The supplement industry is rife with formulas that do more harm than good. It’s the prevailing system in an attempt to generate hype as well as look for what consumers actually end up buying. Then there’s also the case with supplements hooking users with “dirty” ingredients which are almost always stimulatory in nature.
In a sea of dirty formulas, BSN Clean fat burner wants to standout as the one product that sells a clean bottle of fat shredding. No banned substances, minimal fluff, and a simple enough formula just to get your metabolism started.
Is BSN Clean fat burner really the answer to all the dirty labels or is it just another pretender? Read my BSN Clean review to find out!
About BSN Clean fat burner
BSN Clean fat burner wants you to know they’re not as dirty as the other fat burners in the industry. By dirty, they mean they ain’t as obsessed with stimulants and weird herbals like their competition. Looking at the bottle, they’re really hammering on the fact that nothing in the formula is illegal will make you hyperstimulated.
- Clean formulation. Transparent and with as little fluff as possible.
- Quality ingredients. I recognize all the ingredients and know for a fact that they are awesome fat burners.
- Confusing dose instructions. It says to take 1 capsule 3 times a day, but not exactly when. It also makes you think if you should take all three once a day instead.
BSN Clean Review: nutrition label
Other Ingredients: Gelatin, Dicalcium Phosphate, Silica, Magnesium Stearate
Directions: Take 1 capsule 3 times a day.
BSN Clean Review: ingredients list
BSN Clean fat burner tries to sell itself as a cleaner alternative to what most of the products in the supplement industry is currently churning out, and for the most part BSN Clean fat burner does itself justice.
There are no overcomplicated blends, no weird herbals, and no dirty and controversial stimulants to speak of. The label is also transparent and BSN Clean fat burner’s Other Ingredients aren’t too bad either; just the bare necessities.
BSN Clean fat burner only has six key ingredients and most of them looks to be from natural sources. However, I think BSN Clean fat burner tried to clean up so bad that it now looks to be really bare. I’m a fan of simple formulas and short fat burning stacks, but the ingredients in BSN Clean fat burner aren’t exactly what you would call super hot or super potent.
Let’s see what BSN Clean fat burner has for us so you can understand what I mean.
- Green Coffee Bean. First up is one of the best fat burning ingredients in the business. Green Coffee bean may not be the type of beans you can brew a cup of coffee from (hint: it ain’t roasted), but it does have Chlorogenic Acid. Chlorogenic acid is a compound that triggers fat burning and boosts its efficiency, making you burn more fat for less time.
Unfortunately, BSN Clean fat burner forgot to standardize green coffee bean for its chlorogenic acid content, rendering its 200 mg dose mild at first glance.
- Caffeine Anhydrous. A weird addition in a supplement that tries to sell itself as “clean.” Caffeine is another great fat burner as well as everybody’s favorite energy booster. While it shouldn’t really qualify for a clean label, the amount of caffeine anhydrous we have here is just barely over a cup of coffee’s equivalence. I personally would have preferred at least 200 mg, but I guess it would look “dirty” at that dose.
- Cissus quadrangularis extract as Synetrim CQ. This ingredient is among the old guard of fat burners. I say old guard because almost no supplement makes use of cissus in their formulas, much less fat burners. That makes sense too; cissus ain’t exactly what you call a straight up fat burner as much as it is a joint health supplement. However, research found some appetite suppressing potential for it.
Is the dosage for cissus too small? I think so. Then again, in the context of appetite suppressants, maybe even 100 mg works. Not to mention it comes in the form of Synetrim CQ, the most premium you can get with any cissus supplement.
- Grapefruit Bioflavonoids. These aren’t grapes, bro. I literally know more than a handful of people who think grapes and grapefruits are one in the same. Anyway, grapefruit bioflavonoids show some positive effects on weight loss, but not in the same line as caffeine, green tea extract, or cayenne.
The right dosage can be tricky. Most studies use the actual fruit as juice or in slices, not as extract. If half the fruit is 123 grams, and if most grapefruits have 27 mg/100 grams bioflavonoid content, the 100 mg dose is pretty good.
- Yerba Mate Extract std. 10% caffeine. Yerba Mate is often added as an alternative to caffeine. It’s a natural source of energy, and has some sort of delayed release effect, preventing spikes, jitters, and crashing as well as provide sustainable energy. At 10% standardization, you have an extra 10 mg source of caffeine.
Research on yerba mate suggests it’s best paired with good exercise (as with any program, diet, or supplement should be), but the clinical dosage we want is way higher than the dosage we have here.
Though in the context of it being a second source of caffeine, the 100 mg dose should be okay. Not great, but okay.
- Cayenne Extract as Capsimax std. 2% capsaicinoids. Cayenne is another top tier fat burning ingredient (that makes three for BSN Clean fat burner) and it comes in last, but not least. As Capsimax, you get the max potency per dosage when it comes to thermogenesis and overall metabolic boost. The dosage is kinda short, though. I would prefer at least 50 mg.
BSN Clean Review: formula analysis
BSN Clean fat burner isn’t as clean as I hoped for, but it’s far, far from being a dirty supplement either. For what it’s worth, it’s not as stimulating as most fat burners we’ve reviewed. Still, I think BSN Clean fat burner is a bit too bare for its own good.
What I like:
The clean take on fat burners isn’t exactly a new way to create a formula, but it’s a welcome addition in the ever growing roster of fat burning supplements. Mind you, BSN Clean fat burner still has caffeine, but it’s an okay addition from my perspective.
I like the addition of credible and potent fat burners namely green coffee bean, caffeine, and cayenne. These three ingredients have been studied for their fat burning properties and most of the literature agree on their benefits for weight loss. The forms of the remaining ingredients aren’t bad either.
I also like the stack potential for BSN Clean fat burner. The caffeine content is mild, so you can just combine this with another mildly caffeinated stimulant to achieve max potency and efficiency. The directions for use also indicate taking three capsules per day, meaning you can literally get three times the dosages we have here if you wanted, though of course that also means getting three times the caffeine.
If you do take the three capsules in one go, you would get:
- 600 mg green coffee bean
- 345 mg caffeine
- 300 mg cissus
- 300 mg grapefruit
- 300 mg yerba mate
- 90 mg cayenne
I don’t know about you, but that kind of formula is ringing all the right bells in me.
What I don’t like:
In the context of a single capsule serving, BSN Clean fat burner is mild at best. It’s not as potent as many users want it to be, and there’s a clear need to at least double the dosage to get a better fat burning experience.
Despite not having the largest dose, you can tell BSN Clean fat burner is primarily stim-driven. Sure, caffeine anhydrous and yerba mate combine for like 125 mg os stated caffeine, but green coffee bean is a caffeine source too, with research saying it has a 1:1 caffeine per mg ratio.
There’s also the issue of adding Cissus in the mix. I understand it adds some appetite suppressant effect, but why not just go for chromium picolinate? That shit works on really small dosages, you can also distribute the extra dose on BSN Clean fat burner’s other ingredients.
In summary: BSN Clean fat burner’s clean take on fat burning only appears clean on paper. It’s still stim-driven and you actually don’t know how much stim you’re taking. However, the formula design is sound and leaves a lot of room for stacking potential.
What’s Missing from BSN Clean?
The biggest way for BSN Clean fat burner to fix itself and be taken more seriously is by simply doubling or tripling the number of capsules per serving.
As I mentioned, BSN Clean fat burner’s formula is mild at most. Once you double or triple the capsules, that’s when the real fun starts.
So, does BSN Clean work?
BSN Clean fat burner is still stim-driven and as much as I hate to admit it, stim-driven fat burning supplements are still relevant and do work on fat loss.
Does BSN Clean have a lot of caffeine?
The known caffeine dose is 125 mg total, combining caffeine anhydrous and yerba mate. However, I do want to know just how much caffeine green coffee bean is adding. Since it’s not stated, it’s best to assume green coffee bean offers at least 100 mg extra caffeine per serving,
From that, you get a hypothetical total caffeine of 225 mg which is pretty good and strong enough for most users.
So, is BSN Clean fat burner any good or just hype?
BSN Clean fat burner isn’t really that bad, but it’s not as good as it claims to be. However, I reiterate my stance on stacking and doubling or tripling the dosage to make it more relevant to today’s market.
BSN Clean Review: benefits for muscle
Any stim-driven fat burning stack should inspire users to expend the energy in the gym or with anything that gets them to sweat a lot. With that said, the amount of energy you would get from a single capsule serving of BSN Clean fat burner is purported to be not that much. If there’s not enough energy, the benefit’s lost.
Who is BSN Clean made for?
Initially, BSN Clean fat burner targets users who aren’t fond of stimulants. Then I saw caffeine and realize their market is okay with caffeine, but not with other stims like synephrine and yohimbine.
Pros and veterans in the industry would probably buy this too as a complementary addition to their gym stack of just to rebel against the system and go all out with three caps in one serving.
BSN Clean Review: side effects
The thing with being labeled as a clean supplement is to almost guarantee no side effects at all. With a labeled total dose of 125 mg caffeine, I say it shouldn’t be a trigger for any stim-related side effect. A 125 mg caffeine dose is just a little over a cup of coffee’s worth. I know you drink more than that.
BSN Clean Review: pros and cons
Pros
- Quality ingredients. Love the attention to detail for this one.
- Mildly dosed, but should still function.
- Transparent label. Being clean means showing everything is clean.
- Virtually no side effects. The mild energy boost shouldn’t affect you negatively.
- Barely any fluff. The other ingredients are kept to a minimum.
Cons
- Stim-driven. It’s not obvious, but it’s there..
- Can easily be fixed by taking more capsules.
- Most retailers sell it for almost $60!
Pricing info
- 1 bottle (90 servings/capsules): $59
- Available online and in retail stores.
BSN Clean Review: summary
I didn’t really expect much from a fat burner that calls itself clean, but I’m here to tell you I was pleasantly surprised both in a good and bad way. BSN Clean fat burner’s take on a clean formula is interesting, but lacking.
It’s clear BSN Clean fat burner can only be really loved by fans of the company or users who don’t mind the small dosing. It’s evident they target well-read customers, so it’s safe to assume they’re not trying to scam nobody.
The big issue for me is the actual caffeine content per serving. You could be getting exactly 125 mg or up to 325 mg. Not telling us the actual caffeine content is dangerous given many users would buy a “clean” supplement thinking it’s virtually stim-free.
Besides the issue on caffeine, the price is also something to be cautious about. Like bro, $59 for 90 servings is REALLY GOOD, but the fact that BSN Clean fat burner wants you take three capsules per day makes it REALLY BAD.
Overall, I think BSN Clean fat burner is either too mild or too expensive. Whether you buy it to experiment on or just to fill in the gaps is up to you, but I personally wouldn’t try it.
