A few seconds of video was all it took. Kylie Jenner snacking on TikTok, held up a slim packet of translucent red gel and told her millions of followers it was her “new favorite.” She called the product “cutting jelly.” Within hours, backlash followed with accusations that the celeb was hawking irresponsible wellness. And whether you want to consume it or you want to stay away—Is this another weight loss drug?—we are as curious as you: What is cutting jelly?
We’re not going to lie. Before this week, most of us had never heard of cutting jelly. Now? We’re going down a rabbit hole. So let’s ignore the celebrity angle for a second and talk about the FOODOLOGY Coleology Cutting Stick Jelly that Jenner was eating. Strip away the discourse. Let’s get into it.
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What Is Cutting Jelly, Really?
Despite the name, cutting jelly is not a dessert. It’s a gel-based supplement, usually sold in single-serve stick packs, and it’s been popular in South Korea for years. The “cutting” part refers to cutting calories and carbs, not cutting the jelly with a knife like some deranged cooking TikTok.
Most versions are made with water, fiber, fruit flavoring, and plant-based thickeners. It looks very much like the gelatin you’d eat as a kid, but please keep these away from the littles. Some cutting jellies on the market might even include buzzy ingredients like garcinia cambogia or green tea extract.
Cutting jelly eaters squeeze it into their mouths, swallow, and that’s it. No chewing. And perhaps no joy? We repeat, it’s NOT dessert.
The pitch is that it helps with digestion and bloating. At least that’s what Jenner said on her TikTok. But lets’ be real, the aim is to suppress one’s appetite, say, like a GLP-1? Like fiber, it makes you feel fuller for a bit and maybe helps you poop, according to this GQ article. Score?
And since the internet loves a catchy nickname, cutting jelly has been dubbed “Korean Ozempic,” but is it that? Sources say it’s wildly inaccurate. The nickname might be catchy, but it’s also misleading. Ozempic (semaglutide) is a prescription medication designed to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. It works by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone, which helps regulate blood sugar and slows down digestion to reduce appetite. This process involves real, measurable changes to your body.
Cutting jelly, on the other hand, is not a drug. It’s a gel-based fiber supplement, typically made with things like konjac or other plant-based ingredients that promote fullness by expanding in your stomach, similar to how a fiber bar might work. It doesn’t require a prescription. And, we couldn’t find any scientific evidence that it leads to meaningful or sustained weight loss on its own.
If people feel lighter or eat less after taking it, that’s not one’s fat magically disappearing. It’s just fullness and water weight doing their thing.
According to Dr. Hector Perez, a lead bariatric surgeon at Renew Bariatrics and an advisor at BestSurgeons.com, an online database that helps people connect with board-certified surgeons, “Most cutting jelly products are built around konjac-derived glucomannan, sometimes combined with agar or other soluble fibers. Because glucomannan is extremely viscous, it swells aggressively when mixed with water and physically stretches the stomach, creating a fake sense of fullness.”
Perez note that this doesn’t actually regulate your appetite, but rather it’s a mechanical trick. “My patients describe it as ‘being stuffed without feeling satisfied,’ which is precisely what happens,” he explains. “You’re filling volume without calming hunger hormones or food reward pathways, and this satiety without satisfaction is a setup for rebound eating later.”
So why are people mad?
Because trolls are always mad. And there’s a big divide between people who are for and against celebrities and non-celebrities alike using GLP-1s to slim down. So even if cutting jelly itself isn’t dangerous (and we don’t know with certainty that it is or isn’t), the messaging matters. A gel that quietly implies you should suppress hunger to look snatched isn’t exactly neutral. (Not that Jenner said that.)
Perez also wants to stress the distinction between cutting jelly and GLP-1s. “Cutting jelly doesn’t belong in the same conversation as GLP-1 medications because GLP-1s change brain-level appetite signaling, insulin dynamics, and food reward whereas cutting jelly just expands,” he says. “Compared to standard fiber supplements like psyllium, it’s actually less impressive; psyllium has better data for cholesterol, glycemic control, and long-term tolerability.”
Are There Other Cutting Jellies?
Yes. Tons. Korean beauty retailers have been selling diet and digestion jellies for years, alongside collagen jellies, vitamin gels, and probiotic shots. Some newer versions downplay weight loss entirely and market themselves as low-calorie snacks or fiber boosts, which is… honestly more honest.
There are also now some American brands selling similar products as “konjac jellies” or “digestive gels.”
Now whether you consume it or not, we must tell you, it’s not magic. It’s just another viral weight loss thing a celebrity posted about. And maybe she’s endorsing it because they’re paying her or she’s an investor. We don’t know. She tagged the brand in her post though. If you’re curious, fine. If you try it, let us know how it goes. Just don’t confuse a trendy gel packet with a health breakthrough, or take nutrition advice from people whose job is being aspirational online.
These are those other brands, BTW…
Editor’s Note: Dietary supplements like cutting jellies aren’t evaluated or approved by the FDA the way prescription drugs are, and there’s limited independent research on their short- and long-term effects. If you have health conditions or take medications, medical experts recommend checking with a healthcare provider before trying them.
