Asian Flush Product (Supplement, Creams & Drink) Reviews

I tested and reviewed Sunset, CodeRed, Reducerall, Delta Essential AD2, Before Elixir & Redee Patch (all Asian flush supplements & drinks and now patches) to find out what works best for getting rid of Asian flush!

• Sunset Review
• CodeRed Review
• Reducerall Review
• Deltanutra Essential AD2 Review
• Before Elixir Review
• Redee Patch Review

Over the past few months I have been trying out a bunch of different Asian Flush supplements (and drinks, in the case of Before Elixir) that claim to either get rid of Asian flush completely or at least significantly reduce it. My intention has been to review all of these products and then share my findings and ratings here on Asian-Flush.net. This page will be updated with any new reviews or updates related to the most popular Asian Flush supplements and products.

Quick comparison of the most popular Asian Flush remedies on the market

Asian Glow Product	Did it get rid of Asian flush?	My Rating
Sunset Alcohol Flush Support	YES
codeRed	NOT REALLY
Delta Nutrassentials Essential AD2	YES*
Pregame Labs Reducerall	YES
Before Elixir	SORTA
Redee Patch	NO

**Below, you'll find my more detailed reviews; you can also click the links above to see prices or check out the individual products websites.

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My Review of Sunset Alcohol Flush Support

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My Review of codeRed Asian Flush Supplement

Recently, my friends invited me to a trivia night. I knew I wouldn't be the most help when it came to the trivia questions (my general knowledge skills are shockingly poor - the only thing I can help with is music, but even there I don't know simple things that everyone should know; like "the name of 3 Beatles songs #IKnowRight) but I figured this would be a great opportunity to try out a new (to me) Asian flush supplement — codeRed.

I've had this product lying around for a while now, waiting to give it a solid test. I can't just go out drinking any night I want to unfortunately, but my friends gave me an excuse to go drinking. Trivia night was the perfect opportunity to test codeRed for my thorough codeRed review that I've been wanting to post up here for ages! It was on a Friday, so I didn't have work the next day, and it was at a local pub. Perfect...

Key Details

codeRed is available from the company's website (reducealcoholflush.com) and from Amazon.

From drinkwel's website (that's the parent company's name), you can purchase a single bottle for $14.95 per bottle. There are 15 servings (30 tablets) per bottle, so this comes out to about $1 per serving, which isn't too bad.

The website also offers a 3-pack of bottles for $39.95, although this option appears to be sold out at the moment. But that's not a problem because I only needed a single bottle for my testing purposes.

Amazon offers codeRed for a lower price — $13.99 for a single bottle. Given that the company website does not offer free shipping, Amazon is likely the way to go if you want to get hold of some of this product.

Amazon once again one-ups drinkwel's prices by offering a subscription to the product for $13.29 per bottle, per month — a 5% savings over a one-time purchase. With the subscription, you'll receive a bottle every one to six months, depending on how often you drink (and take codeRed).

Each bottle's 15 servings could last you anywhere from 7 to 15 days, depending on your drinking habits and the effectiveness of the tablets for you. According to the product's label, you should take 2 tablets (with food and water), 60 minutes before drinking. For "extra support", you can take the product an hour into drinking as well.

Money Back Guarantee = Confidence in a Product

There is a money back guarantee on codeRed, and you don't even have to send the remainder of the product back. All you have to do is shoot the company an email and say you weren't satisfied, and they'll refund you for the price of the product and shipping. With a guarantee like this, I imagine this company believes in their product quite a bit, which is reassuring.

Main Ingredients of codeRed

The main ingredients in codeRed, per serving, are as follows:

• Proprietary cR Blend - 1196 mg
• Vitamin A - 1250 IU
• Vitamin C - 300 mg
• Thiamin (Vitamin B1) - 1.5 mg
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)- 1.7 mg
• Niacin - 20 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 2 mg
• Folic Acid - 400 mcg
• Vitamin B12 - 100 mcg
• Biotin - 300 mcg
• Pantothenic Acid - 10 mg
• Zinc - 10 mg
• Selenium - 50 mcg
• Chromium - 200 mcg

codeRed's "Proprietary cR Blend" contains various amounts (I can't give exact amounts because it's a secret blend. I hate when supplement companies do this by the way!) of NAC, Hesperidin, Stinging Nettle Extract, Grape Seed Extract 95%, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Milk Thistle Extract 80%, R-Alpha Lipoic Acid, Ginger Extract, Resveratrol and Black Pepper Extract.

"Other Ingredients: Cellulose, Stearic Acid, Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Stearate, Silicon Dioxide, Natural Peppermint Flavor, Hydroxypropyl Cellulose, Hypromellose, Polyethylene, Glycol, Carnauba Wax."

What a mouthful. Key points to take away from this lengthy ingredients label is that the product is both vegetarian and gluten-free. The product is also free of soy, dairy, fish, peanuts, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, and yeast.

Here's a photograph of the label from the product's website (click the image to view a larger version):

Now that I've painstakingly typed all the information I can obtain from the bottle's label, let's continue with our codeRed review...

How is codeRed Supposed to Stop Flushing?

On the product's Amazon website, drinkwel claims that codeRed's "23 ingredient formula helps reduce alcohol flush reaction by supporting vascular integrity, helping your body process alcohol-induced toxins and providing antioxidant support."

Their website doesn't delve too far into the science behind their product, which is both good and bad. I think it's nice to be able to see the science behind a product explained in detail, even if I'll gloss over some of the more confusing/intricate anyway. It can show that a company knows what they're doing, even if the average person doesn't 100% grasp every tiny detail.

What codeRed's creators have done, is list a few of the most important ingredients and give a basic overview of their purpose:

1. Hesperidin to protect heart and blood vessels from oxidation, support vascular integrity, and help improve capillary strength (natural alternative to Pepcid AC).*
2. NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) and both forms of Alpha Lipoic Acid, which not only support healthy liver function, but are also essential in the body's production of glutathione, a key antioxidant that help process alcohol induced toxins such as acetaldehyde.*
3. Antioxidants such as Grape Seed Extract and Resveratrol to help neutralize free radicals.*
4. A full Vitamin B-Complex to aid metabolism and maintain energy.*
5. Chromium to manage blood sugar naturally.*

Essentially, codeRed seems to function similarly to other products I've reviewed here on this page; it aims to assist the body with processing alcohol, as well as maintain the body's normal chemical balance, which should keep your energy levels from dropping.

Does codeRed Actually Work? (or 'will codeRed Stop My Asian Flush?')

I wanted to try codeRed in two ways:

1. Taking just one serving, 60 minutes before drinking
2. Taking one serving before drinking, and one serving 60 minutes into drinking

I wanted to try the smallest dosage of the product first because of the company's confidence in their product. If it ended up working, then I was all set! If it didn't, then I could up the dosage and try again the next night.

As usual, I went drinking 1 night a week, for 2 weeks in a row. For both of these nights, I attended a trivia night at a local pub with some friends.

The first night, I only took one serving of codeRed, an hour before drinking. Unfortunately, within 15 minutes or so, the flushing had begun. I didn't even have to ask my friends if they noticed, because they pointed it out before I had the chance to. I decided to curtail my drinking since the supplement didn't seem to have helped, and I didn't want to have a rough morning the next day. In this instance, codeRed Asian flush supplement didn't seem to have much of a noticeable effect.

Because trivia nights are not long enough for heavy drinking (they typically don't last long enough for me to really get going), I decided to coax my friends into showing up early to the pub the second week, so I could get some drinking in before the event started. This time, I took codeRed an hour before drinking and then took it an hour into drinking.

Unfortunately, the supplement again did not work as well as I had hoped. codeRed helped a little this time, though. My friends agreed that I was not as red as I usually was. Despite this, I still didn't feel the best.

I tried the product a few more times after these events, to check if the product became more effective with each usage, but it didn't. It had a tiny effect each time I used it, but nowhere near as much as I'd have liked. Even the tiny effect it did have could have been a placebo effect actually, I felt really rough on nights I used codeRed and found it pretty difficuly to accurately measure the small effect it may have been having on me 🙁

My Final Verdict on CodeRed Asian Flush supplement

I think codeRed Asian flush supplement is a hit-or-miss thing. It seems to work well for some people (looking at Amazon reviews), but has no significant effect on others. I fell squarely in the latter category, codeRed basically did not work for me at all, but it's possible this product will work better for you.

It's a little better than nothing, that's for sure. But for me, Sunset alcohol flush support has been the most effective in my flush product experiments, so I'll keep that as my go-to Asian flush supplement for now!

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My Review of Delta Essential AD2

In November of last year, I came across an online press release announcing that Delta Nutrassentials was launching a new product, Essential AD2 and it would “alleviate” symptoms of ALDH2 Deficiency (aka. Asian Flush).

I made a mental note and then forgot about it until a couple of months ago when one of my friends recommended Essential AD2. Since I was already planning on testing out a bunch of Asian Flush supplements, I added it to my list.

In my Essential AD2 review, I give you all the information you need to decide if it’s worth trying out for yourself and I give you my honest opinion about the product.

Key Details

Essential AD2 is available on the company website (https://www.deltanutra.com/) and at Amazon. After calling around to places like Walmart or Walgreen’s, I don’t think it’s available to purchase in-store.

When you order directly from the Delta Nutrassentials website, you have a few options. You can buy a one-month supply (for a one time deal) for $45 (free shipping and $5 shipping options for International orders), or you can Subscribe for monthly shipments.

If you choose to “subscribe” you save 20 percent, costing you $36, and the shipping rates remain the same. When you subscribe, you are shipped a 30-day supply, and according to the site, you can cancel at any time. If you choose to order from Amazon, it costs $50 with free shipping, and you don’t have the option of subscribing.

Each monthly supply includes 70 tablets, and according to the makers of Essential AD2, you should take "2 tablets daily to alleviate acetaldehyde exposure and take an additional 2 tablets (45 minutes before drinking alcohol) to alleviate Alcohol Flush Reaction".

A Quick note about the (annoyingly) strange recommended dosage directions of Essential AD2 (!!)

If I were to follow the recommended dosage directions, I would have enough capsules to drink about five nights out of the month. When I looked a little more closely at the dosage recommendations, I discovered that for maximum benefits in reducing Asian Flush, you should take it daily for two weeks.

So, if I decided to cut back on my dosing (after two weeks), I could get more out of my month supply. I also discovered, after doing a little research, that you can take up to 4 tablets 45 minutes before drinking, but that you should not exceed more than 6 tablets a day.

No refund policy or real guarantees!

To make my Essential AD2 review more complete, I needed to make sure that I could get a refund if I wasn’t happy with the product. Here’s what the company had to say:

“Delta Nutrassentials does not offer refunds on products that have been opened. Unopened returns will receive a full refund if they are returned within 60 days of purchasing the product.”

This, in my mind, is a little bit of a weak policy and shows me that the company isn't 100% confident of the efficacy of their supplement, otherwise they would be fine with standing behind their product more and offering a full 'either it works or you get your money back guarantee'. I can understand that the company (Delta Nutrassentials) might be worried about a guarantee like this leaving them open to abuse, but I still think it's worth implementing a more solid guarantee as competing products like Sunset offer a 100% 'it works or your money back' guarantee on their supplement!

Main Ingredients of Essential AD2

As I read directly from the label, here are the main ingredients in Essential AD2. Per serving size of 2 tablets:

• Vitamin A (as beta carotene)-2500 IU
• Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid)-150 mg
• AD2 Proprietary Blend-1180 mg

The Proprietary Blend includes Niacinamide, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Thiamine, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C

“Other Ingredients: Microcrystalline Cellulose, Croscarmellose Sodium, Silicone Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Hypromellose, Polyethylene Glycol/Macrogol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Talc.”

Here's a picture of the rear of the Delta AD2 box packaging (click the image to view a larger version):

How is Essential AD2 Supposed to Stop Flushing?

When trying to figure out how Essential AD2 was designed to stop flushing, I encountered a lot of “science” talk. While I appreciate a product with plenty of scientific data to back it up, I wanted to make it a little easier to understand when writing my Essential AD2 review.

If you want to delve deep into the science, head to the site yourself but here are some of the “basics” of how it works and in regards to Asian Flush.

First of all, Delta Nutrassentials never claims that Essential AD2 “stops” flushing but rather “alleviates” the symptoms. This is important to keep in mind, particularly if you expect it to be a miracle product (I’ll discuss that a little later on.)

According to the website, here’s what Essential AD2 does:

“Increases the activity of the mutated ALDH2 Enzyme, Clears the acetaldehyde directly, and Boosts natural metabolism.”

Are you still with me? That may be a little abstract, right? Basically, When you drink alcohol, acetaldehyde levels in people with Asian Flush are high. When you take AD2, the “proprietary blend” it may reduce certain symptoms from redness to an increased heart rate. It can also protect your body from further damage.

In short, it helps your body metabolize alcohol better.

Does Essential AD2 Actually Work? (or ‘will Essential AD2 Stop My Asian Flush?’)

When I decided to start Essential AD2, I was torn between taking a daily dose for two weeks rather than every day for a month. I opted to try the "recommended dose" and took two tablets every day.

These daily tablets are supposed to protect your health and build up an immunity of sorts. After the first month was up, I decided to try the daily dose for just two weeks.

During the first month, I went drinking for 1 night, 2 weeks in a row. One of these nights, I attended a wine tasting with some friends. While wine isn’t my “go to” for alcohol, it often makes me feel more flushed, and that’s when I feel symptoms of the Asian Flush the most.

I took a few tablets beforehand (as per the directions), and after the tasting (plus a few glasses) I felt less flushed than normal and didn’t have as much of a headache. I didn’t feel awesome, but I felt better than without Essential AD2.

After I was done with my “daily dose” trial period, I hit up a few bars (still taking the two tablets before drinking). I had less flushing than usual but more than when I took a daily dose. It was hard to tell if I was less red, but fewer people commented, so I’ll take that as a good sign.

Final Verdict on Essential AD2

I think Essential AD2 has potential. It seems to do a good job as a "preventative", and in boosting your health but in all honesty, I didn’t like taking that many tablets on a daily basis! I appreciated the research, but I felt like Nutrassentials cut short in explaining how it works with Asian Flush.

Essential AD2 seems to be a good fit for someone who has a routine, but I don’t think it worked as well as Sunset. I am more spontaneous when it comes to drinking, so I want something that will work a bit better (almost) instantly.

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My Review of Reducerall

With a company name like Pregame Labs, I have to assume the makers of Reducerall care about drinking and alcohol. A lot.

But, will this company's love for all things alcohol translate to an effective Asian flush supplement? My experience with Reducerall, and my resulting Reducerall review below should tell you everything you need to know about Pregame Labs "no glow" Asian flush supplement.

Key Details

Reducerall can be obtained through the company's website (pregamelabs.com) or via Amazon (what doesn't Amazon have for sale).

From Pregame Labs' website, the product can be purchased for a one-time deal of $29.95, and then subsequent bottles will cost $39.95 each.There's also a subscription option available, meaning that Pregame Labs will deliver a new bottle to you every 30 days.

All of these options come with free shipping to the U.S, which is convenient, but Amazon's prices are cheaper despite this.

Amazon doesn't offer a subscription for Reducerall, but the product only costs $24.99 on there. This seems to be the way to go, especially if you have Amazon Prime.

Servings and Usage

Each bottle contains 16 servings (48 capsules). Depending on your drinking frequency, this could last you up to 16 nights of drinking — or days, I don't judge.

One thing that could cause you to run out of Reducerall more quickly is the supplement's multiple uses. Not only does the product work to reduce alcohol flush reaction, but it also can be taken to prevent hangovers. Reducerall's multiple uses are, of course, a good thing, as long as it doesn't interfere with the main purpose of the product — preventing Asian flush.

Reducerall Money Back Guarantee

Reducerall comes with a 90-day money back guarantee (minus the shipping cost) if you aren't completely satisfied with their product. A money back guarantee is always a good sign, as it shows a company's trust in their product. Don't know why they limit it to 90 days though, might as well make it a lifetime guarantee if they are that confident in their product. But that's just a tiny detail...

Here's the description of the money-back guarantee from their website:

90 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
We are so confident in our products that we offer a 90 Day Money Back Guarantee on ALL products. What that means to you is that if you're not satisfied with your purchase simply return your product(s), used or unused within 90 days and you will we be refunded in full (minus shipping costs).

Main Ingredients of Reducerall

Reading from the label on my bottle of Reducerall sitting on my desk, it looks like Reducerall contains the following ingredients:

• Vitamin C - 100 mg
• Thiamine B1 - 50 mg
• Riboflavin - 20 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 10 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 300 mcg
• Molybdenum - 200 mcg
• Reducerall ALDH2 Blend™ - 1803 mg

Reducerall's "special blend" (it's proprietary, meaning you don't know how much of each item is in there, but it is; supplement companies use this to protect the 'secret sauce' of their product) contains the following: Dihydromyricetin (DHM) Vine Tea Extract 98%, Calcium Carbonate, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Magnesium, Hydroxide, Black Pepper Extract.

The only other ingredients are the "Vegetable" capsule.

I don't want to bog this Reducerall review down with a longer description of the ingredients, so I'll leave it at that.

Here's the label if you want to read it for yourself (click to view full size):

How is Reducerall Supposed to Stop Flushing?

Pregame Labs' website does a nice job of explaining their product's main purpose. The producers describe it as follows:

Reducerall’s proven, proprietary formula is designed to help combat and reduce the symptoms of Asian Glow or Alcohol Flush reaction. Ingredients like DHM, NAC, & ALA all work synergistically to help quickly flush alcohol preventing dangerous, toxic builds up that product flushing symptoms."

I translated that to mean that the supplement helps your body get the harmful components of alcohol out of your system more quickly, instead of letting them build up in your system. If you suffer from Asian flush, your system isn't the best at doing this on its own, so the idea is that Reducerall improves your body's ability to do this. And this should eliminate or reduce Asian flush.

Reducerall's website also lists a few more perks of the supplement, including some positive side effects of the product, such as improved confidence (haha). It's always nice to have a little more confidence. I'll have to try the product before I believe all of its claims, but I'm quite hopeful.

Pleasant Side-Feature: Hangover Prevention

Their website claims the following:

Because the mechanism of alcohol flush reaction and hangovers are similar (an excess build of of acetaldehyde in the body), Reducerall also serves as a powerful Anti-hangover cure. By taking Reducerall before and after you drink, you’ll wake up with a hangover reduced by at least 80% and won’t experience the usual, crippling headaches.

Even if Reducerall doesn't effectively treat my Asian flush, I'm hoping this feature of the product will be effective.

Does Reducerall Actually Work? (or 'will Reducerall Stop My Asian Flush?')

For my Pregame Labs Reducerall Review I went out drinking 1 night a week; for 2 weeks in a row. This time around, I "performed" each test at a bar with some drinking buddies.

For both nights, I took the capsules as directed (1 serving before drinking, and an additional 1 or 2 capsules as the night wore on).

My first drink went down smoothly, of course, and then after a short while, I began to feel a slight flush. Because of Reducerall (or maybe it was the dim lighting), none of my friends noticed any change in the color of my face. (Once I felt the alcohol kick in, I went to the bathroom to see how red, or not, my face had gotten.) Luckily, it was not very red at this point. So far so good.

As the night dragged on, drinks were consumed (naturally), and my face slowly reddened a bit more. I had forgotten to take any additional capsules, so I swallowed another two capsules. I finished the night feeling somewhat better than usual (without any supplement), so the product definitely has some merit to it. I wish it were more effective, but I should probably attribute some of its ineffectiveness to my forgetting to take more capsules throughout the night.

An interesting side-note: Reducerall's "hangover prevention" works pretty well. I took the appropriate amount of capsules (with water) before bed, and when I woke up, I felt fine.

My second night of drinking, I took one serving before drinking and additional capsules throughout the night. I drank a bit more this time than the first night. However, I think that taking the additional capsules helped keep my Asian flush to a minimum. Despite having a greater number of drinks this night, I only felt somewhat flushed, similar to the night before.

I asked my friend to judge my level of alcohol flush that night (he has seen me bright red after alcohol hundreds of times as he’s my best friend who I’ve known since University days!) and he said that it was clear that there was less flushing then normal, but if he hadn’t have seen what I’m like without an Asian flush supplement, I would still look oddly red to a casual observer.

So reducerall definitely has an effect, I’m just not sure it’s enough of a difference to be reliable when I really need to be flush-free, like on a night out with the workmates or a date. For a casual night out… I might rely on reducerall, but there are just better alternatives available at the price-point.

The hangover prevention side of the supplement once again came in handy. Or maybe it was all the water I chugged before sleeping?

Final Verdict

Pregame Labs' product does reduce the symptoms of Asian flush as it claims to do, but (for me) it wasn't able to eliminate symptoms completely. However, as far as I can tell, the hangover prevention of Reducerall works pretty well. I'll probably use the rest of the bottle for this purpose and rely on a different supplement (Sunset works most effectively for me at the moment, but that's just me).

Hopefully, my experiments with Pregame Labs' Reducerall were helpful to you in your quest to find the perfect Asian flush solution!

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My Review of Before Elixir

After testing out tablets, I was pretty excited (and interested) to see how an Asian Flush product would work in the form of liquid. Before Elixir has been around for a while and I remember skimming an article in GQ with the CEO and creator, Jen Du, but I didn’t remember much else about the product (article is here, by the way).

In my search for the best Asian Flush supplement (well, not just supplement, but solution, really), I came across Before Elixir. Since it looks like a red sports drink, I decided it was easy enough to test out and compare to the other supplements I've tried.

In my Before Elixir review below, I'll be providing you with all the information you need: how it works, if it works, and where to buy Before Elixir if you’re interested in trying it out yourself. As always, I give you my honest opinion about the product.

Key Details

You can buy Before Elixir on the company’s website, on Amazon, or at various stores throughout the U.S.

If you’d rather head to the store and buy a bottle or two, before committing to a shipment, go to Before Elixir’s website and utilize their 'store locator' feature. After using the feature, I was happy to see that a market just a few blocks away from my place carried the product.

If you decide to purchase Before Elixir from their website, the prices are as follows:

• 5-pack - $24.75
• 10-pack - $44.50
• 20-pack - $79.00
• 30-pack-$112.50

As you can see, the higher the quantity ordered, the lower the cost per bottle. Shipping is free from the website, and you can also sign up to 'subscribe' (as in have the product delivered automatically and also have your credit card charged automatically every 1, 2, 3 or 4 months) which will save you 20 percent. If you subscribe, you have a choice of having a delivery every one, two, three, or four months.

When checking out the website, I also noticed that you can sign up for a rewards program in which you can accumulate points (that turn into coupons). If you sign up to receive emails, you can also receive 10 percent off of your first purchase.

When ordering off of Amazon, you have two options. <4 bottles for $20 or 12 for $48. At the market, where I purchased Before Elixir, there was a special going on for 2 bottles costing $8, which was a bit of a savings so I bought four bottles!

Each bottle contained 8 fluid ounces, and the directions seem pretty easy to follow. If you’re planning on drinking alcohol, it's suggested that you drink one bottle of Before Elixir 30 minutes beforehand. If you’re hungover, they recommend that you drink one bottle of the elixir.

According to the makers of Before Elixir, one bottle is effective for about three to four drinks (depending on sensitivity), and if you’re having a long night out on the town, you can drink Before Elixir throughout the evening.

As far as having “too much” I couldn’t find much information about exceeding a recommended dose. I assume it's pretty safe though, scanning the ingredient list.

Before Elixir can be stored in the fridge or at room temperature. Once you open a bottle, the manufacturers recommend that you keep it in the fridge and use within seven days.

Are there any side-effects?

The team behind Before Elixir must be pretty confident in it's lack of side-effects, because on their website the only side effects mentioned were:

• Getting Rich
• Finding True Love
• Increased Attractiveness

How's that for a disclaimer!

Main Ingredients of Before Elixir

As I finish up a bottle, I’m reading directly from the label (this is about as accurate as I can get with this review). The nutritional value and ingredients are as follows:

• Calories - 35 per 8 ounce serving
• Total Carbohydrates-8g
• Total Sugar-8g
• Calcium - 18mg
• Thiamin (Vitamin B1) - 1.2mg
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) - 1.7mg
• Vitamin B6 - 16mg
• Folate - 800mcg DFE and 400 mcg folic acid
• B12 - 24mcg
• Pantothenic Acid (B5) - 10mg
• Magnesium - 25mg
• Selenium - 70mcg
• Potassium - 25mg

Before Elixir also has 1955mg of a “Proprietary Blend” which includes Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Hovenia Dulcis, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine, Hesperidin Complex, Grape seed extract, Milk thistle extract, R-Altha Lipoic acid, Kudzu extract and Dandelion extract.

“Other Ingredients include Filtered Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Natural berry flavor, Citric Acid, Fruit and Vegetable Juice (for color), Monkfruit extract, Potassium Sorbate.”

Some other things worth noting is that Before Elixir has no artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors. It’s vegan and free of corn, dairy, gluten, nuts, and soy. The flavor is pomegranate raspberry.

Here's a picture of the rear of the Before Elixir bottle, containing all the ingredients (click the image to view a larger version):

How is Before Elixir Supposed to Stop Flushing?

According to the company website, the purpose of Before Elixir is pretty cut and dry: the ingredients flush the liver and help to promote healthy liver function. It can also remove acetaldehyde from your liver.

When you drink Before Elixir before drinking alcohol, the amino acids supposedly regulate alcohol metabolism and minimize the production of acetaldehyde.

As we've established elsewhere on this site, regulating (and lowering) levels of acetaldehyde can reduce flushing and other common symptoms associated with Asian Flush, so the claim at least sounds legit!

Does Before Elixir Actually Work? (or ‘will Before Elixir Stop My Asian Flush?’)

When I found Before Elixir at my neighborhood market, I was pretty excited as I wasn’t really in the mood to order online and wait for the product to arrive. I wanted to try a product that truly seemed to be 'spontaneous' (I'd also run out of my other favorite Asian flush supp - Sunset, so I was in need of something!)

One of my buddies called me up last minute on a Thursday after work to go out for a few drinks. Knowing that drinking on a work night can make for a rough day after I’m usually (more than) a bit hesitant. Since I had just picked up some Before Elixir, I agreed to go out... in the name of 'product testing' 😉

I drank Before Elixir about a half hour before my ride arrived. The taste was okay and a little sweeter than I prefer (it tasted like a normal sports drink, Gatorade for example, only a little sweeter). When I got to the bar I had a beer, then a shot, and then another beer. The company that makes Before Elixir says one serving works for about 3 to 4 drinks, so this was the products chance to shine.

Following a small hiatus of about 10 minutes, where I actually felt fine and started to think that the drink was working, there was a turn for the worse... I started to flush!

Not as badly as usual (I'd say about 65% as severe as when I drink without any 'assistance') and a slight headache began to form. My friend quite clearly pointed out my redness when I asked for their opinion, and I'm not sure if it was the specific shot I tried but the sugary aftertaste of Before Elixir just didn’t mix well with the drinks I had. I felt a little nauseous, but not too bad (same as usual).

After a few hours, I went home, drank another bottle of Before Elixir before bed to test out this "hangover curing" element they push on their website; and I actually felt pretty good in the morning! Good thing too, as it was a 'work night'. So while Before Elixir may not be good (at all, really) for helping with my flush: it definitely helped with the hangover!

The next week, I went out again but spent a few extra hours out on the town. During this time I drank two bottles of Before Elixir and one before going to bed. I didn’t feel terrible while drinking alcohol but I felt slightly nauseous (again, the sugary drink). I had some of the symptoms I’m used to again, just not as severe.

Final Verdict

Overall, Before Elixir is a good option for someone who needs something fast (especially if you have a shop nearby that carries it) or perhaps as an addition to a regular Asian Flush supplement that you take. On it's own though, I just can't recommend Before Elixir, unfortunately.

For me, it was just way too sweet, and the aftertaste kind of ruined my enjoyment of the alcoholic drinks I had afterwards. Critically though, it only had a mild effect on my flush symptoms, reducing my regular face and upper body after-drink redness to about 65% as severe as normal, and the nauseous feeling and the slight headache that accompany flushing for me were still there.

While Before Elixir made me feel a bit better than if I were to drink without anything at all, I still flushed quite a bit after drinking it (only slightly less than normal) and it just didn't work as well as some of the other Asian flush supplements that I've tried.

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My Review of Redee Patch

I've been seeing a lot of media coverage for a farily new product designed to allow those who suffer from Asian glow to enjoy alcohol without their face turning bright red: Redee Alcohol Flush Support Patches. I saw them first in the Daily Mail, and some googling saw them mentioned in Men's Health (Australian edition), on HerCampus and in Mel Magazine.

Quick note about Asian flush product media mentions on some of these 'news websites' and popular blogs; is there some kind of paid review system or back-room journalist marketplace where people can pay to have feature pieces written about their products or something?

Nothing against Redee, but something I've noticed with their media mentions (I noticed this a lot for Before Elixir's media mentions too!) is that the websites have these exclusive articles about a single product. No mention about other products that the reader could consider. No negative aspects of the product mentioned. Just a glowing praise-piece often quoting the product maker directly. It just makes me wonder what happened to the 'critical journalism' where the pros and cons of the issue are presented clearly for the reader to form their own opinions.

An example of this 'media mention weirdness' is the Daily mail article about Redee patches. They state that a blogger/vlogger Maggi Mei "said the [Redee] patch cured her of her rosy cheeks" but if you actually watch her Youtube video review of Redee patches, specifically at around the 11 minutes & 20 seconds mark, she and her friend actually state the patches didn't work for them:

[Maggi states, while bright red:] "I look like I've been up all night and have had too much to drink. I'm not happy..."
[Her friend states, when asked for a verdict:] I don't think it worked very well for me at least...
"

#LOLWUT

This may just have been some journalist error, not checking the linked resources in a press release before publishing. But maybe tone down the glowing praise if you're not going to actually look at any external mentions, Daily Mail!

Of course, that's why Asian-Flush.net exists in the first place, to give you the real low-down on Asian flush products!

So in my Redee Patch review, I purchased the patches myself so that I can give you all the information you need to decide if it’s worth trying out, and so I can give you my honest opinion about the product.

Key Details

You can buy Redee patches through the company's website redeepatch.com but suprisingly not on Amazon, like pretty much every product reviewed here. They'll probabbly be on Amazon soon, for all you 2 day prime shipping fans (I heard Amazon prime shipping will be 1 day soon, is this correct?).

From the redeepatch.com website, you can buy a pack of 6 patches for $11.99 USD, a pack of 12 patches for $19.99 and a packet of 30 patches for $39.99. There's also a 'subscribe and save' order option where they will ship you any of those mentioned packets (6, 12 or 30) once a month automatically and you save 10% off RRP. That then makes the prices $10.79, $17.99 and $35.99, respectively.

All of the options "will ship out same or next business day" and, from their website "on average, expect 3-5 business days after shipment for US delivery and 7-15 business days for international. UK orders subject to customs fee and VAT before delivery."

There's a specific notice in their FAQ for UK customers: "Orders from the UK are subject to customs duties and VAT that are payable by the customer before delivery and not included in the price of the product or shipping. Customers from the UK can expect to pay an £8 Royal Mail handling fee + 20% VAT."

International shipping seems to cost $7.99 flat rate, and domestic US shipping is $4.50 flat rate (note that this is for a 6 pack, prices may differ according to what quantity you order).According to the products instructions, you're supposed to apply two Redee patches 30 mins before drinking to your upper body and wear them while you drink. So a 6 pack should be good for 3 nights of drinking, a 12 pack is good for 6 nights and a 30 pack for 15 nights. Essentially, the 'serving size' of the patches is 2.

Redee Comes With a Money Back Guarantee!

I was super happy to see on the Redee patch website that they offer a money-back guarantee on their patches. I've written elsewhere about the confidence a guarantee inspires in a potential customer looking for an Asian glow solution, so props to Redee here. From the website:

Give Redee a shot, risk-free. If it doesn’t help reduce your redness or other symptoms of Alcohol Flush Reaction, just send an email to hello@redeepatch.com for a quick and easy FULL REFUND*. The catch? All we ask is that you fill out a quick survey to help us improve the product!

*Please note: Refund applies to first-time customers only. The maximum we can refund per order is one 30-pack ($39.99) plus shipping. Refund does not include any applicable customs fees you may incur.

What is inside each Redee Patch?

As I read directly from the back of the packaging, here are the main ingredients in Redee patches:

• Glutathione
• Vitamin C
• N-Acetyl Cysteine
• L-Theanine
• Alpha Lipoic Acid
• Holy Basil Extract
• Milk Thistle Extract
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B5
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B9
• Cosmoperine®

I couldn't find further information about the amounts of each ingredient that Redee patch contains. To be honest though, even if I did, it might not matter as this whole concept of patches is new to me, and I have no idea how the ingredients get into your body through contact with skin, and how much of each ingredient would successfully transfer (for want of a better word) into the users body. Nicotine patches effectively work however, so I trusted that all of those ingredients would effectively make it into my body!

I asked my friend (Pete, the same guy who helped me test out the patches, mentioned below) who has some pharmecutical knowledge, what he thought of the ingredient list and he was excited to see Cosmoperine in there, as it's the commercial name for tetrahydropiperine, a compound extracted from black pepper that enhances bioavailability of ingredients transdermally (through the skin). But he was confused as, from his knowledge, there was no other ingredients/compounds in the Redee ingredients list that seemed to be particuarly effective when absorbed through the skin.

I asked Pete to look into this a little more before completing this review, and he informed me that it’s impossible to know how effective Redee is at delivering the active ingredients from the patch through the users skin. Perhaps the producers can get in touch if they come across this review and help us to clear up how Redee patches are able to increase your blood levels of these active ingredients effectively?

How are Redee Patches Supposed to Stop Asian Flush?

The FAQ section on redeepatch.com details 'what's in Redee patch?':

Redee is meticulously formulated to provide your body with exactly what it needs to fight the flush.

First, Redee is formulated with antioxidants that have been proven to detoxify the nasty culprit of the problem, acetaldehyde. These include glutathione and Vitamin C, which both seek out acetaldehyde and bind to it to get it out of your system.

Next, Redee helps support liver enzyme activity by supplementing your body with vitamins that are vital to their performance; these include N-Acetyl Cysteine, B-vitamins (B1, B5, B6, and B9), and Alpha-Lipoic Acid. We also included holy basil extract, a natural antihistamine as a last-line of defense.

And the homepage of the website describes Redee patch as helping fight alcohol flush in 3 ways:

Delivers ingredients to your bloodstream
Our ingredients pass through the skin and are delivered right into your bloodstream. This results in a faster, more efficient delivery of the stuff that will keep you from flushing.

Helps clear alcohol's byproducts
Redee is loaded with some vital antioxidants – including glutathione and Vitamin C, which have been shown to bind with acetaldehyde, the byproduct of alcohol that causes the flush.

Supports and assists your liver
Redee includes ingredients like NAC, l-theanine, and milk thistle extract that have been studied to support healthy liver enzyme activity.

I understand this to mean that Redee patches deliver ingredients, like gluathione and Vit C, into your bloodstream that clear alcohol's byproducts as well as ingredients like NAC, L-Theanine & milk thistle that act as hepatoprotectives AKA liver guardians 😉

Do Redee Patches Actually Work? (or ‘will a Redee Patch Stop My Asian Flush?’)

The question you're reading this review for: do Redee patches work? To find out, I donned my red cape and rinsed out my favourite shot glass in order to get wastedcarefully inhebriated and really put the patches to the test.

My highly-scientific testing process involved a lab assistant this time. My friend Pete joined me in trialing a 6 pack of Redee. We both drank and used 2 of the patches for 1 night. the next week Pete trialed the product by himself, drinking around the same amount both times. Our lab was a local pub. The conditions for the experiment were set.

The first night Pete and I both applied two patches on either sides of our hips, above the belt-line (we figured the easiest place to apply a Redee patch was either the belly, arms on the biceps, or the neck. Decided against the belly as we didn't know if this was great for absorbtion of the ingredients. Decided against neck and biceps as, to be honest, we didn't want random people repeatedly asking us what these patches were when they spotted them. So hips it was).

After applying the patches, we walked down to the pub which meant a 30-40 minute gap between applying the patches and either of our first drinks of alcohol. There's no sensation upon applying the patches, and we didn't expect there to be. We kept the patches on for the entire night and, as I found out on a post-experiment day call with Pete, we both fell asleep with them on too as we forgot to take them off the same night.

After the first drink of the night, beer for me and a Magners cider for Pete, we both felt the usual Asian flush symptoms slowly coming on (warm feeling around the face and ears, mostly) and we evaluated the redness of each others face. Nothing too bad, but there was deffinitely some redness kicking in on both of our cheeks and necklines. At this point, we couldn't really tell if Redee was doing anything for our flushing, but all the other Asian glow symptoms were starting to come in.

After approximately 30 minutes, we both had our second drinks and every 25-30 minutes after that we had another one. Over the course of 4 hours, we both had 7 or 8 drinks of mostly beer and a couple ciders. Around 10 minutes of my second drink, I went from mildly to extremely red, and my alcohol flush symptoms were in full-effect. About 5 minutes after, Pete reported (and visually showed) the same results. It was if neither of us had taken/used any anti-flush solution at all. I returned home at the end of the night, very dissapointed that Redee had essentially done nothing for me!

Exactly 7 days later, Pete was able to trial the patches again to try and make sure our previous bad experience wasn't a one-off. He applied the patches to his neck this time, hoping that it might help with absorption and effectiveness of the patches. Pete stuck to gin & tonics for the night and loosly stayed on the 1 drink every 30 minutes schedule we previously followed. Again though, Pete experienced his usual severe flushing reactions while using Redee patches, as if he hadn't used any 'anti-flush' solution at all!

Here are some 'before and after' photos my friend took of his flush reaction while trialing Redee patches:

For him, and for me, the conclusion was that Redee patches do not work at all. I'll give the disclaimer that our testing had a very small sample and that you may get completely different results from trying Redee patches, but given my own results I would suggest any other product listed on this page over Redee patches! Please comment on this article if you've tried Redee for yourself and let us know your results.

Final Verdict on Redee Patches

From my friends experiences and my own, I cannot reccomend Redee patches at all as they did not work for me at all. I do reccomend that you do your own testing though, as the price is quite cheap for a 6 pack compared to other products listed on this page (looking at you, Sunset - although for a solution that works, I will happily pay more!) and there is a money-back guarantee so there's not much to loose. Ultimately, I would try any of the other products listed on this page if you're looking for a real Asian flush solution!

Redee Patch

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Posted in: Asian Flush Products
Tags: asian flush supplements, asian glow product reviews, Before Elixir, codered, corered, delta essential AD2, reducerall, review, sunset alcohol flush