A surge of unregulated “GLP-1 patches” are being sold on TikTok Shop, with promoters claiming Ozempic-like weight loss results — despite the platform's ban on the sale of weight loss products.

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone that is naturally released in response to eating to help regulate blood sugar. GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, are a “class of medications that work by mimicking the natural GLP-1 hormone” and support weight loss by slowing down stomach emptying and lowering blood sugar levels. 

These medications are primarily prescribed for patients with Type 2 diabetes or obesity, but they’ve soared in popularity as celebrities popularized them as a diet drug. Now, online businesses are trying to cash in on the craze by selling skin patches marketed for weight loss that include “GLP-1” in the product name, but are not actually GLP-1 agonist drugs.

TikTok’s prohibited products policy explicitly forbids the sale of “products and supplements that claim to aid in weight management, fat reduction, or similar goals.” Yet, GLP-1 patches advertising weight loss (and an array of copycat products) are thriving on TikTok Shop. 

Kind Patches, seemingly the most popular brand of GLP-1 patches on TikTok Shop, promises “weight management and appetite control” via plant-based ingredients such as berberine, chromium, pomegranate, and L-glutamine extract that have been shown to aid in GLP-1 production. But Dr. Alyssa Dominguez, an endocrinologist at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, told Rolling Stone that “the doses are super off compared to anything that was in research studies, like they were giving people 8,000 times the dose of what is in the patch.” 

Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, One Medical’s national medical director and vice president of in-office care, spoke to The Healthy about the efficacy of GLP-1 patches, saying, “None of these supplements have any evidence that they can help with weight loss.” 

A new PBS report also noted that the studies Kind Patches referenced to support the use of berberine, glutamine, and chromium for weight loss were insufficient; the research for glutamine and chromium involved oral intake and the study for berberine was a meta-analysis “which encompassed many different studies where the administration methods are not always clear.” 

GLP-1 patches are the company’s best performing product on TikTok Shop, with over 364,000 sales of single packs and nearly 98,000 sales of their triple packs. 

These products have exploded in popularity on TikTok, which may be linked to their aggressive marketing strategies. Kind Patches has launched an ambassador program offering “free products, commissions on sales, and opportunities to grow your influence” to creators who “have a community of 1500+ on socials.” 

TikTok is flooded with sponsored posts selling GLP-1 patches for weight loss. One user referenced using the patch to get their favorite shorts out of retirement, with the caption: “Don’t waste your $$ on the [shot emoji].” 

Another creator promoting the patches wrote in overlaid text, “See yall in a month with no waist [hourglass emoji].” 

Most concerningly, one sponsored post seemingly encouraged breastfeeding mothers to use GLP-1 patches as an alternative to injectable GLP-1 agonists, writing, “POV: your a breastfeeding mom who wants to be snatched but can’t use those sharp things once a week.” (Kind Patches’ website warns consumers to not use GLP-1 patches if they are pregnant or nursing.)