Health & Beauty

Press and website advertising for Chai Yi Tea available at Therapie Clinic referred to the following:

Miracle Weight Loss Tea
“Now available in Ireland and exclusive to Therapie Clinic.
Chai Yi Tea is a miracle weight loss tea that has helped millions of people lose weight, available exclusively at Therapie Clinics nationwide.
√ Lose up to 10lb in one week
√ Increase your energy levels
√ Boost your metabolism
√ Remove harmful toxins…”

Two complainants considered the claims made in the advertising to be misleading. One likened the claims to “medical” type claims. While the other complainant said that to lose up to 10lbs in one week would be unsafe and not in keeping with recommended healthy weight loss plans. The same complainant also considered that the advertisers were playing on people’s insecurities and desperation.

The advertisers on receipt of the complaints asked the Secretariat to point out the misleading claims in their advertising. They also asked them to pinpoint the “medical” statements made by them.

The Secretariat pointed out to the advertisers that the complainants queried the efficacy of the product in question in relation to the claims “lose up to 10 lb in one week, increase your energy level… toxins…” etc. They also pointed out to the advertisers that the Code required that advertisers should hold evidence for product claims which should be submitted to the Authority on request, as a lack of substantiation could give rise to a breach of the Code.

The advertisers did not provide any further response to the complaints.

Complaints Upheld.

The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaints and expressed their concerns at the advertisers’ failure to respond in detail to the issues raised by the complainants. They reminded them that there was an onus on all advertisers to demonstrate that their advertising was in conformity with the Code. In the absence of the advertisers’ response and substantiation for the claims made in their advertising the Committee upheld the complaint under Section 2.9, 9.3, 9.6 and 9.9 of the Code.

Action Required:

The advertisement must not run in its current form again.