Celebrities are being paid thousands of dollars to sell laxative teas on Instagram

Tea detoxes aren't all they're cracked up to be.

A recent report by Chavie Lieber of Racked digs into how tea detoxes like Lyfe Tea and Skinny Mint — which are essentially just laxatives — exploded on Instagram largely through paid endorsements from social media darlings like Kylie Jenner and Nicki Minaj.

Lieber writes that these celebrities (some of whom are just "Instagram personalities") could be paid $3,000 to $250,000 per endorsement — depending on the size of their online followings.

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Celebrity endorsements aside, Instagram has become the new grounds for building startup businesses. 

The entire fitness industry has undergone a revolution thanks to people sharing photos of their wellness practices. The tea detox industry has attempted to tap into that with its social media presence. 

Much of the so-called "teatox" community's photos appear to be shrouded in the same inspirational visuals that someone on the 21-Day Fix, a popular workout routine, might share:

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But unlike fitness routines, tea detoxes can have some side effects. The primary ingredient in tea detoxes is senna, which is used as a laxative. This isn't dangerous, it just isn't meant to be used every day, Lieber writes. Not all companies who sell tea cleanses are entirely transparent about the unfortunate side effects that can occur.

Some critics of the tea detox industry also point out that there's no need to detox when your body can do it on its own.

For Racked's full investigation, click here.

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