5 Secrets Sugar Bear Hair Won't Tell You

Where can you find more in-depth information about the owners and benefits rather than just the promotional fluff?

We researched from Google Scholar and an independent test lab, Labdoor to provide you secrets Sugar Bear Hair won't tell you and also the side effects.

1. Sugar Bear Hair Doesn't Really Reduce Hair Loss

Are SugarBear pills effective for quick hair growth? Based on our reading a paper from Google Scholar, the answer is almost 100% NO (unless you have vitamin deficient) and in fact, too much of SugarBearHair gummies might accelerate hair loss. Yes, it is harmful to your hair to eat too many vitamins even though we know that they are coated with sugar.

2. Hair Specialist Don't Recommend Sugar Bear Hair or Supplements

Using Google Search, we collated opinions from nutritionists, doctors, and skin specialists about Sugar Bear Hair:

  • “What’s good for your body is good for your skin and hair, so really being optimized on all your nutrients by maintaining a good, healthy well-balanced diet is most important. Hair vitamins are all a very similar combination of ingredients, and then some companies will throw in a special vitamin without any particular evidence that they’re of any relevance.” - Mary Gail Mercurio, MD, professor of dermatology and of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center
  • “Why can’t you just take a multivitamin? Everything that’s in it does what’s in a multivitamin, and the reality is that we don’t have a lot of data supplementing the high dose of [many of these specific ingredients] for hair.” - Dermatologist Nicole Rogers, MD, who is in private practice at Hair Restoration of the South and a member of the volunteer faculty at the Tulane University School of Medicine
  • “It’s a well-rounded supplement, but the way that it’s made adds in a ton of sugar and artificial coloring. We know that they contain the vitamins A, C, D, etc., but the ingredients that actually make it a gummy are so toxic that it doesn’t matter what’s actually in the supplement; you might as well eat a gummy bear.” NAO Nutrition founder Nikki Ostrower
  • “I think we’re quite obsessed with getting healthy and the idea that you could thicken your locks and get really perfect, shiny hair just by adding in a multivitamin is too good to be true. Protein is actually the building block of hair, amino acids [what protein gets broken down into] are what your hair is made up of. This isn’t going to be a source of protein in any respect, in fact, the main ingredient is glucose. You’re going to get a far better result by eating lean meats, seeds, nuts, eggs, tofu, and healthy omega 3s like oily fish. The other thing is that it’s missing iron, which is another key vitamin for hair growth” - Sydney-based nutritionist, Lyndi Cohen

3. Sugar Bear Hair Doesn't Really Contain What The Label Stated

Ingredients of SugarBearHair GummiesAccording to independent testing done by Labdoor, a San Francisco-based lab that tests and grades dietary supplements, the listed amount for some vitamin and mineral contained in the gummies was inaccurate by 20 percent or more. That's said, they are usually on the high side except for vitamin E which was measured lower at 12.1 IU/serving, 26.5% below its 16.5 IU/serving label claim.

Eating gummy bears are not as healthy as it seems too:

  • SugarBearHair missed an important mineral, Iron, which is a known cause of hair loss. We can understand why it was not included as Iron taste bad but we really need Iron in our life. Therefore, if your hair loss is related to Iron instead, don't get this and find something that contains Iron as you really need it to maintain healthy blood and hair.
  • Supplements should not replace a balanced diet. It is helpful when you are pregnant (and need extra minerals but don't have an appetite) or have a special dietary requirement (e.g. Vegans or vegetarians).
  • Vitamins and minerals from supplements are also not fully absorbed. Just because you get 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) does not mean your body absorbs it as your body doesn't work efficiently or it might be lost during digestion. Despite all these, we are just glad that SugarBearHair is vegan (yay, no animal harmed in the process). 

Related Questions

If it doesn't contain what is stated exactly, does Sugar Bear Hair contains leads? A common question was the worrisome report by BuzzFeed that Sugar Bear Hair Gummies contains more lead than expected in the same lab test. We did a fact check on the report and does not have any issues with lead. See the following from the report:-

This product passed all 4 heavy metal screenings. This means that measurements for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in one serving of this product falls below Labdoor's standards, which were derived from proposed and established California Prop 65 limits.

However, we scroll further down and found it mentioned some concern in safety scoring 78/100:

This product listed titanium dioxide, an insoluble whitening agent. Labdoor's analysis did not include measurements of titanium dioxide levels. Although “Generally Recognized as Safe” by the US FDA given the limitation that levels cannot exceed 1% (by weight) of a food product, titanium dioxide has been linked in research to cancer and neurological damage. 

FD&C Blue 1 has been linked to an increased incidence of allergy and hyperactivity.

Therefore, don't worry about lead poisoning and instead worry about titanium dioxide which is used for whitening especially if you feel allergic reactions or hyperactivity.

Is Sugar Bear Hair Vitamin FDA approved?

Sugar Bear Hair is not FDA approved. As with all supplements, they are not regulated heavily by HSA or FDA (USA equivalent of HSA). Unlike medicine, the manufacturer doesn't have to be subject to stringent health and safety checks by the authority. SugarBearHair did mention they follow FDA-approved guidelines and the lab testing shown they weren't the worst in terms of how much minerals are inside the gummies vs what was on the label. 

 

4. OverEating Sugar Bear Hair Gummies Have Side Effects?

After Googling, we then use Google Scholar:

  • From Dermatology Practical and Conceptual Journal, "Given the marketing efforts directed to consumers, physicians must be able to respond with a review of the known evidence. One point to emphasize is that such supplements are not without risks. In the absence of a deficiency, supplementation may actually prove harmful to hair. Over-supplementation of certain nutrients, including selenium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E, has actually been linked to hair loss. It is therefore surprising that the best-selling hair supplement on Amazon.com (referring to SugarBearHair) contains both vitamin A and vitamin E. While deficiency has not been linked to hair loss, high levels of vitamin A have. In fact, one study found that in a mouse AA model, reduction of vitamin A in the diet actually delayed hair loss onset. Additionally, there is some evidence for an adverse effect on hair growth, as seen in volunteers taking 600 IU per day for 28 days, a dosage around 30 times the daily recommended intake.

There are issues about Vitamin and E. Vitamin A and E are fat-soluble (unlike Vitamin C which is water-soluble) and excess is stored in the liver of your body instead of being expelled via urine like Vitamin C.

Therefore, there are risks of overeating Vitamin A and E. Hypervitaminosis A, or vitamin A toxicity causes symptoms such as blurring vision, bone pain, and skin changes. High doses of Vitamin E can also cause nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fatigue, weakness, headache, blurred vision, rash, and bruising, and bleeding.

Does sugar bear hair cause acne? Overeating sugar hair bear gummies are reported to cause acne. This is due to the active ingredient biotin, which promotes healthy nails said Dr. Jessica J. Krant, a board-certified dermatologist at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York.

She heard of this acne problem and said. “Many reports indicate that excess ingested biotin can lead to rashes and acne breakouts. There are no real scientific, blinded, placebo-controlled research trials to prove this, but if you start taking biotin and get worsening of your acne, the biotin may indeed be the culprit.”

Does sugar bear hair make you gain weight? No, In our opinion, if you eat a bottle of gummy faster than expected, you will probably suffer more from the vitamin overdose than weight gain. Each gummy is 4g of carbohydrates, so eating a whole bottle is equivalent to around 46 minutes of running. In comparison, a slice of cake could get you running for 46 minutes already.

5. Influencers were using free samples in exchange for the endorsement

Another short paper mentions SugarBearHair regarding Celebrity Endorsement, "For example, Kim Kardashian West, and her two sisters Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, both promote Sugar Bear Hair gummy vitamins on Instagram. Sugar Bear Hair states, that their vitamins bring out the natural beauty of hair and make it shinier, stronger, and longer.

Each of the three girls have their own personal beauty teams who style their hair with the top of the line products, these beauty teams can make any style happen, from adding extensions to creating the perfect beach wave.

When the girls post their sponsored pictures on Instagram, their hair is shiny and healthy-looking. Kylie has her hair long, black, and straight in most of her Sugar Bear Hair advertisements compared to her usually wild hair colors and cuts. This gives the consumer the sense that their hair will look as healthy and luscious as the Kardashians, thus causing them to buy the product. With this misinformation, these products can often lead to side effects for consumers. When consumers get on social media, they will most likely see at least one celebrity advertising a product looking beautiful and fit with no apparent side effects."

The adorable, chewable bear vitamins are marketed as the ultimate hair supplement for longer, stronger, and shinier locks. It was also widespread due to the heavy promotions on Instagram and the free samples given to influencers. We also believe that the trends will be more manufacturers providing vitamins in such gummy bears as people do not have time to take care of their health and opt for food as an alternative and quick solution. 

Celebrity endorsement is a known issue that impacts the whole health industry, even in Singapore where our celebrities promote various health products. Celebrities are trusted to share only great products that won't harm us. During the sharing, they wouldn't be telling us the side effects as it is not what people want to hear unless you are skeptics.  

Who Owns Sugar Bear Hair

SugarBearHair company was founded in May 2015 and made the co-founders, Nicole and Morris into multi-millionaires. Nicole Christine Nightly (Nicole Johnson), had a brief career as a beauty blogger while YouTube star, and Dan Morris, assisted in the launch of viralcrunch.com. The Florida-based Besweet Creations LLC owns the SugarBearHair brand and trademark in 2016. Nicole is also the founder of the detox tea company Skinny Fox.

If you still wish to get SugarBearHair vitamins, it is available at Amazon in various options. There are also 3 months' supply at Amazon and subscription options. Click the below image to check the Sugar Bear Hair price for a month.


SugarBearHair Vitamins, Vegetarian Gummy Hair Vitamins with Biotin, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, Folic Acid, Vitamin A (1 Month Supply)

Check Price on Amazon

Conclusion

This research is just to ensure you know about SugarBearHair as much as possible outside of the glam and wavy photos. Even though it is popular, you should buy based on the nutrients and price rather than the popularity.

Efforts have been made to get the information as accurate and updated as possible. If you found any incorrect information with credible source, please send it via the contact us form
Sky Hoon
Hair Lover, Idea Starter. He started HairQueenie, which is ranked #27 in the FeedSpot Top 40 Hair Care Blogs and mentions in ManeAddicts and Tempest. Hair is not everything but something. He started Hairqueenie to share great hair products. Over time, he found there are more value to share answers to hair problems that cannot be found easily.
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