The FederalTrade Commission (FTC) has been asked to investigate celebrity endorsements ofdetox teas.
In a three-pageletterto the FTC chairman, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D), said social mediamarketers are engaged in “false promotion as shortcuts to healthy weight lossand management.” He cited several brands and singled out Khloé Kardashian andKim Kardashian West.
“KimKardashian, a powerful influence on young women, recently raved about how FlatTummy Co.’s products are ‘helping me get my tummy back to flat,’ implying thatthese products are an integral part of achieving this level of fame andsuccess,” he wrote. “Additionally, celebrities can reportedly earn six-figuresums for a single social media post promoting a ‘detox tea,’ frequently withoutany expectation that these celebrities personally use these teas and exposethemselves to the products’ associated dangers, in violation of the FTC’sEndorsement Guidelines.”
In hisletter he said celebrities are paid $10,000 to $300,000 for an Instagram postpromoting products that “are ineffective at best and dangerous as worst.” Hecited Fit Tea, Lyfe Tea, Bootea, SkinnyMint Tea, and Flat Tummy Co.
Blumenthaldid not include in his letter the names of more conventional brands thatinclude ‘detox’ on their labels and marketing materials. Many tea firms usethis description. Instead he singled out brands containing senna.
Blumenthalsaid that while approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as anover-the-counter laxative for occasional use, “the National Institutes ofHealth (NIH) cautions against using this product for more than 14 days, andnotes there is insufficient evidence for its effectiveness in promoting weightloss.” He explained that adolescents and young adults experiencing psychologicalproblems could be further harmed by weight-loss marketing messages.
“Researchhas shown that girls and young women who begin using laxatives — like thosefound in ‘detox teas’ — for weight loss are at a higher risk for developingeating disorders, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends thatadolescents avoid these products completely due to their associating witheating disorders,” writes Blumenthal.
Sideeffects can lead to bowel damage, heart function disorders, muscleweakness and damage to their livers, Blumenthal said.
PeopleMagazine reported Blumenthal’s praise for Jameela Jamil — anactress actively fighting against these products and criticizingcelebrities who endorse them — as someone who was negativelyimpacted by laxative products, and for her work against them.
“Shehas stated that ‘I was the teenager who starved herself for years, who spentall her money on miracle cures and laxatives and tips from celebrities on howto maintain a weight that was lower than what my body wanted to be. I was sick,I have had digestion and metabolism problems for life.’” writes Blumenthal.
In2017 FTC began mandating that influencers on social media explicitly state whena post is sponsored by #ad or #partner.
TheConnecticut senator, who chairs the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee onOversight, Federal Rights, and Agency Action, called for the FTC and FDA towork in tandem “to inform the public about the true harms of these teas” and “takeappropriate enforcement action to protect unwitting consumers from harm.”
Read full text of his letter here.
Sources: Sen.Blumenthal, PeopleMagazine, FoxNews