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6 Min
09/02/2026
Dubbed the ‘Korean Ozempic’ on social media, many food influencers have been swearing by the Korean cutting jelly. What this product is promoting via famous folks is that it curbs cravings, has fibre and helps build muscle. But for a tiny tube to go viral at this scale, being sold as a convenient weight management solution, has raised many eyebrows. Because one needs to be cautious of anything that does not come doctor-recommended, especially when it involves health.
Is the Korean cutting jelly living up to its name and ‘cutting’ what it claims to cut, or is it another celebrity-endorsed empty promise? This viral product from South Korea is marketed as a food supplement. It looks the same as jellies with the gelatinous product, which comes in little tubes meant for single, on-the-go, oral consumption. This fits the ‘instant fix’ and ‘grab-and-go culture’, even in India, where wellness circles are picking up shortcuts that promote better health. It’s perhaps its convenience which made it go viral. But where do the claims stand on the truth scale?
Cutting jelly is a gel-based supplement, sold in individual stick packs that resemble translucent jelly. The term ‘cutting’ in their packs refers to cutting calories or carbs, and not slicing the jelly. Most versions are made with:
The product also has water, fruit flavouring, and plant-based thickeners. It’s marketed to allegedly help with digestion, bloating, and appetite suppression by making you feel fuller, but there’s no solid scientific evidence that it causes meaningful or healthy weight loss.
The two products at work here are the chia seeds and garcinia cambogia. There is no magic in them, despite what companies may be marketing. Dr Chethan Ramprasad, a Harvard medical faculty member, rubbished the claim that any plant extract that supposedly inhibits enzymes that break down carbohydrates doesn’t affect humans as much as you’d think.
So, any short-term weight change some people might notice is usually due to water loss or digestive side effects, not true fat reduction. The jelly might seem to be working, but it works only to a degree by impacting your appetite – it gives your digestive system something to work on for a bit. The bulking agents, like fibre, keep the stomach from emptying. However, sustainable weight loss still depends on calorie control, exercise, and medically validated approaches.
As you might have gathered by now, cutting jellies is also one of those products that fall into the diet fad category. This can ambush even the most cautious user online. They’re often marketed with promises of appetite suppression and easier calorie control, but scientific evidence does not support significant fat loss, just from them alone.
Health professionals emphasise that sustainable weight management requires broader lifestyle changes, such as increased physical activity and balanced eating patterns that include vegetables, whole grains, and reduced processed foods. Quick-fix supplements like cutting jellies can’t replace comprehensive, evidence-based approaches to weight control.
There is no solid clinical evidence that garcinia cambogia or similar extracts in cutting jellies reliably cause meaningful or sustained weight loss. Claims about fat burning or carb blocking are largely marketing communications, not medically proven facts.
Aside from possible liver issues, users may experience headaches, nausea, diarrhoea, gastrointestinal upset, and stomach discomfort. Some reports also link garcinia to serotonin toxicity, pancreatitis, and muscular issues.
The trend gained particular momentum after prominent celebrities like Kylie Jenner shared videos claiming it as their ‘new favourite’, promoting cutting jellies to millions of followers. The post did spark backlash from health professionals and social media users concerned about promoting weight loss products.
This jelly, too, followed the same controversial trends as many of its predecessors. In the past, too, celebrities promoted products essentially functioning as laxatives under the guise of wellness support. Medical experts labelled the promotion as potentially harmful, particularly given the limited evidence supporting the product's claims.
Korean cutting jellies contain some potentially beneficial components like dietary fibre, but the scientific evidence does not support their claims about weight loss. It’s pure marketing at work. It’s why products making dramatic claims, particularly those heavily promoted through social media, warrant scepticism.
