Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail)

v2.4.0.8
Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail)
3 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 1 Months Ended 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2013
VEF
Dec. 31, 2012
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2012
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2011
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2013
Herbalife Venezuela [Member]
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2012
Herbalife Venezuela [Member]
Dec. 31, 2012
Herbalife Venezuela [Member]
Feb. 28, 2013
SITME Rate [Member]
Feb. 28, 2013
New CADIVI Rate [Member]
Jan. 31, 2013
Previous CADIVI Rate [Member]
Feb. 28, 2013
CADIVI Rate [Member]
Mar. 31, 2013
Alternative Bolivar Exchange Mechanisms [Member]
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2013
Remeasurement of Assets and Liabilities Using New CADIVI Rate [Member]
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2013
Devaluation of Bolivar Denominated Cash [Member]
USD ($)
Subsidiary or Equity Method Investee [Line Items]                              
Foreign currency exchange rate, Bolivars per USD                 5.3 6.3 4.3        
Percent by which currency exchange rate was less favorable than SITME                       16.00%      
Foreign currency transaction losses                         $ (700,000) $ (15,100,000) $ (16,900,000)
CADIVI rate for remeasurement 6.3 6.3                          
Percent by which alternative legal exchange mechanism was less favorable than new CADIVI                         75.00%    
Currency exchanged through alternative legal exchange mechanisms 200,000 5,600,000                          
Net monetary Bolivar denominated assets and liabilities           89,500,000                  
Cash and cash equivalents $ 722,474,000   $ 333,534,000 $ 305,861,000 $ 258,775,000 $ 102,300,000                  
Subsidiary net sales as percentage of consolidated sales           4.00% 3.00%                
Subsidiary assets as percentage of consolidated assets           6.00%   7.00%