Nowadays, the applications for coffee continue to expand. Aside from giving people mental clarity in the morning, it is now also used for cleaning people's insides (enemas) and their wallets (Starbucks).
While some would like to incorporate their love of a coffee buzz into everything else in existence, it seems U.S. authorities can only indulge such an obsession to a certain point. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined two companies for claiming that their caffeine-infused underwear can help women shed pounds.
Norm Thompson Outfitters and Wacoal America, two companies that marketed caffeine-infused products, faced penalties for "making false and unsubstantiated claims." The companies were ordered to pay a total of $1.5 million in refund to customers.
"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 claims that Norm Thompson engaged in deceptive advertising and marketing for its women's undergarments. The company advertised that its shapewear line can slim and reshape women's bodies by reducing or totally eliminating cellulite. The FTC also said that Norm Thompson promised consumers that wearing the shapewear products would reduce hip measurements by two inches and thigh measurements by one inch. All of that "without any effort," the company claimed.
Wacoal America faced similar allegations. According to the FTC, the company claimed that its iPants products made the body slimmer and reduced cellulite. Aside from promising consumers that wearing Wacoal America products would reduce thigh measurements and cellulite, the company also said that its iPants can kill off fat cells.
The FTC's proposal for the administrative consent orders that would settle the cases have two stipulations. First, the companies would be banned from claiming that any garment they sell contains drugs or cosmetics that can reduce weight or fat levels. Second, the two firms are also prohibited from claiming that any drug or cosmetic can reduce body fat and eliminate cellulite unless the claims are backed up competent scientific evidence.
