Financial surveys agree that women make up to 85% of the purchasing decisions in the US. With this much purchasing power at stake, it’s not surprising that there are so many “women-specific” fat burners on the market (we have an entire section dedicated to them).
And although OxySelect Pink claims to be formulated specifically for women, there is actually nothing—nothing at all—in this formula that has been demonstrated to work more so for women or is specifically targeted to women over men.
OxySelect Pink is a product for women only in its branding and name.
Otherwise there is very little difference between this formula and any number of unisex formulas.
Note: This product is not, despite its name, affiliated with, or manufactured by USP Labs, the makers of OxyElite Pro.
So what’s up with this formula?
In addition to claiming that it “burns fat directly” (whatever that means) as well increasing energy and drive, the retailers state…
“Most diet pills pack thirty or forty ingredients into a single pill. The problem with this approach is that you’re getting a lot of everything, which means not enough of the ingredients that actually work. OxySelect Pink takes the approach that a diet pill should include only those ingredients that are most effective, and then increases the dosage to a safe amount.”
I think what they are trying to say here is that when you buy a product that contains a lot of ingredients, there is an increased likelihood that most of them will not be included at an effective dosage, since the logistics of both capsule and serving size dictate that only a select few ingredients can be included at an effective dose.
The irony of this statement is that no dosage information is provided for this product; we have no idea if any of the ingredients are included at the dosage found effective in corresponding studies.
The medicinal plants, food compounds and herbs common to supplements like this are much like pharmaceutical drugs in that they need to be included at a specific dose in order to have some effect.
One of the most common “scams” the retailers of nutritional products use is the “label dressing trick“; “spicing up the label with an impressive array of ingredients. It all looks very impressive and scientific, of course, but since none of these ingredients are present in an effective dosage, they effectively add nothing to the formula.
In this formula no actual dosage information is provided, which makes it clearly impossible to truly assess its value.
So what’s in OxySelect Pink? 7 ingredients…
1. Phytosome green tea: By now, just about everyone on the planet is aware that green tea exhibits some pretty decent benefits for weight loss.
Its significance, however, is largely exaggerated by retailers as its effects are quite subtle (to learn what you can really expect from green tea, see the article, “How Much Weight Can I Lose With Green Tea?”).
Nonetheless, green tea is as close to a no-brainer ingredient as you can get, if it’s included at an effective dosage and properly standardized.
This particular form of green tea is a specially formulated, highly bioavailable form of green tea extract, and as indicated by the retailers, its effects have been proven in a clinical study.
But even the study authors are a bit cautious with the conclusion, stating…
“Other potential variables between groups should be considered; for example, it is possible that individuals given an oral treatment targeted to enhance weight loss might have followed the diet more strictly.”
This is relevant because we don’t know what extra encouragement and expectations the test group were given. This is important when we consider claims that Phytosome Green Tea extract produces more weight loss than other, standardized green tea extracts. The thing is, there was no placebo and no blinding – a real methodological issue which calls the study conclusion into question.And…
“Additional studies are needed to determine whether the product demonstrates an anti-obesity effect without the hypocaloric diet.”
And of course, we don’t know whether or not OxySelect Pink contains the appropriate amount of this ingredient.
2. Chromax: Because of its positive effects in the management of cholesterolemia and hyperglycemia in subjects with diabetes, chromium (in this case chromium picolinate) is often added to weight loss supplements. However the retailers are cherry picking the data when they say…
“Chromax is one of the ingredients that makes Oxyselect Pink so powerful. In clinical studies, subjects dropped 365 calories per day when taking Chromax. If you want to lose weight sooner rather than later, OxySelect Pink is the pill for you.”
Ooops. I guess they forgot about this clinical study which concluded…
“Thus, claims that supplementation of 200 microg of Cr as CrPic promotes weight loss and body composition changes are not supported.”
And this one, which stated…
“Supplementation of 1000 microg of chromium picolinate alone, and in combination with nutritional education, did not affect weight loss in this population of overweight adults.
The fact of the matter is that there is some contradictory evidence when it comes to chromium supplementation, but the majority of it does not support weight loss effects.
And the study they do cite?
There are problems with it, too. First, the study was performed on a specially selected group; women with carbohydrate cravings. And get this; the measured calorie reductions occurred only in the laboratory; were not seen in full until the 8 weeks was up; and did NOT result in any meaningful weight loss – just a touch over a pound…
“Moreover, participants receiving CrPic lost a small amount of weight (0.5 kg) over this 8-week study, which suggests they may have also reduced their food intake outside of the laboratory. However, participants receiving CrPic lost a smaller amount of weight than would be expected based on the difference in food intake (i.e., 210 kcal) between the two groups during their final (week 8) food test day. This suggests that participants receiving CrPic may not have maintained a consistent reduction in energy intake throughout the entire 8-week period.”
Our scientific and technical advisor Elissa put it this way…
“The “365 calories” number is deceptive, since it doesn’t reflect what subjects actually ate on a day-to-day basis… it only reflects the difference seen in an artificial environment, in a subject pool that was selected for a certain characteristic (carbohydrate cravings).”
3. CoEnzyme Q10: The OxySelect Pink web site makes this statement about this potent antioxidant…
“Studies have shown that increased levels of CoQ10 can enhance weight loss, especially when combined with a low-calorie diet.”
They aren’t the only ones making this statement—it has been echoing around the Internet in a few prominent places recently. So I put our scientific and technical advisor Elissa on the case and asked her to look into it. Her response?
“What studies? I did a bit of snooping, and the only thing I could find even close to a study reference was this: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv/54/4/54_4_286/_pdf – which showed a “significant” bump in fat oxidation during low-intensity exercise after taking CoQ10. They increased from an average 0.19g/min to a whopping 0.20 g/min.
So, on CoQ10, someone lightly exercising for an hour would burn 12g of fat – 108 calories worth. And without it… s/he would burn “only” 102 fat calories. Wow… how very impressive!!! And that was only during exercise, too – didn’t make any difference at rest!”
In case you missed it, Elissa was being sarcastic; CoEnzyme Q10 does show an effect, but it is so small as to be inconsequential in any real world situation.
4. Green coffee bean extract: Made popular by Dr. Oz on his T.V. show, we reviewed green coffee extract some time ago.
One thing we did do was take Dr. Oz’s expert to task over several of his statements, one of which is echoed on the OxySelect Pink site…
“Roasting coffee beans destroys the effectiveness of chlorogenic acid, which has the ability to inhibit fat production. Green coffee beans preserve this obesity-slashing power, giving you unmitigated weight loss potential.”
Actually, roasting coffee beans does not destroy the effectiveness of chlorogenic acid, although it may reduce the amount; these studies (see here and here) confirm this.
And, despite the hype and the prominence on the Dr. Oz show, green coffee is at best mildly useful supplement if it is included at an effective dosage; again—we can’t confirm whether it is or not.
5. 1,3 Dimethylamine: If you didn’t look closely enough, you might mistake this for 1,3 Dimethylamylamine (also known as DMAA, geranium extract, or methylhexanamine). 1,3 Dimethylamylamine is a potent stimulant, and was a popular ingredient in preworkout supplements like USP Labs’ Jack3d and Isatori’s PWR and in fat burners like USP Lab’s OxyElite Pro.
Now however, it is a banned supplement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and many natural bodybuilding organizations. It is also subject to FDA action, and the reason for a series of class action lawsuits.
Not surprisingly, DMAA is now being dropped from the formulas of most weight loss and pre-workout supplements, as retailers try to distance themselves from this ingredient.
So what then, is 1,3 Dimethylamine?
We have no idea. Labeled as it is, it isn’t anything recognizable as a supplement compound… or anything else, for that matter. Yes, dimethylamine exists. And yes, 1,3 Dimethylamylamine exists.
But this? Nope.
If we had to guess, we’d have to assume…
- It’s some sort of “proprietary” compound or blend designed to trick people who don’t read very carefully.
- A deliberate misspelling of 1,3 Dimethylamylamine in order to disguise the true nature of this product’s formula.
So the retailers are either incompetent, or they are dishonest. Neither bodes particularly well for them.
6. Vitamin D: Here our intrepid retailers reveal themselves to be masters of “spin” when they say…
“Studies show that people with high levels of vitamin D are less likely to be obese. One recent study also indicated that women who took vitamin D daily were less likely to gain weight than the placebo control group. Recognizing the link between obesity and vitamin D deficiency, we included 1,000iu of Vitamin D in each pill.”
Yes, vitamin D levels are lower in the obese, but that’s thought to be because obesity interferes with vitamin D metabolism: http://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/2011/06/22/does-weight-loss-influence-vitamin-d-levels/ – so while supplementing might be advisable for the obese, it’s not likely to help them lose any weight.
7. Probiotics: These are the friendly bacteria that are most commonly found in yogurt. They play a role in regulating gut health, and quite possibly—as emerging science shows—more complex systems as well, such as the immune system. However, the retailers of OxySelect Pink suggest probiotics can help you lose weight.
Can they?
Preliminary evidence suggest they can. One study (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64, 636-643) concluded…
“The probiotic LG2055 showed lowering effects on abdominal adiposity, body weight and other measures, suggesting its beneficial influence on metabolic disorders.”
Other studies suggest a link between the alteration of our intestinal “flora” and obesity (see here, here, and here) and possibly even a role for probiotics in proper energy metabolism.
Of course, probiotics are not going to help you eat less (if you don’t consume fewer calories then you expend you will never lose a pound) and their effect is likely to be subtle—no data yet exists to suggest they offer miraculous weight loss effects.
What about Side Effects?
Side effects for most over the counter fat burners are almost always related to the amount of stimulants (usually caffeine and caffeine-related compounds) they contain. Depending on the dosage, these can make you jittery, edgy, irritable, short of breath and even lead to withdrawal headaches after completing the product. And of course, such products are not ideal for anyone with heart disease of any kind. Oxyselect Pink seems pretty tame on the caffeine side of things, but the big question is whether the imaginary “1,3 Dimethylamine” is actually DMAA, and if it is, how much is contained in the formula – because it is a VERY potent stimulant. Without knowing this however, it’s impossible to report accurately on potential side effects.
If you’ve taken this product, let us know on the comments. Although there’s no way to be sure, a major energy kick may be indicative of the banned 1,3 Dimethyamylamine.
So now that we know what is in OxySelect Pink, what’s the bottom line?
Well, it’s not that this product does not contain some helpful ingredients—like green tea and green coffee extract.
It does.
It’s just that we don’t know of they are present in helpful dosages. No dose information is provided, period. It’s really hard to give a product a thumbs up or thumbs down based on a couple of ingredients that could be so under dosed as to be useless.
Then we have the marketing spin and cherry picking of clinical data, the issue with “1,3 Dimethylamine”, and lastly, the outrageous product cost.
Sadly, this means we can’t provide a recommendation for OxySelect Pink.
March 11, 2015
Just read your information about oxyselect, I was wondering if you know of a weight loss pill that will actually work, I have read about a million different ones and now i just feel lost.
March 12, 2015
Ali: You can see some recommended products here! In reality, “work” is a difficult qualification, because almost all of them work to a small degree. But their effects are relatively minor. When our visitors say “work”, we know they mean “work dramatically” and unfortunately, nothing does that. We recommend Isatori’s products because they are well formulated, and more importantly, are backed by a money-back guarantee if ordered direct.
September 6, 2019
do your eyes get out of focus on oxypink, fatburner can you be just so sleepy that you want to sleep all day I had this yesterday or is it something else for me