Hers is a real, legally operating telehealth company. It’s part of Hims & Hers Health, Inc., a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: HIMS) that was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco. It holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. So yes, it’s a legitimate business, not a scam. But “legitimate” and “worth your money” aren’t the same question, and there are some important nuances to understand before you order.
How Hers Works
Hers operates as a telehealth platform that connects you with licensed healthcare providers who can prescribe medications online. The process starts with an intake form where you share your medical history and goals. A state-licensed provider reviews your information and determines whether to prescribe treatment. Depending on your state, this can happen without a video visit. If a visit is required, you schedule a video or audio appointment through the app.
Once prescribed, medications ship directly to you. You can message your provider for follow-ups, request dosage adjustments through the app, and access ongoing support. The convenience is the main selling point: no in-person doctor’s visit, no separate pharmacy trip.
What Hers Actually Prescribes
Hers offers treatments across several categories, including hair loss, skin care, mental health, and weight loss. The legitimacy of what you’re getting depends heavily on which product you choose, because Hers sells a mix of FDA-approved medications and compounded drugs. These are very different things.
FDA-approved medications have been rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness. Compounded drugs have not. Compounding is a legal practice where pharmacies mix custom formulations, but the FDA explicitly states it has not evaluated compounded products for safety, effectiveness, or quality prior to marketing. Hers uses compounded formulations for several of its popular products, and that’s where things get complicated.
Hair Loss Products
For hair loss, Hers offers topical finasteride, sometimes combined with minoxidil. Oral finasteride has been FDA-approved since 1997 (sold as Propecia), and minoxidil is an FDA-approved over-the-counter treatment. However, there is no FDA-approved topical finasteride product. The FDA has specifically flagged telemedicine platforms that market compounded topical finasteride, warning that these products lack FDA-approved labeling and haven’t been evaluated for safety in that form. The active ingredients have research behind them, but the specific formulation you’d receive from Hers hasn’t gone through the standard approval process.
Weight Loss Medications
This is the most significant area of concern right now. Hers has been selling compounded versions of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, the same class of medications as Ozempic and Wegovy. The FDA announced its intent to take direct action against Hers by name, along with other compounding pharmacies, for mass-marketing non-FDA-approved compounded GLP-1 products as alternatives to approved drugs.
The FDA’s position is clear: companies cannot claim compounded products are generic versions of, or the same as, FDA-approved drugs. They also cannot state that compounded drugs use the same active ingredient or are clinically proven to produce results. The agency warned that companies marketing these products could face seizure and injunction if they don’t address violations. This doesn’t mean the medications are necessarily dangerous, but it does mean the FDA cannot verify their quality, safety, or efficacy.
Customer Complaints and Common Issues
The BBB profile for Hims & Hers shows a pattern worth knowing about. The company has received thousands of complaints, with the most common categories being product issues (over 1,600 complaints), service or repair issues (over 1,100), and delivery problems (438). Billing and advertising complaints also appear regularly, with 234 and 293 complaints respectively.
The A+ BBB rating reflects the company’s responsiveness to complaints, not the absence of them. A high volume of complaints is partly expected for a company operating at this scale, but recurring issues around billing and subscriptions are a common theme in customer feedback. If you sign up, pay close attention to your subscription terms and cancellation policy.
What You’re Really Paying For
Hers is selling convenience. You’re paying a premium to skip in-person appointments, get prescriptions through an app, and have medications delivered to your door. For some products, particularly standard FDA-approved medications for mental health or skin care, this model works straightforwardly. You’re getting the same drug you’d get at a pharmacy, just through a different channel.
For compounded products, though, you’re paying for something your local doctor might not prescribe in the same formulation, and that the FDA hasn’t vetted in the form you’re receiving. That’s a trade-off you should make with your eyes open. The providers on the platform are licensed, the company is publicly traded and regulated, and the business itself is not fraudulent. But the regulatory status of specific products varies significantly, and the FDA has raised pointed concerns about some of Hers’ most heavily marketed offerings.
If you’re considering Hers for a compounded product, especially a GLP-1 weight loss medication, it’s worth understanding that the regulatory landscape around these drugs is actively shifting, and the FDA has signaled enforcement action. For standard prescriptions, the platform functions as a legitimate, if pricey, alternative to a traditional doctor’s visit.