Claims

• Pink Patch, the latest craze from Curb Your Cravings, is being marketed to women as a way to achieve the perfect body without being a slave to the gym. The site boasts that that this all-natural product will curb your appetite, enhance your mood, increase your energy, help your body break down fats and cholesterol and boost your immune system.
  
  

Main Ingredient

• The main active ingredient in the Pink Patch is Fucus vesiculosus, a seaweed that the website claims may help to reduce weight and increase metabolism so that, "You can forget about those pesky five pounds!" According to the US National Institutes Health (NIH), large quantities of Fucus vesiculosus are consumed in some countries where this seaweed is bountiful and it is used as a folk remedy for numerous ailments. However, there are no data from clinical trials to support the claim that Fucus vesiculosus will increase metabolism or cause weight loss.
  
  

5-HTP

• The Pink Patch also contains unspecified quantities of 5-HTP, which regulates levels of serotonin in the brain. Use of 5-HTP has been shown to improve moods in people suffering from depression, but there are no data to show that this effect will be demonstrated in healthy people, according to Vanderbilt.com. As the product labeling does not specify the dosage of this or any other active ingredient, there is no way to know if the amount of 5-HTP is very low, limiting any potential efficacy, or if the dosage is very high and may cause side effects, such as nausea.
  
  

What the US Government Says

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a government organization charged with protecting American consumers, has said, "...one of the most common false weight loss claims is that diet patches, topical creams and gels, body wraps, and other products worn on the body or rubbed into the skin can cause substantial weight loss." The FTC has filed a suit against a company that claimed their weight loss patch, which also contained Fucus vesiculosus, produced substantial weight loss.
  
  

Common Sense

• At the end of their advertisement, the Pink Patch notes that, "For best results use [the Pink Patch] as part of a low-calorie, low-fat meal plan & exercise program." Common sense would tell you that this is good advice and may help you lose weight--regardless of whether or not you use the Pink Patch.