Nivea and FTC Settle Over Silhouette Weight Loss Claims
Looks like it's a return to rice cakes and treadmills.
The Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with Beiersdorf Inc. which prohibits the latter's Nivea Silhouette skin cream from claiming that it causes weight loss or significantly reduces body size, Women's Wear Daily reports.
The beauty company, which will also fork over $900,000 under the settlement's terms, was charged by the FTC with falsely claiming that it contributed to weight loss via marketing campaigns that touted the cream's "BioSlim Complex."
A Nivea Silhouette commercial (above) also showed a woman using the product before slipping on her "skinny" jeans, while online ads were targeted to Google searches for weight loss-related terms like "stomach fat" and "thin waist."
“The real skinny on weight loss is that no cream is going to help you fit into your jeans,” FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz tells WWD. “The tried and true formula for weight loss is diet and exercise.”
Sigh. We know.
The settlement also requires Beiersdorf to show "two random, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical studies" before making any future weight loss claims, and any statements that drugs, dietary supplements, and cosmetics offer a health benefit must be supported by scientific evidence.
Speaking of surprising beauty claims, a new study says Botox can help treat asthma.
