Originally from South Korea, this injection, presented as a cosmetic and non -medical treatment, circulates freely online. No prescription required, no medical control, and an attractive price – around 130 euros for five vials. All accompanied by enticing promises: destruction of fat cells, anti-inflammatory effects, without effort or pain. However, doctors are alarmed. In France, the product remains unknown to health professionals. Worse, there is no scientific study validating its effectiveness or safety.
Lemon Bottle, the golden egg bulb …
Three ingredients are highlighted by the Sidmedicos Korean firm: riboflavin, lecithin and bromelain. According to them, these assets would accelerate the degradation of localized fats and reach precise areas of the body thanks to the injection. In practice, targeted areas are often arms, double chin or belly. Several Instagram accounts allow the brand to promote its product sold by box of 5 bulbs for a hundred euros. On Tiktok videos, the procedure seems harmless: an anesthetic cream, some bites made by an esthetician, even by the person himself, and an effect expected in two or three sessions.
© Swissmedic
But this product claiming to be a cosmetics does not benefit from any marketing authorization, specific to any injectable product sold in France, considered as a medication. According to Fatya Assadi, aesthetic doctor, this product raises serious concerns.
“”You have to be clear: we have no scientific publication to date that can attest or the effectiveness of injections, or the product safety“She says.
She adds: “No previous study shows that these ingredients cause fatty melting. Use it seems astounding“.
In France, this type of injection is not in any recognized aesthetic protocol. And unlike supervised products, the Lemon Bottle does not have CE marking, which means that it has not been assessed according to European safety standards. Finally, let us recall that acts of lipolysis have been prohibited in France since April 2011, because according to the High Authority for Health, they “have a serious danger to human health“.
Bulbs with very random compositions
Swissmedic, the Swiss drug surveillance authority, has led analyzes to verify the composition of these products and the conclusion is final: “None of the declared ingredients have been detected by the Swissmedic laboratory in the lipolysis solution samples “Lemon Bottle” from various sources “. In detail, the press release from the Swiss authorities details:
“”The official swissmedic laboratory analyzed product samples from various sources and found that the ingredients did not correspond to the declaration and even varied from one packaging to another. Thus, in a sample, the only detected substance was caffeine, while in another, none of the ingredients mentioned on the packaging was detectable. These products can therefore be considered falsifications “.
Swissmedic expressly warns against the use of this lipolysis solution. “No therapeutic effect has been scientifically proven, the quality of the ingredients has not been tested and its use can therefore present a health risk”. The Swiss authorities therefore advises not to use this solution and to take care to throw it properly.
On Tiktok, Dr Adel Louafi surgeon and aesthetic doctor also reacts strongly.
Real health risks according to professionals
Beyond doubt about its effectiveness, the way in which these injections are carried out poses a real health problem. They are often practiced outside of any medical framework, in beauty institutes, even at home. However, a poorly performed injection is never trivial.
“”Injections must be done in strict asepsis conditions“, Recalls the Docture Assadi.”If they are poorly done, this can cause abscesses, infections, edema, even cases of necrosis“. A simple needle error or poor disinfection may be enough to trigger a serious complication.
Here is what the doctor denounces:
- The total lack of control over the product and its composition;
- The absence of medical supervision in the places where it is injected;
- Ignorance of the risk by users seduced by the easy promise.
For many professionals, this phenomenon is in line with the misappropriation of drugs such as Ozempic. The common point: a desire to transform your body quickly, effortlessly, even if it means taking risks. “”This is where we realize that the networks are dangerous and that many Internet users are naive“, She concludes.