If you’ve seen Instagram ads and viral TikTok posts recently about crystal hair removers, you’re probably wondering if these crystal hair erasers actually work. Here is my very honest review of the Bleame hair eraser product and their company.
I normally don’t do reviews on beauty products, but I bought this product and I feel pretty strongly about this one so I’m doing a thorough review of the Bleame “crystal” hair eraser (which is actually glass).
Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and based on my personal experience and the things I have been finding through my research on this company.
We’re including info on how the product worked on my skin and some criticisms of the Bleame business with some not-so-great things I found out about the Bleame company after I bought their product for myself and my daughter.
In this post, we’ll talk about:
- Whether the Bleame hair eraser actually works.
- The risk of injury from crystal hair erasers.
- Potentially deceptive business practices and false claims of Bleame and I why I don’t recommend purchasing from them.
- Updates, including potentially faking employees!
Since this post was getting super long with all the updates I added, I took the portion about Booty Boost Mask and added it to a new blog post along with updates on their newest product, the Skin Sonic.
Check out our videos about Bleame:
- Honest review of the crystal eraser, part 1
- Bleame business practices review (part 2)
- Bleame video part 3 (Booty Boost Mask fake reviews and false advertising)
- Bleame video part 4 (review manipulation and review hijacking with the Skin Sonic)
- TikTok video update on Bleame’s changing recommendations
- I also just created a YouTube playlist for my Bleame videos so they’re all in one place
Since this post deals with some skin injury and health issues like friction burns, I have to make a medical disclaimer that this post is in no way intended to be taken as medical advice, or to replace the advice of your doctor or dermatologist.
Does the Bleame work? My review of their crystal hair eraser
Let’s jump into the first big question of whether or not crystal hair erasers actually work. I haven’t tried other brands, just the Bleame, so I can’t speak to whether this applies to all crystal hair erasers or just the Bleame brand.
First off, “crystal” hair removers are actually just etched glass on a plastic holder, very similar to a giant glass nail file. Some companies claim this is some kind of “nano-crystalline technology”, but it’s really just etched glass.
It is effective at exfoliating skin (too effective, more on that later) and inconsistent with hair removal.
Initially, I had purchased a 2-pack Bleame in November for my daughter and myself and I could not get it to work except on my knuckles. I set it aside and intended to get a refund (more on that later, too), but then decided to do a review and try it again to see if I wasn’t using it properly.
Bleame’s Instagram comments and packaging says that you can use this product on dry skin, damp skin, and with shaving cream, so I tried all 3 methods.
On dry skin, I couldn’t get the hair eraser to remove much hair unless I applied quite a bit of pressure, which was a bit irritating to my skin. The company says not to press too hard, but you can’t actually get the hair to come off on dry skin without adding more pressure, which feels like a problem.
So basically you have to increase pressure on dry skin in order for the hair to be removed, but increasing pressure can cause skin irritation.
I was able to get the hair removed on my lower legs below my knees (thick coarse hair), and arms (fine thin hair) using this on dry skin. But I wasn’t able to get in some places (like around my wrist) and I feel like using a razor is much faster and has less risk of injury.
I switched to using this on wet skin and it worked better to remove the hair, but it is much more irritating to use on wet skin! It grabs more, pulls and clumps long hairs, and causes burns (more on that in the next section).
Since they mention using shaving cream, I also tried using this on my upper arm using wet/damp skin and shaving gel. It worked ok and was less irritating than just plain wet skin, but I still noticed redness and irritation there the next day.
This did not work near my bikini area at all on dry skin, and I wasn’t about to use it with wet skin to test it more.
11 day update: on my left arm I had mild irritation where I used it on dry skin and with shaving cream. And severe irritation on my right arm where I used it on wet skin. It has been over 10 days since I used the Bleame and some of the skin on my left arm where I had mild irritation still feels very rough, like spots on my skin feel like sandpaper.
Final verdict on the product itself:
- This product works inconsistently and doesn’t work in certain areas (like bikini zone) or around wrists, knees, etc. They don’t recommend even using it in certain areas, such as armpits or the face.
- Takes more time to use than a razor.
- High risk of skin injury and actually more irritating to skin than a razor: you have to use a good amount of pressure on dry skin for this to work, and it can be extremely irritating to skin on wet skin. Shaving cream helped a bit but my skin still ended up red after shaving cream.
Crystal hair removers are not the miracle product they are touted to be!!
Unfortunately, the website reviews and social media comments on these products are very skewed because companies are blocking honest reviews and comments that paint their product in a negative light (I share more on that later in this post).
If you’re doing research on these products, looking through Reddit threads and Amazon reviews will give you a more realistic idea of what kind of results people are getting (as long as the companies aren’t paying for 5 star Amazon reviews, which unfortunately happens).
The Allure website has a great article on this viral fad of crystal hair erasers and why a board certified dermatologist calls them a “gimmick” that you should pass up.
High risk of injury from this product
In the previous section I mentioned the risk of skin injury with these hair erasers. The first few times I tried using this, I didn’t experience any skin irritation with it since I apparently wasn’t pressing hard enough to even remove the hair.
But the next time I gave this a try with wet skin, using the same amount of pressure as I had used with dry skin, I got pretty bad skin irritation on my right arm, and some milder skin irritation on my left arm. My arm welted up a bit and the worst part of it swelled up the next day.
Since this is basically a glass nail file that’s akin to fine sandpaper, there are definitely risks of irritating your skin, over-exfoliating, and getting friction burns even when using this product as directed.
I’m not alone with this type of skin irritation, either. Looking through Amazon reviews of similar brands and products, and perusing Reddit threads, skin irritation and rash is a very common complaint, along with it being time consuming.
One of the reddit comments that I looked at mentioned that this is basically sandpaper, which fits my initial impressions of it basically being a giant glass nail file. I don’t think you even have to have sensitive skin for this to be really irritating!
Even when using this as directed, the chances of getting irritation are pretty high since telling people “not to use too much pressure” (as Bleame and similar companies do) is difficult to quantify. Amount of pressure applied is pretty relative for each person and it will also depend on the area of your body you’re using this on (lower leg skin is probably more resistant to irritation than arm skin or even middle thigh skin).
I also tried this on dry skin on my lower legs and it did ok removing hair, I didn’t seem to have irritation on my lower legs. But I tried this on my upper leg/thigh area on dry skin and had redness the next day, which turned into very rough skin the following 2 days after using it.
The skin irritation and rash I had ended up being mostly on my arms, and they were on fire for the rest of the day after using the Bleame in the morning!!
As I mentioned before, also tried using this on my upper left arm with shaving cream on wet/damp skin since they mention using shaving cream. It seemed to do better at first, but the next day I still had redness and irritation there (just not quite as bad as on my right arm).
I did some more digging around and found some Better Business Bureau reviews where customers shared about their skin irritation after using the Bleame hair remover, some requiring medical attention.
TikTok videos sharing injuries from Bleame (October 2023 update)
So I came across a few videos on TikTok showing people’s injuries with the Bleame and decided to add some links here so you can see injuries others have experienced with the hair eraser.
We have a Facebook group where people have shared photos of their injuries, but since it’s a private group I can’t share the images here, but there are several public TikTok videos sharing injuries, so here are a few of them below.
You’ll also notice a common theme in the comments of people who the hair eraser works fine for them (good for them) so they assume everyone else must be too stupid to read and they consistently blame it on user error and offer conflicting or not very helpful advice: “don’t use water”, “don’t use it on dry skin”, “you didn’t read the instructions”, “only small fast circles”, etc.
I’ve gotten the majority of those comments on TikTok, a few on my other social channels but not as much. It can get pretty annoying to be constantly told our injuries are our own fault. And since Bleame has regularly changed their safety and usage recommendations, people are constantly coming at others with wildly differing advice.
For some very weird reason, this seems to be a pretty polarizing topic on TikTok, and it doesn’t help that many people online can’t figure out how to disagree cordially or share their own experience without belittling others.
Anyway, here are some TikTok videos showing some injuries:
- @kriskim97
- @almostadison
- @sugarmamaaaa
- @foreverhilaryy
- @haileygomezsan
- @sowwwwwi
- @kaleedalacy
- @higirlcooks
- @itscydneybetch (the original video from @stark.stark.stark is no longer available sadly, but looking through the comments quite a few other people mentioned they got injured as well).
PSA: if the Bleame works for you, great. Please stop coming at people like me on social media telling us our injuries are our own fault. It’s getting old, especially since injuries are pretty well documented by now and only takes a search literally anywhere (Google, Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, etc.) to find people with injuries who used it according to directions (which keep changing).
False packaging and advertising claims for the crystal hair eraser
The number of false claims made on the Bleame website, packaging, and in their advertising is pretty high, it would probably take a while to go through all of them! But let’s take a look at some of the main false claims being made on their packaging and in their posts and website that are used to get people to purchase.
False claim: the product is made of crystal
First, the obvious false claim on the packaging is that this product is a “crystal” product, implying it’s made of crystals. Their website says it uses “nano-crystalline technology”. It’s actually just etched glass, very similar to a glass nail file.
Update March 19, 2023: I double checked their Facebook account again (one of my Facebook accounts is not blocked on Facebook!), and they are still advertising/promoting their product as “nanocrystalline technology” when it’s still basically a giant glass nail file. The product hasn’t changed from being comprised of glass.
False claim: this product is pain free, painless, or “100% painless”
Second, the packaging makes claims that this is “100% pain free”, has “no skin irritation”, “soothes” skin, and “skin safe”. None of those claims are even close to being true.
In my case, not 100% of my own use of the Bleame was pain free. My lower legs below my knees did fine with the hair eraser, but my arms and inner thigh got a rash (it was not near my bikini line either).
Even between people, if one person has no pain and another person has pain from using this product as directed, they still cannot with good reason claim this product is 100% painless.
After writing initially publishing this post, I saw another Bleame video advertisement on my Instagram feed that claims their product is “painless”. I’m seeing these ads multiple times a day, and I’m also seeing these ads on Google as well.
They are also sponsoring blog posts that also make the claim that the Bleame product is painless. Check out this sponsored post in the Tacoma Daily Index that repeatedly claims the Bleame is painless.
This same sponsored post is also found at The Daily World website, a similar post is on Outlook India (this has since been removed), and their press release on MyNewsDesk (which has also been removed) makes the same no-irritation claims. I had to laugh at this part of their press release, too, because it appears to be copied and pasted it from a description of waxing products.
Not to mention the weird part about using it around nipples where it mentions breastfeeding, which I highly recommend NOT doing anyway because of friction burns!
Update March 19, 2023: Bleame has had a ton of complaints at this point for injury and demands for refunds, yet they still are claiming their product is painless on their website. This photo below is of the product page taken on march 19, 2023, AFTER having received many, many complaints of injury.
They have not as yet walked back their false advertising that this product is completely pain free even after having received injury complaints from quite a few people and even after adding a brand new safety precautions page to their website.
Update May 2023: Bleame has attempted to backtrack on their “painless/pain free” claims a by adding disclaimers to their website, like the one below found in their website FAQs (their safety precautions, safety FAQs were changed after I did my blog post and videos):
But wait, it’s supposed to be painless, right? Since that’s what they’ve been advertising and saying for months, and that’s what it says on their packaging, too. But now they’re saying redness and irritation can be expected??
Yet Bleame continues to push this idea that their product is perfectly safe, even though they added that ridiculous disclaimer to their site. Check out one of their latest Instagram posts below that encourages this product use for children and teens:
They’re “excited to announce” that their hair eraser is perfect for children, and claiming that it was “designed specifically for teenagers“. Add that to another one of their false claims. This product was never “developed” with teens in mind. Farther down in the post we address this claim that Bleame developed this product, they didn’t. It is a drop-shipped product most likely manufactured en masse in China that they just added their name to.
On one hand they say “redness and irritation can be expected” but then tout their hair eraser as perfectly safe for children and teens. WTH.
Also the claim that this has “built-in safety features” is laughable, there are no safety features on this product. And “effortless handling” to reduce the “risk of accidents” makes it sound like they’re trying to sell a car.
PLEASE DON’T BUY THIS FOR YOUR CHILD OR TEEN even if Bleame is trying to push it as perfectly safe for teens.
My teen daughter tried this and it didn’t work for her, fortunately she missed out on the rash that I got. Parents have posted in our Facebook group that their teens got rashes from it as well.
False claim: hair free body in less than 5 minutes
The Bleame product package claims that this product will give you a “hair free body in less than 5 minutes”. In my experience and the experience of many people I have talked with and read comments from, this is simply not true.
Crystal hair removers take much longer to use effectively than a razor, and it definitely will not remove the hair from your entire body in under 5 minutes. Especially since they are now walking back claims that you can indeed use this on your entire body.
False claim: using gentle pressure is enough to remove all hair
Bleame claims on their website that their product removes hair when rubbed gently on skin. However In my experience, it didn’t remove any hair at all when using gentle pressure. It didn’t remove my hair without applying much more pressure, but applying more pressure can cause friction burns/over exfoliation, especially on wet skin. A lose-lose situation that sets people (like me) up for false expectations of the product.
Even on my lower legs where I ended up with no rash from the Bleame, I still had to use quite a bit more pressure to get the hair removed. When using this gently on my skin, it didn’t do much to the hair there. In order to remove the hair, I had to use more pressure.
Update April 2023: interestingly enough, I went back to the Bleame website and took a look over their recommendations again (which seem to always be changing, more on that farther down). I noticed this interesting part of the page that mentions that you have to apply more pressure in some areas. Which seems to be conflicting info with safety recommendations that you aren’t supposed to press too hard….
False claim: improves skin firmness and has consumer studies
Number 5 on this list is Bleame’s claim that their product actually improves the appearance of skin and somehow firms skin according to their “clinical/consumer studies”. So we have a three-for-one here: 1) claims that this product actually reverses skin problems like strawberry legs and ingrown hairs, 2) the Bleame somehow firms skin (not sure how this is possible), 3) and that they have “clinical/consumer” studies on this product.
People are directed to the product page for more information about the studies, but when you go to the product page, there is no list of “clinical” or “consumer” studies. I could not find any evidence on Google of clinical or consumer studies on this product or any similar products.
This claim of being backed by clinical studies is repeated in their Outlook India post (which I assume is sponsored but is not disclosed in any way) which is now removed. There is no link in that article to a relevant clinical study.
A “press release” from Global Product Marketing (which specializes in the Asian market) on MyNewsDesk made a claim of doing a 6-week consumer study on the Bleame. I put “press release” in quotes because it doesn’t look like a press release at all, but an undisclosed sponsored post complete with affiliate links (most of the press releases for Bleame appear this way).
But the claim was extremely vague, there were no specifics given, the link located near the top to learn more about their “study” goes nowhere. And they even reiterated that there are no official studies actually done on the product.
Notice again that they claim the hair eraser is completely safe and will not cause injury. This claim is repeated throughout the post, and they even claim that it protects the skin and it slows down the regrowth of hair.
False claim: thousands of satisfied customers
Sixth in line is that Bleame makes some pretty big claims about their number of satisfied customers. On just their website home page, we see 3 different numbers of “happy” or “raving” customers.
I find it really interesting that all of these numbers are completely different from each other. I have no way of knowing how many truly satisfied customers they have, but I do know that the majority of the really honest comments I’ve seen on Reddit, my YouTube video, and places like Better Business Bureau are pretty negative.
And since it’s so hard to tell how many comments are honest ones that have not been paid for in any way or getting referral credits in some way that people aren’t disclosing, and with comments being routinely removed and reviews removed from their website, it’s difficult to judge how many people are actually happy with their purchase.
However I do now that there are a lot of people who are not satisfied with their Bleame experience, either their business practices or the results of the product. I have a difficult time imagining that every single person who ever purchased a Bleame was happy with it, especially considering the number of people I have interacted with online who are not happy with Bleame.
False claim: 30-day risk free return policy
Number 7, Bleame claims they have an easy and risk-free return policy, but that is also not true. Leading us into the another topic we address a bit farther down: returns and refunds.
Bleame recently updated their website and removed the “risk free” verbiage with their returns, I included more on that below!
Inconvenient and frequently changing return policy
When I first got the Bleame hair remover in the mail, my daughter and I both tried it out and it didn’t work for either of us (I hadn’t gotten burns during this initial round of testing). So I sent an email to Bleame asking for a refund.
They offered to give me a refund of half if I kept the hair remover, or a gift card.
After I said I wanted to get a full refund, they replied with directions for how to return the product. They intentionally make the return process tedious and inconvenient.
Looking through the Reddit threads about Bleame, this was echoed by several people who had also tried to get refunds. One user speculated that the company was stalling the return process by being slow with emails and inconvenient return policy so that the 30-day window expires. I don’t have proof of this, but it’s a good theory based on what myself and others have experienced.
According to their own return policy on their website, they want people to detail why they’re returning it and provide photo proof of the “results” (which seems like they want photo proof of skin damage).
Looking at their product page on the Bleame website again that we shared earlier, making claims about “risk-free” trials or returns but then putting conditions on a separate page of their website is actually a violation of FTC guidelines (brand lawyer Robert Freund has an excellent Instagram video explaining how this works).
Update March 11, 2023: it looks like Bleame completely re-wrote their return policy after I published my blog post and videos.
It’s also interesting that they added a link to a brand new “safety precautions” page that was not there when I ordered my Bleame. On this page they recommend doing a patch test, which is great, however they mention that if you have a reaction to their product, your skin is “too sensitive” for it.
Except that their FAQs still list that the Bleame is designed for and safe for everyone. And again hint that overuse is the problem, not their product.
Interestingly, I went back to the Bleame website 2 days later (March 13, 2023) and see that they completely re-wrote their FAQs. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the difference in the changes they made to their FAQ page. Keep in mind these screenshots were taken 2 days apart.
Note the wording: “redness and irritation can be expected”. WHAT?!? After telling us that their product is perfectly safe for months??
This leads us to our next topic: inconsistent safety recommendations and recommendations on where to use this product.
April 25, 2023 update: predictably, Bleame has changed the wording on their return area from “30-day risk free trial” to “30-nights trial”, completely removing the “risk free” language from their refunds area of the product sale pages. Which is interesting since I specifically mentioned the phrase “risk free” as being problematic for them to use.
Changing their policies and wording is great news if they are truly trying to be honest with customers and compliant with the FTC, but I have a hunch (can’t prove it of course) that it’s only a reaction to consumer complaints and my post, but not done in good faith to actually improve transparency with customers because I continue to get comments, messages, and emails from people saying they still can’t get their money back without threatening to report Bleame transactions to their credit card companies.
If compliance and transparency were truly important, they’d have led with those things from the beginning. Assessing their messaging from the start to comply with FTC guidelines and provide the best customer experience. But they always react after complaints are made. Fortunately I’m one step ahead and I keep copies of pretty much everything.
Update May 28, 2023: As if to illustrate that point above, Bleame AGAIN changed their refund/return policy in an attempt to get ahead of the number of refund requests they are having to handle.
Check out their brand new return/refund policy that now says they will only refund products that are unused.
Farther down the page, we see it reiterated that they will not accept returns or issue refunds on products that have been used.
How convenient. Who is going to ask for a refund on an item they haven’t even tried unless it’s someone just canceling their orders?
Yet their product pages STILL boast the “money back guarantee” badge in the product images and their product pages.
The Bleame eraser product page still shows a “30-day free trial” and “easy returns” language.
Just more false advertising. Claiming to offer a free trial and money back guarantee when you can’t even return a used (aka trialed) product. That’s not a “30-nights trial”!
They’ve even added a blurb at the end of their return policy page that says they reserve the right to change their return/refund policy whenever they want. And buying and using their product means you are accepting whatever policy happens to be in place at the time (which as we have seen changes regularly).
So if they change their policy in between the time that you purchased the product and actually received it and used it, then they’re saying it’s still on the customer to be checking the return policy regularly. Got it.
Also take note of their new refund policy: they will take 10 days to process returns, then 40 days to actually process the refund.
It doesn’t take 40 days to process a refund, I received my refund from Bleame in 1 day (after they saw my blog post and first video). I have a hunch they are using new orders to pay for refunds and heavily delaying refunds so they can hang on to the money as long as possible.
This Bleame 40 day refund policy is also against UK government policy on refunds. Bleame sells their products globally, including to the UK. If the other conditions are met for online orders, refunds must be processed within 14 days.
The other parts of the Bleame refund policy are also against the UK guidelines, including not asking for a reason (Bleame requires a reason given for refund requests). And UK policy does not say the product has to be unused.
If you live in the UK and are trying to get a refund from Bleame, make sure to send them copies of the UK government refund policies on refunds!
Update August 7, 2023: I was looking to see if there were any reviews on the Booty Boost Mask causing skin issues for people, due to the capsaicin and saw that they are running Google advertisements that explicitly advertise they have 30-day returns:
Inconsistent safety recommendations
Since my post originally came out in January, I’ve been seeing that Bleame has been scrambling to update their refund policy page (actually completely re-writing it), adding safety and precaution pages that weren’t there just a few weeks ago, and telling people not to use the product on certain places, like the bikini area.
They have definitely been keeping tabs on my blog post, videos, and trying to change course when they are called out by angry and injured customers!
But their messaging is super confusing, sometimes telling people to use it in an area then telling them not to use it there later. I did a short video on TikTok talking about how Bleame has been super inconsistent with their recommendations and very newly added safety precautions.
Update March 10, 2023: I was finally blocked by Bleame on Instagram a few days ago when I called them out in their comments for changing their usage recommendations and then blaming people for their own injuries. Check out our exchange:
One of their Instagram ads I got screenshots of in January shows a woman using it on her chest:
In case they really did change their recommendations on everything, I went to their website to check and see if they had removed the recommendation for using it on the chest, and nope, it was still on their website after they had supposedly changed their recommendations.
After I took this screenshot, at some point within a few days they changed this and removed the chest recommendation from this specific area of their website. They’re keeping up with my post and video updates!
Even more interesting is that right before I was blocked (I had been checking the post almost constantly to see what they were going to do), they responded to my comments telling me to send my order number for a full refund. But then I was immediately blocked, so I wouldn’t have been able to even see that comment or send anything. A reader of mine messaged me these screenshots.
Back to the topic of using it on the chest, Bleame just recently added a new “safety precautions” page to their site which is linked in their revamped return policy (I shared that above). I have to admit I got a good laugh at this: they listed the chest area as a place to use it, and a “no-no area”!
Here is a recent screenshot taken by a reader showing that they have pretty recently (within the last 3 weeks of the screenshot being taken) recommended to consumers using this on their bikini line.
Another very frustrating thing I found out about Bleame is that several people mentioned to me that they actually encouraged consumers to use their product a second time AFTER they had already reported injury to Bleame!!
They have changed tactics in their emails to customers reporting injuries and are now telling them to “patch test again”.
Here is a screenshot of an email from a reader (included here with her permission) to show how they have actually told people to use their product again after they reported injuries. In several of these cases, the people told me they ended up being injured twice since they were told to try it again a second time.
Also take note of the part of the email that says they tested their erasers extensively and developed these to be pain free. Bleame did not create this product, develop it, or design it. They are drop-shipping these and did not create this product themselves (more on that farther down).
Here’s another example of mixed safety and usage messaging with Bleame’s hair eraser. This Instagram post from March 28, 2023, implies using their eraser on the belly is safe and approved, but their website lists the belly as a “no-no” area.
Today’s screenshot of their website shows the belly as a place they don’t recommend using their eraser.
As of June 2023, it appears that they have completely removed this part of their website listing “no-no” areas and replaced it with multiple articles on how to continue using this on sensitive areas like the bikini area and sensitive skin (I’m sharing screenshots a bit farther down).
April 2023 update: I shared this a bit earlier in the post, but even though Bleame has changed their recommendations several times, they still often provide conflicting information. I recently went back to their site (April 10, 2023) to look around and found this interesting portion saying that people may need to apply more pressure in some areas to remove the hair…. after telling me in March on Instagram that it was our own fault for being injured by their product.
So which is it: are we using too much pressure? Or not enough pressure? We’ve been told not to use too much pressure to prevent injury, then told to use more pressure to actually remove hair. And then we’re blamed for our own injuries. I can’t even make stuff this up.
Even though Bleame has apparently changed their safety recommendations, they STILL have these old recommendations from around a year ago listed on their Instagram FAQs highlight listing areas like the face, bikini, and chest areas as places that are either safe or places that clients were able to make things work.
These highlights are from around a year ago but they still have them up in their highlights for safety recommendations and product FAQs.
Talk about mixed messaging.
It’s June 5th, 2023, and I wanted to toss in another quick update! A reader shared with me that she saw Bleame paid advertising on Instagram on June 2, 2023, promoting their hair eraser specifically for the bikini area even after it was listed on their safety precautions as a “no-no” area.
We’ve seen a bit earlier that Bleame re-worked their FAQs and set up their safety precautions pages at various times between March and May (these pages have been changed multiple times).
Yet they are still pushing ads for using their hair eraser on an area that they have said is not an approved area for using it. Here are the screenshots of that video ad that she took (I am sharing her screenshots with her permission):
When I went back to their website to check out their list of “no-no” areas, it was gone. They have now replaced that part of their website with a “help center” that completely changes everything they said before about not using on sensitive skin and not using on places like the chest, belly, or bikini line.
Check out their new messaging for sensitive skin, notice that this was just updated 4 days ago:
So they keep changing their safety recommendations. After saying for months that people can still safely use it on wet skin, they are changing course and telling people it’s best to use it on dry or damp skin, but caution using it on wet skin. This “safety” recommendation was not there when I used it on my wet skin in January!!
Because they conveniently keep changing their recommendations, they can continue to blame injury on the customer, even though they STILL tell people on Instagram they can use it on wet skin with no mention (or very little mention) of caution in their comments:
Note their new recommendations list “safe areas” but no longer list “no-no areas”.
Notice the bikini area is not listed in the “safe areas”, yet they mention earlier on the page that “sensitive” areas like the “bikini line, underarms, and face require gentle pressure and adjusted techniques”. So the places they said previously said were not safe to use, they switched gears again and are saying it’s fine if you are careful. Confused yet?
Regarding the bikini area specifically, here’s what they say:
So they’ve taken the bikini area off their “no-no” list (and completely scrapped that list altogether), and are recommending it for the bikini area again.
And if you happen to have irritation, they want to make sure you know that it is your own fault, even though they are constantly changing their recommendations. And even though their earlier safety pages and FAQs literally said irritation can be expected…..
And they felt the need to add a pretty hefty injury disclaimer to the bottom of some of their safety pages, but not all of them. If you have a hard time reading that tiny font, I zoomed in for a closer look.
Kind of funny that Bleame felt the need to add a disclaimer of this kind if their product is as perfectly safe as they claim!
I have had conversations with several people who have had to seek medical treatment for staph infections after using the Bleame hair eraser after using it as directed. So Bleame is attempting to cover their butt with this disclaimer knowing that some people have been seriously injured.
Bleame’s deceptive business practices
Now onto probably the meatiest part of my Bleame review. We’ve already touched on the problems with their false packaging and website claims, but there’s even more to the shady goings on with Bleame.
My biggest beef with the Bleame company isn’t necessarily the inconsistent performance of their product and the skin damage it can cause. It’s that they actively block negative reviews on their website, hiding negative comments on their Instagram and Facebook accounts so consumers can’t see feedback from people who have used it with poor results or who have had bad experiences with their customer service.
Blocking honest website reviews
I initially purchased my 2-pack of Bleame hair erasers after seeing an Instagram advertisement that had a coupon code with it. As usual, I looked through the comments on their ad to see what people had to say about the product and company. All really positive comments or just questions from people who haven’t tried it yet.
I then went to their website to check out the reviews on their website as well, and not 1 negative review on their entire website that (supposedly) boasts over 500 positive reviews. I saw no negative reviews on their website, nothing below a 4 star rating.
After trying the product initially and not having results with it, I went to leave a 1-star review on the Bleame website and I kept hitting the submit button and it wouldn’t submit my review. I tried several times and even took video of it.
Thinking it could have been a browser issue, I switched over to Safari and tried again. This time it looked like it went through and it said “thank you for your review”. I made a note to go check it again a few days later to see if it actually posted to their website.
I went back to the Bleame website several times over the course of a month or 2 to look for my review and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I searched by my name and my rating, and again nothing would come up. So either they are completely blocking or deleting negative reviews, or they are rewriting reviews to be favorable.
So if consumers are looking for honest reviews of the Bleame product, they are not going to see any real feedback on their website. And I suspect that many of the positive reviews on their website that they do have are edited, completely fabricated, or paid for.
When I emailed Bleame to ask about a refund, I mentioned to their customer service person that my website review had been removed or blocked, and they ignored me and didn’t even respond to that part of my email.
Update March 19, 2023: I noticed within the last week or 2 new reviews popping up on their website that seem to acknowledge that there is some injury risk, but again place the blame on the consumer. Or rather the “consumer” seems to blame themselves for their own injuries.
I have a hunch (can’t prove it however) that Bleame is taking people’s negative reviews and rewriting them before publishing. If their site is anything like my own website, admins can actually edit comments and review ratings in the website dashboard.
I don’t do that myself unless I’m removing links people are adding to their comments. But the ability is there for many websites and I’ve actually caught other food bloggers re-writing my comments on their recipes….. another topic for a different day.
Most of the people I have talked with about their injuries from Bleame (and there are a ton), would never write a review like this, blaming themselves for their own injuries. There have been a few comments I have seen like this, but I always wonder if they are genuine comments. It is really difficult to know what is real with and what is fake/fabricated when it comes to this company. Even down to their employees (more on that farther down).
Hiding honest Instagram and Facebook comments
After the kerfuffle with the website reviews, I took to the Bleame Instagram posts and left a comment on one of their posts. I was curious if they were going to delete my comments, but every time I looked at the post, my comment was still there. I just had no interactions on my comment.
After digging around on Reddit for a bit and seeing others talk about how they had their comments deleted and their accounts blocked by Bleame on social media. I began to suspect that maybe they were actually hiding my comments and not actually deleting them.
I keep seeing tons of ads for Bleame since I’ve been leaving comments on just about each one that the product doesn’t work and it creates skin burns. I left a comment on one paid Bleame advertisement, then a few days later I checked again. The comment was there, but when I looked at the same exact post using a different account of mine, my comment was nowhere to be seen.
Hiding comments and restricting accounts allows Bleame to limit negative or HONEST feedback on their posts and keeps other consumers from seeing interactions without completely blocking people. Sneaky.
It’s hard to put that here in static photos, but I added a video clip of my comment being hidden on Instagram in our YouTube video (we show our Facebook comments being hidden in our second Bleame video).
Update: I just now checked on one of the Instagram posts where my comment had been hidden for about a month, and they actually deleted my comment. It looks like they hide the comments initially then delete them after a while, perhaps hoping no one will come back to notice their comments getting deleted on old posts.
Looking over the Reddit threads I saw and Trustpilot reviews, as well as the Instagram comments, I’m also pretty sure Bleame is paying people to post positive reviews and comments on their Instagram ads, Reddit threads, and Trustpilot. It is not easy to find a genuinely honest Bleame review!
A few Reddit comments seemed rather suspicious of being paid comments, and on Trustpilot, every time there is a negative review on the company, someone posts a really positive review to counteract it.
Also be aware that Bleame is pushing out HEAVY Instagram ads. I keep seeing them pop up in my feed constantly since I’m commenting on a lot of them. And most of the ads I’m seeing are all different and they have pretty high reach. It looks like they are putting money behind their top performing reels.
So if you see ads on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc. for this “amazing” product that magically removes hair without effort or pain, DON’T BUY IT!
Update: After I published this post, I decided to do a test on the Bleame Facebook comments. I had done a test with my Instagram comments, but wanted to see for sure if my comments on Facebook were being hidden or deleted too. I did a test with my own comments on the Bleame Facebook page and can confirm my comments are being hidden and deleted (I have a video of this).
Pretty certain my personal account is blocked on Facebook now as well!
Blocking comments and accounts on TikTok
Here’s an update for March 4th, 2023: I was looking over the Bleame main TikTok page (they have multiple pages, I’ve shared a photo farther down the page). They have a recent video that seems to gaslight people who are calling the Bleame company a scam by belittling the message that the product doesn’t work.
I left a comment mentioning that they are hiding the fact that their product can cause injury, including on myself. Within probably 20 minutes my account was blocked by them on TikTok.
When I tried to look at the same video again (the links are the exact same), I can no longer see the video or the Bleame main account on TikTok. I’ve been blocked.
I was able to see the video again by logging out of my account, and my comment is gone, which I expected! We’ll see how long it takes before the other negative comments are deleted, but it’s good to see others are trying warn potential customers of the risks of this product.
Checked again later and all the negative feedback comments on this Bleame video have been removed (note the link is the same, so this isn’t a different post). People can’t see others warning them about the risks when all the negative feedback is getting deleted.
I mentioned to another person on TikTok that I had been blocked by Bleame and she mentioned that they had actually messaged her on Instagram to tell her to take down her video criticizing their product:
Fabricating employees
After I posted this initially, I got another email from Bleame customer service giving me a full refund (I’ve got copies below).
Interestingly, I found out that they more than likely fabricated this customer service agent who emailed me (Mary H.) and used a stock photo of this person to make it seem like I was communicating with a completely different person.
They also referred to themselves in the email as a “small family business”, but one of their 3 US trademark filings shows the trademark owner as an organization in China. I have my doubts about this claim.
I dive into both of these below!
Since this post was getting super long with all the updates I added, I took the portion about Booty Boost Mask and added it to a new blog post along with updates on their newest product, the Skin Sonic.
Update: my recent email and message from Bleame (and some new info)
After I posted my YouTube video, blog post, and social videos and posts about my experience with Bleame, I got a direct message from Bleame on Instagram in response to one of my comments on their posts about this product causing skin irritation for me. Interestingly, when I went to check out my comment on that post, they had deleted it.
Interestingly, they only just said it “doesn’t always work as intended” and recommended I stop using it (which I had already done a long time ago). That was it.
After I filed a report against this product through the US Consumer Product Safety Commision, Bleame reached out by email to tell me that I’d be getting a full refund. Surprisingly I did receive my entire refund and they didn’t tell me to send the product back. However I believe it’s only because I filed a report with the consumer product safety commission and raised so much of a stink online through my videos and social posts, blog post, and comments on their posts.
While I am glad that they actually refunded my money in full, I believe they only did this because I caused a ruckus and they wouldn’t do this for anyone else (I’ve gotten messages and comments from people saying this has been the case for them).
Potentially fabricating employees
When I got this email, I had a hunch that Mary H. didn’t actually exist and this was sent from the same person who sent the original emails (“Anne”), and that this photo was actually a stock image.
I did a reverse image search on this photo of “Mary H.” and no surprise, this photo of their “Senior Customer Support Manager” is actually an Adobe Stock photo with the purple background removed.
Here’s a screenshot of the photos side by side for a direct comparison. This particular model has a ton of other poses in the same purple shirt and background as well, and many other stock images in different clothes, so she is a professional model.
I wanted to see if this was only the case with the email that I got from Bleame, or if it was something that happened to others. One of the people who private messaged me about their experience with Bleame was awesome and provided me a copy of her email, too (I received permission to share it here). Here is a portion of the email she got below:
Let’s focus in on the photo of “Emma”. I did a reverse image search on Google and this, too, is a stock image. This time it’s from Freepik and they changed the color of the young woman’s shirt from green to purple (pretty easy to do in Photoshop).
A side-by-side comparison:
I had noticed before that when I looked at the Bleame business page on LinkedIn, the person listed as the owner appeared to have a stock image as their profile image as well. I didn’t think it was relevant at the time (several weeks ago), but after seeing the customer service reps appear to be fabricated, I decided to go back to LinkedIn to check on the image of the person listed as an owner for Bleame.
I couldn’t get a closer look at their profile since I did not have mutual connections with them on LinkedIn, but here’s a look at their profile image at the bottom of this photo below.
After doing some digging around online, I found that this person’s profile image also appears to be a stock photo that is used on multiple beauty and medspa websites.
So it appears that the LinkedIn profile listed as the owner of Bleame is using a stock image for their own profile, and it appears that they are fabricating customer service reps/employees so customers think they are talking to different people by email.
I’ll let you draw your own conclusion as to why they’d be doing this.
Bleame: a small family business?
One other thing I found interesting in their latest email was that they tried to emphasize that they are a “small family business”.
I noticed in my previous emails, nothing was mentioned about Bleame being a small family business, and in the emails shared with me from others, they spoke of their “product development team” but did not mention a small family business (check out the email from “Emma” we shared above).
I have a hunch that they are calling their business a small family business in their emails to gain sympathy. After all, people hesitate to expose a small business and feel badly when family owned businesses struggle, especially after so many small businesses couldn’t stay afloat in 2020-2021.
But I have serious personal doubts about Bleame being a small family business since they had never mentioned it before, and in other emails they try to position themselves as a larger company with a product development team and a “team” of different customer service reps.
Update May 28, 2023: Bleame is still trying to sell the story that they are a family business to manipulate people. This customer service email was sent to a reader of mine that gave me permission to share it here. This email was sent sometime in early to mid May.
Not only that, looking at their US trademark filing for the Bleame name, one of their trademark filings (they have 3) lists an organization of Xurui Network Technology Co., Ltd. as being one of the trademark owners. Their other 2 trademarks are listed with an individual in China and the 3rd is listed as owned by ONESTARZ INC. in Los Angeles, California (this company is also listed in other places online as being in New York).
Even though US trademark information is publicly available information, I have redacted the physical address to legally protect myself against accusations of doxxing in any way.
New Update on the business locations of Bleame (March 9, 2023)
So originally when I added updates about the trademarks for Bleame, there were/are 3 trademarks for Bleame in the works as I mentioned previously: the one registered to an individual in China, the one registered to a company in China, and the one registered to a ONESTARZ Inc. in Los Angeles, California, which was originally registered in the state of New York (which I confirmed on the New York Secretary of State website).
Here’s a summary of Bleame trademarks and filers:
An anonymous source reached out to me with information about Bleame and the 2 men who own the business. This person confirmed that Bleame was mainly running the business out of Los Angeles, so I am not completely sure if the other 2 Bleame trademark holders in China are connected to this current Bleame company or not, or if they are just competing companies trying to get the trade name themselves.
The source also told me that the 2 men also own another company called ForChics, which is run under an HDMA Inc., which is registered in the state of Wyoming (my state) through a registered agent. Wyoming is a very business friendly state, so companies in other states will often register their businesses in Wyoming for ease of registration, filing fees, etc. They don’t actually operate out of Wyoming but use the address of a registered agent for filing purposes. I confirmed this registration in Wyoming on the secretary of state website.
Now here comes the interesting parts: ONESTARZ Inc./Bleame is listed in Los Angeles but originally registered in New York state. Looking at various articles and reports, there are 2 or 3 different addresses in New York the business has been listed under. Their LinkedIn page listed New York as their center of business.
ForChics/HDMA Inc. is registered in Wyoming but listed as operating in Los Angeles. Both of these businesses are run by the same 2 men who also run several other businesses.
Side note, ForChics also has very poor BBB reviews as well, so just be warned.
These 2 shops are run by the same co-founders and even though they are registered in different places (New York and Wyoming), they both essentially run their businesses from Los Angeles, California. They distribute or at least say they accept returns at a commercial facility in Henderson, Nevada.
However Bleame is now (March 10, 2023) listing their business location on Facebook as being in Cheyenne, Wyoming, even though that is only the location of their registered agent, MyCompanyWorks, Inc. and they had previously listed their location on their Facebook page as being in Los Angeles.
Here is a screenshot of the Bleame Facebook page from February 8, 2023 listing Los Angeles as their business location:
But they have updated their location to show Cheyenne, Wyoming as of March 10, 2023:
Confused yet about where these people are actually running their business from?
To make matters even more complicated, even Better Business Bureau can’t locate these people. Two people who filed reports with BBB showed me the follow up to their reports which lists that Bleame has no active address that they can reach.
We were given permission by the owners of these emails to share the redacted photos.
The same response received by another person.
Labeling other crystal hair remover sellers as “scams”
Another thing I found out since originally publishing this post is that virtually anyone can resell or dropship these hair erasers, however Bleame is labeling any other sellers as “scams”.
I checked out AliExpress out of curiosity and see that they have dozens (or even hundreds) of listings for crystal hair erasers and many are set up for dropshipping as well. Interestingly, many of these are also listed as “painless” hair removers and some can be purchased for as low as $0.06 each.
So anyone can create a dropship company selling crystal hair erasers. Not that I would recommend anyone do that, these products are pretty unsafe from what I can see!
However anyone could order and resell or dropship a product that is very similar to the Bleame product, I found ones that have the same color and finish as the Bleame.
But in spite of other people being able to sell these items legally, Bleame lists anyone else selling crystal hair erasers as “scams” on their Instagram account even though pretty much anyone can legally purchase and resell (or dropship) these hair remover products from places like AliExpress.
I find it ironic that Bleame’s business practices are more than shady, yet they are quick to label other sellers as scams and literally add “scam alert” stickers to their Instagram stories and highlights of these other companies.
In my opinion, this appears to be their way of pumping up their brand by discrediting competitors as scams when that is not always the case.
But I recommend not purchasing ANY of these types of products since even the AliExpress listings are misleading and these products are still pretty unsafe from my experience.
Bleame update (March 2023)
Since there are a growing number of people demanding refunds and filing complaints for skin injuries, it looks like Bleame is trying to expand further into other products for dropshipping, probably in case the crystal hair eraser endeavour completely tanks. Check out this fairly new website they created, BeBleame.com, selling pet hair removers (the original Bleame website is Bleame.com).
I can’t confirm for sure if this BeBleame.com website is definitely owned by the same people who run Bleame, but it seems more than coincidental that this website popped up very recently and is a direct copy of the Bleame website. Make of this what you will!
The screenshots for all of the following images have been taken on March 3 and March 4, 2023.
According to the WhoIs info for this website, this new website was only registered on January 19, 2023, but as of yesterday (March 3, 2023) their Uproot bundle supposedly has over 300 5-star reviews already…
I find it highly unlikely that in less than 2 months, they have received over 300 5-star reviews on this product bundle, not to mention the reviews on the other products.
Even more concerning is that the website and products are nearly identical to Uproot Lint LLC that is based in Florida has multiple US trademarks for their trade names (such as Uproot, Uproot Cleaner, etc.). Compare the 2 home pages, BeBleame.com has copied the Uproot page almost identically and is using the trademarked name Uproot for their knockoff products, which is a trademark violation.
It appears to be intentional intellectual property theft and trademark infringement where they have lifted the design, colors, trademarked names, etc. from Uproot. Of course I cant prove intention, but looking at how carefully everything is copied, it definitely appears intentional.
Here are the active US trademarks for Uproot going back to 2021.
They’ve copied product pages, photos, etc. They’ve even copied the Uproot trademarked sparkle symbol on their homepage.
Looking at both websites, you can also see that Bleame/BeBleame also copied and uploaded promo videos taken from the Uproot website.
Identical videos on the BeBleame.com website, which appears to be a copyright violation if these videos are fully owned by Uproot.
It’s also worth noting that the BeBleame.com site was also copied from the original Bleame.com website since the original Bleame mission statement for “hygienic care” is still in the footer of the pet hair removal website.
The BeBleame website still has the crystal hair eraser listed on their return policy page, and of course the website header still uses the original Bleame web header as well.
Bleame business identity crisis
So it appears that the owner of Bleame has their hands in a lot of different endeavors schemes besides complete copying products and branding from established companies like Uproot and selling harmful “crystal” hair erasers.
Just to be clear, I am all for entrepreneurialism, when it is done honestly. I am a business owner myself and my father is a long time business owner (over 30 years owning a local business). This type of “business ownership” by dishonest and deceptive means is wrong and I absolutely do not support it.
Let’s take a trip down this rabbit hole together.
The original Bleame website sells crystal hair erasers, the new BeBleame.com website sells pet hair removal products. The Facebook page that is linked at the bottom of the BeBleame website however directs to a Facebook page that sells…. shower heads.
All of these screenshots have been taken on March 3 and 4th, 2023, as well.
And even though this Facebook page was created on January 20th (1 day after their website was registered), in less than 2 months they supposedly have managed to accumulate 4K likes and 4K followers already. Seems suspicious, just like the unlikely product reviews on the BeBleame website.
BeBleame did have a separate Facebook page for their pet hair removers, but it is now gone since several people reported it for copying the Uproot page, products, videos, trademarks, etc.
Which brings me to the next interesting tidbit: it appears that Bleame has created many Facebook pages, some listed under categories like political figures, DJ, and clothing. I also saw some that listed page categories as actors/performers and children’s products. Them uploading the classic purple Bleame image makes these pages even easier to spot.
Now switching gears from Facebook to Instagram. When I clicked on the Instagram link in the footer on the BeBleame website, it took me to this page labeled Bleame Official, which lists shower heads in their profile, but the photos and videos show teeth whiteners/teeth repair.
Update May 2023: it looks like both the BeBleame.com Shopify store, Facebook page, and accompanying Instagram account are all gone or erased now. I did notify the Uproot company of the copycat, so they may have reported the website and Facebook page attempting to copy and sell their product.
Some of the videos show inaccurate information, like rotting teeth being seemingly magically fixed using this Toothaid product shown on the page.
When we scroll a bit farther down on this page, we see that some of the older posts are selling jewelry. The very earliest posts on this account are shower heads.
Taking another little side jaunt, we see that the Toothaid product is sold on Amazon, and the ratings are not great. Several people mentioned they felt it was a scam.
This seller (NKICAW) sells quite a bit of other products, many with low ratings, and they have low seller ratings. However I have no way of knowing if this Amazon seller is the same one who is running Bleame.
They may be completely different sellers since this type of mouthwash/toothpaste product is pretty easy to resell or dropship from AliExpress, too, and get your own branding added.
Not only do they have quite a few backup or extra accounts on Facebook, it looks like they also have quite a few on TikTok as well. I was just blocked by the main Bleame account on TikTok so their main account isn’t showing in this photo.
What can I do if I have safety concerns about this product (or other products)?
If you safety concerns about the Bleame eraser or other products, here are some resources for consumers.
**Please note I am sharing this information for convenience and as a resource for consumers who have safety concerns about products, I am not directing people to file complaints**
- Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC), handles business practice concerns, such as return policies
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission (SaferProducts.gov), handles safety concerns for products
My final thoughts
I’m going to be brutally honest and just come out and say it, based on my experience and everything I have dug up, I personally believe that Bleame is a scam. The product can be damaging to skin, they make false claims, they’re potentially breaking the law with their “risk-free” return policy, and they are deceiving consumers by hiding real feedback, among other things.
Just check out their Better Business Bureau page to get a glimpse of the reviews and complaints very similar to mine (they are rated an F at the time of this writing). At the time of this writing, BBB had received 15 complaints about Bleame and the company failed to respond to 14 of these complaints.
According to a BBB alert, “On at least one occasion, BBB sent mail to this company in an attempt to develop a report. The mail was returned by the Post Office; therefore a complete BBB report at this time is unavailable.”
Skip the hype and stick with other more time-tested and safer methods of hair removal!
Check out our videos on Bleame!
- Honest review of the crystal eraser, part 1
- Bleame business practices review (part 2)
- Bleame video part 3 (Booty Boost Mask fake reviews and false advertising)
- TikTok video update on Bleame’s changing recommendations
Since this post was getting super long with all the updates I added, I took the portion about Booty Boost Mask and added it to a new blog post along with updates on their newest product, the Skin Sonic.
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and allergy friendly food blogger of 12 years based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist
Thank you so much for this post. I was so angry when they deleted my honest comment on fb. I also fell for the positive hype on social media and had similar experiences. Fortunately I didn’t have too much skin irritation when using it dry (wet was another story) but it doesn’t remove any hair. I’m hoping it’s safe to just use as light exfoliation because I just don’t have it in me to hound them for a refund…
Sorry you’re dealing with that, it’s very frustrating! Some of the people in our Facebook group have managed to get refunds, but it takes a few back and forth emails with them to pressure them to actually honor their “30 day risk free” policy. Some people have mentioned it works well as a heel callus remover, which is probably what it should be for an way. It’s just an expensive one compared to other comparable callus removers.
I feel so stupid because I got caught up in all the Instagram reviews and the promise of hassle free hair removal that I purchased it a few days ago. It shipped today and only then did I have the thought to check in deeper, and now I’m so sad 😭 I live in Canada too so I’d be on the hook for customs. I’m contemplating refusing delivery and eating the $62 CAD loss 😩😭😭😭
I think some people in our Facebook group have been able to refuse delivery and get a full refund, but you really have to push for it since they’re making it more difficult to get refunds and some people have had to go back and forth a lot with them before they are willing to give a refund. I’d think since they are unused they should give you a full refund, I’d mention that their product pages say 30 day money back guarantee and they need to honor that.
Thank you!! I’m so glad it isn’t just me. I also had left negative comments on their Facebook ads that were hidden or deleted. I had a rash on my legs for days after using.
So sorry you had to deal with the rash on your legs, you are definitely not alone!
I wish I would have found this post before I bought the Bleame hair remover. Just like many others, I saw their Tiktok ad and had to buy it. After gently using it, I suffered from rashes and bleeding skin and I don’t even have sensitive skin. I sent photos to their customer service and it’s now been several weeks without a refund. >:(
I am so upset as this is not the first time I’ve been scammed, I had bought products from Facebook ads that did not work as described.
My husband is an IT developer and told him to do some digging on who is behind the scenes… What he found can confirm some of your findings:
Bleame owner(s) are the same owners as Forchics.com. One of the founders is Eymel Daniel who according to his Linkedin profile is located in Malaysia. The other co-founder is unknown but most likely located in Los Angeles and handles the payment processing of the e-commerce.
Another person to note is Joshua Chin of Chronos Agency who handles the e-mail marketing for Forchics and Bleame. He is based in Singapore and also complicit in the scam operation.
Being out of the jurisidiction of the United States allow many people to carry out scams targeting U.S. customers without consequences.
According to this interview (https://chronos.agency/podcast/how-forchics-scaled-past-8-figures-with-high-converting-ecommerce-ad-creatives/), they made over 25 MILLION DOLLARS with a cheap product and fancy marketing!!
Unfortunately, this is a huge operation that continues to exist because most people will likely not report to the BBB, FTC or Attorney General over a $40 product.
We must put an end to these greedy men taking advantage of unsuspecting customers just to fulfill and enrich their wallets.
Hi Jenny! You are correct about Eymel Daniel, I was able to dig up his info while researching, he also owns a content creation studio in Malaysia called Sudiyo (I found that out while digging around on Chronos Agency website). Sudiyo is doing all of the photo and video content for their businesses. I have the ID of the other owner from looking through trademark and business registration documents, but not sure if I can post that here yet (I have to visit with my blog lawyer first to double check). The one co-owner is based in LA for sure and operates some of it from there. Update: I am able to post the name of the second owner, Han Byol Yi in Las Angeles. I was able to dig up the ONESTARZ Inc. (Bleame’s parent company) business filings from New York State and his name is on the business registration there, as well as the business registration documents for HDMA Inc. with Eymel Daniel (HDMA Inc. is the parent company of ForChics) registered in the state of Wyoming.
Thank you for posting this about Bleame! I have been wondering how this works and why there are no negative reviews at all. After doing research and coming across your review and reading comments, I will not be purchasing. I am sorry for what you and the others have gone through with this terrible company
Thank you Steffy!
Thank you for posting this! I had the very same experience. Plus I noticed they do not include specific instructions IN the packaging! They only have them on their website
EXAMPLE: On their website it says do not circle product on your skin more than 10 times.
It did not say this in the package so I did not know and that spot is severely damaged!
How is this not a lawsuit?? Is it possible? I know little about the law system regarding this.
They deleted my honest review on their social media! They only offered me half my money back but I responded asking if that is the best they can do. I am so DISGUSTED! I wish I saw your blog before I purchased! I will be so angry if they do not offer to refund me fully.
You are right, their packaging is super vague and not helpful at all, especially for preventing injury! I know several people have contacted lawyers about their injuries. If nothing else, I know several people have made reports about the fraud with the FTC and the California AG office, and people are seeing my blog post and videos, so hopefully we’re helping keep consumers safe at least a little bit.
This was such an interesting read. I came across your post after I saw a targeted Instagram ad for Bleame and did a quick google search for genuine reviews. I’m so glad I did!
I’m so shocked by the extent of the deception with regard to fake reviews – I rely heavily on online recommendations before making a new purchase and this just makes me call into question anything I’ll buy in future. It should not be this easy for businesses to deceive consumers.
Thank you for completing such a thorough deep dive into this! It will make me much more wary in future and hopefully less likely to be scammed by a sub par product.
I do the same thing, looking at comments, website/shop reviews, and online reviews to see if something is a good buy, so it was really shocking to see how I had been taken in by Bleame. I didn’t realize when I bought mine in November 2022 how deceptive some companies were, I thought I had done enough research back then, but realized I hadn’t seen the whole story when I bought mine. It’s wild what lengths these people will go to deceive, and I haven’t even included everything I dug up! I really wish I had seen a post like mine last year when I bought mine, so I decided to add my own to help people who might see it. It’s very, very frustrating to feel like we’ve been tricked, but it definitely made me a lot more cautious about who I buy from and even who I work with as a blogger.
I SO wish I found this before purchasing. I received my order yesterday and tried it out. I figured based on other reviews that it may not work very well on full length body hair. I used it on both arms on very short regrowth hair after a shave a few days ago. (I never used to shave my arms at all, and wish I didn’t have to but now that I have tattoo sleeves I like to keep the area smooth and visible.) I found that it did actually remove the hair quite fast and with very little pressure, even using it on a small patch on my boyfriend’s leg because we were so amazed at how quick it was. BOY was it a mistake to do both my arms at once for the first trial. My arms felt sunburnt less than 10 minutes after use, sort of like if just dry shaved, except it didn’t go away. I don’t have any bumps other than some raised skin I have because of a condition, but I am so uncomfortably itchy on both arms. My tattoos (fully healed, none are new) are all raised and bumpy, even though none of them have scarred since getting them. No redness or anything resembling razor burn, other than when I scratch (which has been constant since yesterday) My legs have sensitive skin, prone to razor burn and Ingrowns, which is what I hoped this damned thing would fix. I’m glad I decided to use it on my arms which really aren’t sensitive and not my poor legs. I’m sure they’d be bleeding right now if I had. I’m so upset about it too because at first it seemed amazing and a really good, quick replacement for shaving. I planned on using it in between shaves, given how well it did on some mild regrowth. But now after reading this, and Bleame’s newly added “don’t use on sensitive skin” as well as my reaction, I might as well just keep shaving and hating it. It’s such a shame, because it was so promising for 5 minutes, and now I can’t lay in bed without wanting to take sandpaper to my arms. If my tattoos get effected further than being bumpy I’m going to be so angry LOL.
So sorry you’re dealing with that! It can be so painful. Even on the areas I used it on dry skin I had some rashy spots on my arms (not on my lower legs though). It’s super frustrating, especially since back when I bought it last year they had pushed it as a miracle specifically for sensitive skin. They have all these new “safety precautions” to try and cover their butt, however I still keep seeing them recommend things like using it on wet skin and using on the face to commenters on Instagram (I found a way around their block)! I really hate that they’re now trying to push this for kids and teens after they have gotten so many complaints of injury on adults (people have reported injuries to their teens skin as well). Unbelievable.
Unfortunately I fell victim to Bleame because of the inundation of fake positive reviews and the company hiding negative real reviews. I experienced the most painful friction burn and subsequent chemical burn (from using my regular moisturizing products) that lasted days after apply “moderate pressure in circular motions” as the website instructed. While I haven’t gone through childbirth, I’ve suffered two dry sockets after wisdom teeth surgery complications that made my skull feel as if it was vibrating, and bikini and underarm waxing doesn’t make me blink. This was so much worse.
The bot-like customer service response originally ignored my return request, assumed I wasn’t using the product correctly, and included the instructional GIF. They heavily pushed the 50% refund on me because returning the items would have cost me about the same after the 25%+ restocking fee and return shipping costs. Which I haven’t received yet by the way.
My argument is that I would have never purchased the product (let alone the three pack!) if I had access to reading negative feedback on the product. After reading your article here (and I had to dig through Google to find you), I also posted a comment detailing my negative experience on their Instagram which was promptly hidden and removed.
This is basically glass and you’re creating micro-abrasions that aren’t painful while using the file, but as soon as you stop, the damage is done and the burning is so so painful to the point where I couldn’t perform my usual activities/workouts/etc. I just submitted a complaint to the BBB to request a full refund, for Bleame to stop hiding negative feedback online, and for Bleame to remove or alter their false claims and promises regarding results. Whatever greedy individual is at the top of this company, I want the gravy train to dry up and save other individuals from falling for the scam. Also… the magic eraser didn’t even remove half of my hair!
I hope more people can see your comment with honest experiences! Someone just mentioned to me the “restocking fee” for used products which must be a brand new thing, or I didn’t see it before. Their return policy is laughable, but Bleame reads my posts and adjusts their messaging to “correct” their missteps just enough to seem legitimate unfortunately.
Thank you for posting this! It was very helpful to read
You’re welcome!
Yes, thank you! I wish I found this before I bought a knock off version. Did the same thing to me.
We need to file suit. This is insane we are all suffering like this. Did anyone get a refund? They told me I have to wait a month and. A half
Some people have been able to get refunds, but usually only if they are threatening to report Bleame to the FTC, BBB, or California Attorney General’s office (or all 3). Or threaten to report them to their bank for fraud. People shouldn’t have to threaten a company to honor their 30 day money back guarantee. Several people have contacted lawyers, but in the meantime, you can still file reports with these places if you are injured and can’t get your money back.
I just got this in today, followed the instructions and ended up with immediate burns on my leg. It’s been several hours now and my leg is still on fire to the point I’ll probably have to go to the doctor. I wish I saw this sooner! I commented on their Instagram post to not buy the product and how awful it was. They got deleted and I got blocked. Lol.
Sorry to hear that! You are definitely not alone in this, I keep hearing from more and more people who are getting injured and being blocked. I hope you heal up quickly!
Bleame are currently filing DMCA and copyright notices to companies who sell similar products online.
DMCA reporting will cause the hosting provider to remove the item from the website or shut the website within several days, giving them more chance of selling this item. I have the emails as they have tried this with me today.
I heard this same thing from 2 other people!! I talked with a guy a month or so ago who had received one of about 50 DMCAs last summer (2022) and a woman reached out to me telling me she had experienced the same thing a couple months ago. The guy I talked with said that the owners had created fake patents and were filing DMCAs based on those fake patents for both Bleame and ForChics. He had been in contact with several other people who had gotten DMCAs at the same time and he confirmed they were for both Bleame and ForChics. I can’t confirm the fake patents part yet, I can’t find them since they aren’t real and the man I talked with didn’t send me anything since he had already been in contact with his lawyer. But you are the third person to confirm that they’ve been regularly filing DMCAs and sabotaging other businesses. The owners are SHADY and underhanded.
Thank you so much for writing this. I have seen the product ads for Bleame many times and I was honestly getting curious. Some items out there are fine, but others are sketchy. I’m so glad I searched externally for an honest review and found yours. I will not be purchasing the product as it doesn’t seem that safe or effective. Sometimes there just aren’t any “shortcuts” to getting something done. I’ll stick to shaving and waxing lol.
I wish there were good reviews online when I purchased mine! I didn’t see any at the time, so I got taken in. I’m not sure about waxing, but shaving is a lot faster than using the Bleame, too!
Thank you so so much for this entire account. Like everyone else says, I wish I would have known about this post before I ordered. I usually look stuff up but I was stupidly influenced by the positive (what I now know are fake/cherry picked) comments on insta.
I emailed them today asking for a refund, and within five minutes they responded with that canned email talking about a $50 gift card…lol what?
I emailed back hours later and said “you responded to my initial email in five minutes and now nothing because I didn’t want the gift card? You need to make this right, like you said in the last sentence of your email”
I have yet to hear from them.
I hate this.
Don’t let up until you get your 100% refund! Bleame is counting on people just getting tired of fighting for a refund. They’re still making money even if they only give a 50% refund since they probably only paid maybe $1 each or less for the wholesale items. Some people end up having to file a dispute with their banks, credit cards, or PayPal (whatever they used to purchase) to get their money back.
I wish I’d seen this post before I stupidly ordered and tried this product. It did remove hair pretty well in some leg areas, and I tried to be gentle after reading all the information Bleame had provided online. Unfortunately, irritation crept in pretty quickly. Hours later, I have the worst red bumpy rash…it’s akin to the worst razor burn I’ve ever had, but in places a razor has never given me trouble. Of course, I purchased a 2-pack for savings…at least it was 30% off seeing as attempting a refund looks like it’ll be a waste of my time. Has anyone tried this on their heel calluses? I wonder if that would be a safe way to repurpose…
Sorry you’re in pain Ashley! Some people have been successful in getting refunds, they’ve usually had to hound them and some end up having to dispute charges with their banks since they promise a 30-day risk free return (or did unless they changed that, too). I’m betting it might work on heel calluses though if you weren’t able to get a refund!
I wish I’d read your excellent information before I bought this ridiculous product. Forgive me if you’re already aware of this, but the return experience is even worse now. BEWARE OF DECEPTIVE RETURN POLICY!!! The website states that I can return for a full refund. The email I (finally) received stated that I would receive a “Full refund on the manufacturing and production costs of your order (approximately 70% of the total amount of your order) which will be processed after our warehouse team confirms they’ve received your return.” SUPER SLIMEY and DECEPTIVE MARKETING! Despite sending multiple additional emails, I have not received a response about why I am not receiving the full refund and what makes up the 30%. Not impressed!
I think that’s a new tactic in their email, I haven’t heard that one yet about “manufacturing and production costs”! Definitely false advertising to advertise a risk free refund then only offer part of it back, that violates FTC guidelines on risk free refunds from my understanding. Quite a few people in the Facebook group have had to dispute charges with their banks/credit card/PayPal to get their full and complete refund from Bleame, so you may have to try that route.
Wow! I really wish I had seen this prior to ordering and trying Bleame!! I had ordered this product based off of Facebook adds and ALL the positive reviews…I didn’t see one negative one on Facebook, so I thought it must be true! Thankfully I didn’t have my daughter try this with me, and I used it tonight while in the shower (with shaving cream, as recommended). I am DISGUSTED after reading everything you have uncovered, and I too had a skin reaction. Sadly, I tried it on my armpits too and they are torn up! I had googled if Bleame was safe for armpits and found a “yes” response. Worst mistake ever! My armpits were bleeding and burn horribly! My lower leg I only tested on one area and have mild razor burn as well. I’d also like to be a part of the class action lawsuit, if not solely for the fact to stop this from happening to anyone else! I appreciate all of your work Sarah in discovering this SCAM of a company! I messaged them and I’m awaiting a response for getting my money back…and I see that’ll be an issue (not what it was advertised as!).
I’m so sorry that happened to you! I just had a bit of a spat with Bleame on Instagram last night, they are supposedly changing their recommendations to tell people not to use it on underarms, chest, bikini area, but their website STILL lists those areas as ok and their previous ads showed the Bleame used on the chest. I got after them for it and they finally blocked me on Instagram. They removed all of my comments, including one of my other comments warning a woman that it can cause a rash. One of my readers started a Facebook group, people share some of their experiences and how they were able to get full refunds https://www.facebook.com/groups/1022421782056269
Can I ask what you did to make your armpits get better? I got my bleame today and used it on my armpits, had no idea I wasn’t supposed to. It hurt SO much and still hurts. I’m not sure what to do.
Thank you for this! Saving my money on this product. I really appreciate your thorough research, and I’m glad I found your blog post.
Thank you Leah!
Thank you for doing such thorough research! You literally saved me from parting with my money and suffering all that pain too. I felt that the product reviews were too good to be true, but I have to say they can be pretty convincing.
They can be pretty convincing! The comments online make it seem like anyone who is injured is in the very small minority, but I don’t think that’s the case. It really feels like they’re gaslighting and manipulating people in a big way. I’m now extremely skeptical these days that any positive comments I read on Bleame’s posts are somehow paid for. I don’t think all of them are, but I definitely have a hard time trusting anything I see associated with Bleame.
I appreciate this post and the research you did on this “company.” My child and I both tried Bleame. She has a bleeding and irritated arm, and I have stinging irritated leg. I don’t have sensitive skin in the least, and this still happened. Someone mentioned a class action lawsuit above and that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I’m going to look into it further.
Thank you for sharing that Sonia! I keep seeing people online saying injuries are probably due to sensitive skin, using it wrong, etc. plus so many people’s comments get deleted and filtered out. So I really appreciate you sharing your experience with me, especially since you don’t have sensitive skin!
Thank you so much for saving my daughter and I from painful reactions and wasting money! I looked for real feedback and found your page as well as the Allure page. I really appreciate the organization and evidence you have provided! Well done@
Thank you Emily! Really glad I could be of help 🙂
How long did it take for your burns/irritations to heal? I am in pain, especially after putting lotion or aloe on them. Any recommendations that helped you?
So sorry you’re going through that Brytni! I think it took about 1-2 weeks for my injuries to completely heal up. There are some burn creams with numbing stuff in them that might be helpful for managing pain, just make sure to check the directions for amounts and whether it’s ok to use on broken skin since there’s usually a limit on how much you can use each day. I didn’t end up using any of this type of burn cream because my worst pain was the first 24 hours and it improved after that.
I tried this product yesterday and ended up with a rash and skin burn on my leg that has kept me up all night from the pain. I emailed the company about a refund and provided them with photos and got the exact same email as you all did! I’ve tried to flood their Instagram posts with my comments on my honest review and even went and replied to other commenters with my experience and within 3 minutes I watched my comments get deleted in real time. WTF?! This company is a scam and although I am certain I won’t get my money back I fired up about getting this info out to others. Do you have any recommendations on other steps customers can take to bring light to this fraudulent company?
That’s crazy, but completely expected with this company unfortunately, it’s so frustrating! I’d look at possibly filing complaints with Better Business Bureau, and Trustpilot. I filed reports with the FTC and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and those are options as well (my report is live on the consumer safety website). I’m not sure what else to do at this point besides warning people through my posts and videos. Sharing posts on social media, whether they are posts about your own experience with photos or sharing this post, can help as well!
Perfect written review of an amazing researched product!
This is scary! Here I am with cuts an burns on my leg that won’t heal after 4 weeks. I received the exactly same email from Mary H that you did. I am thinking if there’s a way to start a class lawsuit against Bleame.
I’m sorry your skin is so injured! 🙁 It’s incredibly frustrating, I’m not sure if there is a way to do a class action lawsuit, I’ve talked with a few people but don’t have answers yet.
Thank you for writing this, it was very difficult to find since they have so many fake reviews blogged like the ones you mentioned. I am dealing with the exact same problem. I apologize in advance for how long my comment is! I am about to take the law bar and have studied law for 4 years and have my J.D. It is very clear what they are doing is illegal. Another thing is, people asking questions in the comments are being told by Bleame that it is 100% safe. Yesterday I read a comment stating something like “I have very sensitive skin and cannot use razors, will this product be safe for me to use?” and they commented back something like, “Hi! YES! This product is 100% safe and pain-free!” It’s angering, especially now hearing people have been to the hospital from it. That and just like the experience with your daughter, I see a lot of comments saying they are going to buy it for their young child who is not ready to shave. I really wish I could effectively warn them. As for my experience, I personally am able to shave and wax without reactions so my skin is not super sensitive. I tried it on my stomach, chest and arms softly (my legs were already shaved when I received it) and not only did it not remove hair, oh my gosh it was SO painful starting about 5 minutes later and the pictures of especially my stomach even days later were appalling.
Still arguing with them about my refund. The first, after I sent in pictures, offered just what was posted above. I sent a bunch of serious stuff I know from the law back to them about how California law (their domicile) states a strict refund policy must be stated conspicuously on its face, which you’ve already talked about as a problem. I also mentioned my finds on the bbb. The newest email from them is so annoying, I will post it below. I followed that with another demand of a full refund (leaving out shipping costs because I am not gunna fight them on that anymore) and more legal things, this time stating they need to really fix their illegal and deceptive practices if they care about their future as a business and care about their customers…
Their response back:
“I’m Emma, your Solutions Advocate here at Bleame. One of our support team members, Anne, was originally supposed to take care of your concerns but when I read your last message, I wanted to quickly step in and resolve this for you ASAP! I’m extremely sorry to hear this happened! I can see how painful this must be🥺 This is absolutely terrible and I don’t want anyone to ever experience this! It’s so important to me that you’re not only satisfied, but also comfortable and happy with our products. As much as I want you to love our Crystal Hair Eraser, I understand that just like everything else— everyone’s skin is different… Please know your feedback is very valuable to us here at Bleame and I’ll share your concerns with our product development team immediately after sending you this message! I will personally work hard and look into how this happened and work on preventative measures for you and our other customers as well! Again, I sincerely apologize for what you’ve gone through and would like to offer you a few options…
💜 OPTION 1: 50% Refund on your order subtotal* plus an additional 20% off your next purchase with discount code: #218515-20
1. Code Activation: 1-2 Business days
2. Refund Processing Time: 30 Business days
3. ⭐️ I personally recommend this option the most because it allows you to save on return shipping costs and still keep everything you ordered plus enjoy an exclusive discount offer that you can use on exciting new products we’re about to release!
💜 OPTION 2: Full refund on the manufacturing and production costs of your order (approximately 70% of the total amount of your order) which will be processed after our warehouse team confirms they’ve received your return
1. Return Delivery Time: Depends on your chosen shipping company (expect possible delays)
2. Return Package Inspection Time: 10 Business days
3. Refund Processing Time: 40 Business days after inspection
4. You are responsible for all return postage costs
5. Shipping costs are non-refundable (*subtotal excludes your shipping cost)
Genuinely hoping one of these help and apologize for this incident again! Please know that I take this very seriously and will make sure that your concerns are passed on to everyone involved including our product development team. We don’t want this to ever happen to you nor anyone else again! I really appreciate your feedback!
I look forward to your response and working on your preferred option as soon as possible!”
Like SERIOUSLY? I wouldn’t even be getting the full amount back after I pay to return it? This is ridiculous.
I got an email back from them that is almost worded exactly like your email, except they actually did refund my money in full I think only because I have made the YouTube video that is getting views and made this blog post exposing them. I don’t think they would bother to refund money to anyone else who hasn’t raised hell on social media, which is definitely not fair. Another person who messaged me on Facebook told me what was in their email and it was almost identical to mine and yours as well, so these are cookie-cutter emails from probably 1 person, not a team of customer service agents like they want people to believe.
I have a few more things that I’ve discovered the past 2 weeks that I think I am going to add to my post and I might possibly do another video as well with this new info. I’m going to try adding more to this post tomorrow morning, so hopefully when you come back to look at the post again there will be some new info! I have filed a report to the FTC and a report with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, I still need to add something to the BBB page.