Herbalife’s Research and Development (R&D) department combines the experience of our own product development specialists with a team of highly accomplished consulting scientists. We conduct product development, ingredient testing and development of the process for food commercialization at our Product and Science Center and Herbalife Innovation and Manufacturing (H.I.M.) facility in Los Angeles, California, with support from select ingredient suppliers and manufacturing partners.

Herbalife uses a stage-gate product development process to take new products from ideation to stable commercial manufacturing.  Research operations include: monitoring of scientific literature for product and ingredient advancements; formulation development with extensive use of prototyping; sensory and clinical testing and product testing to assess product efficacy, uniformity and stability.

In the course of product design and development, Herbalife researches the functionality and chemistry of botanical, vitamin, mineral and other food ingredients; techniques and forms for combining ingredients to provide an acceptable product experience for the consumer; process techniques for the successful, uniform and reliable conversion of ingredients into the desired finished product; and clinical studies of ingredient or product efficacy.

Herbalife® products include natural ingredients that may contain trace elements. Many natural and processed foods, including dairy products, chocolate and vegetables, as well as products made with natural ingredients, contain extremely small amounts of lead that by today’s highly sensitive analytical methods can be detected, but are insignificant in posing any risk to consumers. Our products fall within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for the amount of lead that consumers can safely ingest through their daily diet, and specific limits on lead content in the daily diet from all sources. Herbalife® products do not contain levels of lead that would require labeling under California Proposition 65 disclosure requirement. We also follow the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) limits for lead. In other parts of the world, our products are also in compliance with all local regulatory requirements governing lead limits in our products.

Today, many shoppers prefer the higher level of personalized care afforded by direct sales. The personalized approach gives consumers an opportunity to work closely with someone who gets to understand their specific needs. Herbalife has led the way for more than 30 years in direct sales network marketing. For information on direct selling, visit the website of the Direct Selling Association (www.dsa.org), of which Herbalife is a member.

Yes. Clinical studies are currently being conducted by Herbalife in conjunction with major universities to benchmark the benefits of various products. To date, four clinical studies have been completed.

Three clinical studies have been completed that show the effectiveness of Formula 1 protein shakes; also, one study was completed using Niteworks® dietary supplement.

The Formula 1 studies, conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA*), University of Ulm, Germany, and Seoul University National Hospital, Korea, showed that using Formula 1 meal replacements twice a day as part of a calorie-controlled diet can lead to effective weight loss.

The studies in Germany and Korea were conducted by members of our Nutrition Advisory Board, Drs. Marion Flechtner-Mors and Belong Cho, respectively. The results of the UCLA* study were published in Nutrition Journal (August 2008); the Korea results appeared in The International Journal of Clinical Practice (February 2009); and the Ulm study was published in Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews (June 2010).

In 2010, a clinical study of Niteworks® dietary supplement showed avid cyclists over the age of 50 experienced an improvement in their performance after taking the product for three weeks. The study was published in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

*The University of California does not endorse specific products or services as a matter of policy.

Science is the foundation of all of our products.

We also support scientific advancements. Herbalife has generously donated funds to establish the Mark Hughes Cellular and Molecular Nutrition Laboratory and the Mark Hughes Human Performance Laboratory at the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)* to help foster breakthrough research in nutrition, natural products and botanicals and their effects on human health. The company also awarded a research grant to the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. The grant allows NCNPR scientists to identify and study the biologically active chemicals found in botanicals, which may be used in the development of future dietary supplements and skin care products for Herbalife.

*The University of California does not endorse specific products or services as a matter of policy.