Anyone who’s trying to put on muscle knows just how hard it can be to hit your protein goals.
While experts are divided on the issue, it’s generally accepted that those looking to put on muscle mass should be eating 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. For someone who is 200 pounds, this means 200 grams of protein.
Actually reading this number can be difficult. Hitting 200 grams of protein without protein supplements means eating the equivalent of over 7 servings of chicken breast or almost 12 servings of tofu.
This is why many choose to consume protein supplements like protein shakes. But can you be certain the macros advertised on the package are accurate? A recent scandal in the protein powder world is calling that into question.
What’s The Deal With This Protein Powder?
Back in March 2025, a Reddit user named Sufficient_Letter175 made a post about how Holmes Nutrition protein powder did not have the macros that it claimed. While the protein powder advertised that it had 22 grams of protein, independent lab results conducted by Certified Laboratories found that it actually had just 3.4 grams of protein.
Not only that, but other nutritional information was also incorrect. For example, while the powder advertised 4 grams of carbohydrates, testing found that the true carbohydrate amount was closer to 21 grams. Sufficient_Letter175 says that he saw Instagram comments saying that consumers claimed their “BLOOD SUGAR SHOT UP despite the label claiming low sugar and carbs.”
After this post went live, Holmes Nutrition stopped selling its protein powder, citing “an unexpected issue with the manufacturing facility for the protein.”
The News Spreads
After Sufficient_Letter175’s post, updates on the situation were few and far between. However, on Dec. 31, 2025, a YouTube user named Folphin posted a video called “This company sold CAKE BATTER as PROTEIN POWDER.”
Citing her own frustration with the story, Folphin goes over Sufficient_Letter175’s findings while also making her own discoveries. For example, she notes that there are misspellings on the nutrition labels. She also says that added sugars are not declared correctly. Additionally, composite ingredients like non-dairy creamer are not broken down as legally required.
This video caught hold of the algorithm and slowly went viral, eventually reaching YouTuber Charles White, aka MoistCr1TiKaL, aka Penguinz0. The YouTuber posted his own response and reaction to Folphin’s video, calling it the “Craziest Fitness Scam I’ve Seen.” His response currently has over 2.8 million views.
The Internet Reacts
Quickly, news about this “fitness scam” spread across the internet. Users across social media began offering their own responses.
While the protein powder appeared similar to cake mix, it was never fully confirmed that the powder truly was cake mix. Nevertheless, the narrative that “Holmes Nutrition sold cake mix as protein powder” took hold of the internet. Consequently, many users saw this as an opportunity to call out the sorry state of the nutrition and supplement industry.
“So you’re telling me that they were bagging cake mix, calling it a protein powder and charging $75 a bag to their hundreds of customers, to gyms and professional athletes, and nobody could tell? Nobody realized? Totally believe it,” says TikTok user Kzo (@coachkzo) in a video with over 151,000 views.
“If you are buying products that are not third-party tested, assume that it’s not going to work or that it doesn’t contain what it’s supposed to,” Kzo declares. Even if a product has a large following, Kzo says one is right to be suspicious.
“Look for third-party testing,” he states. “If it’s not third-party tested, you take it at your own risk.”
@coachkzo Who knows if it was the owners or the manufacturer but either way if it isn’t 3rd party tested assume use your own caution
Are There Other Stories Like This?
Unfortunately, Kzo is correct that fitness products with large followings have also been shown to be unreliable.
For example, many gymgoers supplement with a substance called creatine. While creatine can be taken in powder form, companies have recently started marketing gummies with creatine in them.
At least, they’re supposed to have creatine in them. One investigation found that several brands that claimed to contain creatine actually contained only trace amounts. This means that, if one were to try to consume enough gummies to meet the listed creatine level, they would often have to eat thousands of gummies instead of the listed dosage of two gummies.
Another investigation discovered that many protein powders contained significant amounts of lead.
It appears that Holmes Nutrition has not directly responded to the claims made in the Reddit post or video. However, its site now has a paragraph reading, “Due to inaccurate and false information being disseminated we have received racial hate threats against our family that are very graphic in nature. Authorities are involved and will be investigating this as a hate crime. This site will be taken down in the next few days.”
BroBible reached out to Holmes Nutrition via Instagram direct message and email. We also reached out to Kzo via email, Sufficient_Letter175 via Reddit Chat, as well as to Folphin via TikTok and Instagram direct message.