In late August 2025, an online rumor claimed that Oprah Winfrey was endorsing a so-called "pink salt trick" for weight loss.
(salttrickrecipe.store)
The story spread quickly through a network of questionable websites (archived), social media posts on platforms like YouTube and X, and reportedly paid advertisements. On Reddit, one user captured the disbelief many felt, asking, (archived) "Oprah is so rich, why is she shilling pink salt for weight loss?"
But Winfrey has not endorsed any such product or recipe and this is just the latest example of a recurring online scam that uses her name, image, and credibility to sell questionable dietary supplements. Therefore, we have rated this claim as false.
Fake videos, fake comments, fake urgency
One article (archived) spreading the false rumor about Winfrey endorsing a "pink salt trick" claim was headlined, "Harvard-Trained Doctor Reveals The 5-Second 'Pink Salt Trick' That's Helping Women Over 45 Finally Shed Stubborn Fat Nо Iпjесtіопs, Nо Wоrkоut."
The word "Iпjесtіопs" contained the Cyrillic letter "п" instead of the Latin "n," employing an anti-crawling technique that involved visually substituting certain Latin letters with similar-looking characters from other alphabets. This tactic reduces the article's discoverability through standard keyword searches, complicating efforts to track its circulation. We have previously revealed the use of this technique in a July 2025 article debunking claims that tennis star Coco Gauff donated $3 million for search-and-rescue efforts amid deadly Texas floods.
The videos hosted on websites spreading the rumor often included deepfake clips of celebrities such as Winfrey, Adele, Kim Kardashian and Rebel Wilson. For instance, Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector gave a sample of Winfrey's voice "Authenticity score: 1 / 100" indicating "the sampled voice is likely a deepfake."
(Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector)
In addition to the fake footage, the videos incorporated authentic photographs of the same celebrities, a tactic seemingly intended to lend the scams an added sense of legitimacy.
Misusing institutions' credibility
Additionally, the websites circulating the rumor included logos of prestigious institutions such as Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, Stanford Medicine, and The New England Journal of Medicine — despite having no genuine affiliation with any of them.
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Similarly, one website (archived) displayed the names and logos of Harvard University, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Frontiers in Pharmacology, and The Lancet Planetary Health. None of these organizations had any connection to the claims.
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As we reported in March 2024, a similar network of scammers exploited the websites of respected institutions to promote so-called "miracle" CBD and keto gummies.
From 'pink salt hack' to supplement sales
Despite being framed around an alleged "pink salt recipe," the videos never revealed one and instead redirected users to websites selling weight loss supplements.
At one point, one of the videos displayed a message promising "up to $5,000 available to viewers who watch the video until the end." Those who did sit through the lengthy footage, which ran for dozens of minutes, were eventually redirected to a questionable sales page (archived) for the supplement LipoVive.
(secretloophole.online)
When searching for information on Lipovive, one of the top Google results appeared to come from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The link, shown as "forms.international.ucla.edu" with the school's logo, did not work and had no real connection to UCLA. This was another example of scammers attempting to borrow the credibility of trusted domains like ".edu," ".org" or ".gov" to make their claims appear more legitimate.
(Google search results )
A link on another website, salttrickrecipe.store, initially displayed a video about the "pink salt trick," but eventually redirected to a sales page for a product called Slimjaro. Similarly, another article, titled, "'If this were my last interview, I'd want every woman to hear this,' says Oprah, after losing nearly 60 pounds using this pink salt trick" was hosted on a website redirecting to a sales page for HepatoBurn supplement.
Fake comments and false urgency
What's more, the comment sections on some of the websites (archived) spreading the claim appeared to be fabricated. Most of the comments were marked as having been posted only minutes before a visitor arrived, yet the time-stamps never changed, even after several minutes of browsing or refreshing the page. In addition, there was no option for users to add their own comments, further indicating that the ones visible at the website were not genuine.
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Some of the fabricated comment threads even tried to preempt skepticism by staging conversations about whether the "pink salt trick" or advertised products were legitimate. In one alleged exchange, a user named Margy Peet wrote, "I don't know… this might be a scam. What if I waste my time and it doesn't work to help me with my weight?" Another supposed user, Sandra Bryan, quickly replied, "I used to think the same thing, but it works. In just 15 days, my belly was visibly flatter and my pants were looser!" Peet then responded with, "Thanks so much for the comment, I'll give it a try too then." The staged exchange appeared intended to reassure visitors of the product's legitimacy and subtly pressure them into making a purchase.
The pages also relied on high-pressure tactics, warning viewers with messages like, "This video will be out soon. This is your last chance to watch the ending."
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At times, the videos suggested they might be taken down at any moment, creating a false sense of urgency and pushing users into acting before they have time to think critically.
Not the first time Oprah's image used for a scam
This "pink salt recipe" hoax is only the latest in a long series of scams misappropriating Winfrey's name to push bogus products. In 2022, she spoke out on Instagram against fraudulent ads claiming she endorsed CBD gummies, writing:
Fraud alert! Please don't buy any weight loss gummies with my picture or name on them. There have been social media ads, emails, and fake websites going out and I want you to hear it straight from me, that I have nothing to do with them. Please don't be taken advantage of and don't give your personal information to them.
As we reported in 2023, similar scams falsely linked her to keto and CBD gummies.
'Pink salt trick' will not help you lose weight
Apart from the false claims about Winfrey's endorsement, the "pink salt trick" wasn't a real trick at all.
In mid-August 2025, we investigated social media posts claiming that adding Hawaiian pink salt to lemon water could promote weight loss. Nutrition experts, however, said the claim was false. Allison Childress, an associate professor of practice in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Tech University and a clinical dietitian, told us the mixture "will not do anything significant" for weight loss and may even cause water retention and fluid gain. She also warned that replacing iodized salt with pink salt can increase the risk of iodine deficiency and thyroid problems. Sustainable weight loss, she said, comes from proven habits like balanced meals, regular exercise, hydration, and adequate sleep — not quick fixes like the "pink salt trick."