolonged focus (not blinking enough) and poor contrast, not blue light itself.
As for sleep, blue light can delay melatonin production, but you don’t need expensive glasses to fix that.
What to Do Instead:
- Reduce screen time at night (or use night mode on devices).
- Change your laptop to night mode
- Change your iphone to night mode so your screen is a warm red at night.
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
- Improve sleep by getting morning sunlight and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule.
NAD+ Supplements
The Scam: NAD+ boosters claim to reverse aging, boost energy, and repair DNA by increasing cellular NAD+ levels.
The Reality: While NAD+ levels do decline with age, oral NAD+ supplements like nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) are better absorbed than most generic NAD+ products.
Instead of spending money on expensive NAD+ supplements, there are more effective ways to support cellular health.
What to Do Instead:
- Quercetin – Supports NAD+ preservation by inhibiting CD38 (an enzyme that depletes NAD+). I love the one by Fleur Supplements.
- NMN- A great precursor to NAD+
- Exercise – Resistance training and HIIT naturally boost NAD+ levels.
- Sufficient sleep & fasting – Optimizes mitochondrial function without expensive supplements.
- Niacin (Vitamin B3) – A much cheaper way to support NAD+ levels than overpriced NAD+ products.
My Thoughts?
The wellness industry is filled with overhyped trends and misleading claims, but the real solutions are simple:
- Eat nutrient-dense foods
- Prioritize exercise and movement
- Get high-quality sleep
- Manage stress effectively
- Meditate often
- Avoid overpriced gimmicks
- Get regular blood work done to see what YOUR body needs
- Ask and always do your research before splurging on a wellness trend
