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ESTHER FORMULA Trending on TikTok
Liposomal Glutathione Direct Strips
Lemon oral strips with 80 mg of glutathione each; easy to take, but studies used 250 mg a day or more and the skin evidence is thin.
4.9
Poor
Nutrition Reviews score
Weighted across efficacy, quality, value, experience & transparency. See breakdown
- Form
- Tablet
- Serving
- 1 Strip(0.28g)
- Servings
- 30
- Per serving
- $1.23
Third-party tested
VeganSugar-freeGluten-freeNon-GMO
Check price on AmazonShop on TikTok Shop57.6K soldBuy from the brand$36.99
We may earn a commission when you buy through these links — it never affects our scores. How we make money
Last reviewed October 22, 2026 by the Nutrition Reviews Editorial Team · How we review
Our verdict
These strips are a pleasant, no-water way to take glutathione, made in the US with a fully disclosed formula. But one strip supplies about a third of the lowest dose studied, the skin-brightening evidence is modest, and reaching a studied dose costs about $3.70 a day. The marketing runs well ahead of the evidence, so buy it for convenience rather than promised results.
Best for
- People who dislike swallowing pills
- K-beauty fans who want a convenient antioxidant habit
Skip it if
- Anyone pregnant, nursing or taking prescription medication
- Budget shoppers, since capsules cost far less per milligram
- Anyone expecting dramatic skin lightening
How it scored
Our five-factor score out of 10. Factors are weighted by how much they matter to the outcome you’re paying for. Methodology
4.9
Poorout of 10
- Efficacy30%4.0
Key ingredients at clinically studied doses, and how strong the evidence is.
- Quality & Purity25%6.3
Third-party testing and certifications, manufacturing standards, contaminant testing, recall history.
- Value20%3.2
Cost per effective serving compared with category peers.
- Experience15%7.0
Taste, mixability, texture and tolerability from aggregated buyer and creator feedback.
- Transparency10%4.5
Full label disclosure (no proprietary blends), available COAs, honest marketing.
Our review
Esther Formula's Liposomal Glutathione Direct strips are a TikTok Shop best seller: on October 22, 2026, the official ESTHER FORMULA USA listing showed about 57,600 units sold. Each lemon-flavored strip dissolves on the roof of the mouth and supplies 80 mg of glutathione from dried yeast, plus 8 mg of vitamin C, 1 mg of vitamin E, 5 mg of milk thistle and 3 mg of L-cysteine hydrochloride. The strips are made in Lakeport, California, by the US arm of a South Korean brand founded by physician Dr. Yeo Esther (Esther Lyuh).
Oral glutathione can work: in a six-month trial of 54 adults, 250 to 1,000 mg a day raised blood glutathione. Skin results are thinner. Small trials using 250 mg a day for 12 weeks or 500 mg a day for four weeks found modest or inconsistent changes in skin pigment. One strip is a third of the lowest of those doses, and the add-ins are token amounts. The brand's case for strips over tablets rests on a small company-affiliated study that found higher blood levels hours after a 300 mg dose. This oral supplement is not the injectable glutathione that the Philippine FDA has warned against for skin lightening.
At $36.99 for 30 strips on the brand site ($48.09 on TikTok Shop), a strip costs about $1.23, and getting close to the lowest studied dose takes three strips (240 mg), about $3.70 a day. Buyers like the sour-lemon taste; some report nausea, warmth or headaches. The strips contain FD&C Yellow No. 6 despite an "additive free" badge, and the brand advises against use during pregnancy, while nursing or with prescription medications.
What’s inside
| Key ingredient | Per serving | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Glutathione (from dried yeast) Blood-level and skin studies used 250 to 1,000 mg a day, so one strip is about a third of the lowest studied dose; the brand suggests 1 to 2 strips daily, or 3 to 4. | 80 mg | Blood-level and skin studies used 250 to 1,000 mg a day, so one strip is about a third of the lowest studied dose; the brand suggests 1 to 2 strips daily, or 3 to 4. |
| Liposomal vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) 9% of the Daily Value; a small antioxidant add-in. | 8 mg | 9% of the Daily Value; a small antioxidant add-in. |
| Vitamin E (as dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate) 7% of the Daily Value; the panel misspells the form as "tocohperyl". | 1 mg | 7% of the Daily Value; the panel misspells the form as "tocohperyl". |
| Milk thistle seed extract A token amount; NIH's NCCIH calls trial results for milk thistle and liver disease conflicting or too limited even at far larger doses. | 5 mg | A token amount; NIH's NCCIH calls trial results for milk thistle and liver disease conflicting or too limited even at far larger doses. |
| L-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate A glutathione building block included in a negligible amount. | 3 mg | A glutathione building block included in a negligible amount. |
| FD&C Yellow No. 6 and enzymatically modified stevia A synthetic color and a no-calorie sweetener listed among the strip's other ingredients, despite the brand's "additive free" badge. | — | A synthetic color and a no-calorie sweetener listed among the strip's other ingredients, despite the brand's "additive free" badge. |
Supplement Facts
Serving Size 1 Strip(0.28g)
Servings Per Container 30
Amount Per Serving% Daily Value
Calories 0
Liposomal Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 8 mg9%
Vitamin E (as dl-alpha tocohperyl acetate) 1 mg7%
Glutathione (from Dried Yeast) 80 mg**
Milk Thistle Extract (Silybum marianum L.) (Seed) 5 mg**
L-Cysteine Hydrochloride Monohydrate 3 mg**
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established.
Other ingredients: Ingredient list from the official ESTHER FORMULA USA TikTok Shop listing: Liposomal L-Glutathione 90% (USA), Pullulan, Liposomal Vitamin C (USA), Potato Starch, Enzymatically Modified Stevia, Lemon Juice Powder, Orange Juice Powder, Hydroxypropylmethyl Cellulose, Citric Acid, Milk Thistle Extract (USA), β-Cyclodextrin, Flavor (Natural Lemon Flavor), MCT Oil Powder (Coconut), Vitamin E Complex Powder, FD&C Yellow No.6, Polysorbate 80, L-Cysteine, Glycerin, Citric Acid
Contains: Coconut
Flavors & variants
Lemon
Testing & quality
The brand says its strips are made in the USA and undergo third-party testing, and the company told county officials the Lakeport plant was rebuilt to meet cGMP standards; no certificate of analysis or named testing program is published. A "Halal Certified" badge appears without a named certifier.
Goals it supports
Creator video reviews
Independent creators reviewing Liposomal Glutathione Direct Strips on TikTok and YouTube.
3 positive0 mixed0 critical
Pros & cons
What we like
- Fully disclosed amounts with no proprietary blend
- Pleasant sour-lemon strip that dissolves without water
- Made in the company's own California facility
- Oral glutathione raised blood levels in a six-month trial at 250 to 1,000 mg a day
- Individually sealed strips are easy to carry
Watch-outs
- 80 mg per strip is well below the 250 to 1,000 mg a day used in studies
- About $1.23 a strip, or roughly $3.70 a day to reach a studied dose
- Absorption and brightening claims rest on small, company-affiliated data with inconsistent figures
- Contains FD&C Yellow No. 6 despite an "additive free" badge
Questions buyers ask
Is 80 mg of glutathione per strip enough?
Probably not on its own. Trials that raised blood glutathione used 250 to 1,000 mg a day, and skin studies used 250 to 500 mg. One strip has 80 mg; the brand suggests one or two a day, or three to four for extra support. Matching the lowest studied dose takes about three strips, roughly $3.70 a day at the brand's current price.
Is this the same as glutathione injections for skin lightening?
No. These are oral strips. The Philippine FDA has warned against injectable glutathione for skin lightening, citing possible liver, kidney and nerve toxicity and infection risks, and the US FDA has reported reactions to compounded IV glutathione made from supplement-grade powder. Oral glutathione was generally well tolerated in trials, and any effect on skin tone has been modest.
Has Esther Formula faced regulatory problems?
In December 2023, South Korea's food and drug ministry said some ads on the company's online store made disease-related claims for ordinary foods, and it referred the case to local authorities; a California business newspaper later reported a two-month business suspension. The company said its ads had been pre-reviewed by an industry body. We found no US recalls of the strips.
Sources we checked (22)
- 1.esther-mall.com/products/liposomal-glutathione-direct
- 2.esther-mall.com/pages/about-us
- 3.cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0595/6724/3459/files/esther-formula-glutathione-standard-pa
- 4.shop.tiktok.com/us/pdp/liposomal-glutathione-direct-by-estherformula-antioxidant-supp
- 5.shop.tiktok.com/us/k/glutathione
- 6.amazon.com/dp/B0DZNT7SWG
- 7.sonomanews.com/2025/10/24/esther-formula-south-korea-supplements-manufacturer-lakepo
- 8.esthermall.co.kr/
- 9.thevc.kr/estherformula
- 10.dailypharm.com/user/news/21114
- 11.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42392376/
- 12.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24791752/
- 13.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28853742/
- 14.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21875351/
- 15.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20524875/
- 16.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28490897/
- 17.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26148180/
- 18.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13580517/
- 19.fda.gov.ph/fda-advisory-no-2019-182-unsafe-use-of-glutathione-as-skin-lightening
- 20.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-reminds-compounders-not-use-dietary-
- 21.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-highlights-concerns-using-dietary-in
- 22.nccih.nih.gov/health/milk-thistle
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