TEXTILES
Lingerie Companies Fined for False Claims on Caffeine-Infused Shapewear
Beware of claims that shapewear infused with caffeine will slim you or help shed cellulite.
The Federal Trade Commission has fined two lingerie makers $1.5 million for their statements that their caffeine-infused shapewear would solve a multitude of weight and fat problems.
On Nov. 10, the FTC finalized its orders that Norm Thompson Outfitters Inc. pay $230,000 in fines and that Wacoal America Inc. pay $1.3 million in fines for misleading consumers and making false and unsubstantiated claims about their undergarments.
“Caffeine-infused shapewear is the latest ‘weight-loss’ brew concocted by marketers,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “If someone says you can lose weight by wearing the clothes they are selling, steer clear. The best approach is tried and true: diet and exercise.”
The FTC’s complaints against Norm Thompson Outfitters said the company deceptively advertised, marketed and sold women’s undergarments infused with micro-encapsulated caffeine, retinol and other ingredients, claiming that the shapewear would slim and reshape the wearer’s body and reduce cellulite. The products, made with Lytess brand fabrics, were sold via mail order and on the company’s Norm Thompson Outfitters, Sahalie, Body Solutions and BodyBelle websites.
The FTC said these claims are not true or substantiated by scientific evidence and, therefore, violate the FTC Act.
The complaint against Wacoal America was similar. The FTC charged that the company’s iPants supposedly slimmed the body and reduced cellulite. Specifically, the FTC complaint said Wacoal made false and unsubstantiated claims that wearing its iPants would substantially reduce cellulite, cause a substantial reduction in the wearer’s thigh measurement and destroy fat cells. Again, the FTC said these claims were false and unsubstantiated.
The FTC can use the $1.5 million collected to refund consumers who bought the caffeinated shapewear.
