Here's the Skinny: Nivea Skin Cream Won't Make You Smaller

You think a skin cream can make you smaller? The Federal Trade Commission doesn't think so. It's reached a settlement with Beiersdorf, Inc. that requires the company to stop claiming that regular use of its Nivea My Silhouette skin cream can significantly reduce consumers’ body size.  The company also agreed to pay $900,000.

“The real skinny on weight loss is that no cream is going to help you fit into your jeans,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz.  “The tried and true formula for weight loss is diet and exercise.”

According to the FTC's complaint, Beiersdorf, Inc. marketed the skin cream in nationwide television ads and through sponsored search results on Google.  The company touted the cream’s “Bio-slim Complex,” a combination of ingredients that includes anise and white tea.

One television ad depicts a woman getting dressed after having applied Nivea My Silhouette! cream to her stomach and thighs.  She digs through the back of her closet, tries on a pair of old jeans, and discovers that they now fit.  During the ad, the voice-over says: “New Nivea My Silhouette with Bio-Slim Complex helps redefine the appearance of your silhouette and noticeably firm skin in just four weeks.  So you can rediscover your favorite jeans.  And how they still get his attention.  New Nivea My Silhouette! with Bio-Slim Complex.  Touch and be touched.”

Stomach fat

The company also allegedly purchased sponsored search results from Google so that when consumers searched on the words “stomach fat,” “nivea slim silhouette,” or “thin waist,” they found Beiersdorf ads implying that Nivea My Silhouette! could tone their stomachs, thin their waists, and help them slim down.

The proposed settlement:

• bars Beiersdorf from claiming that any product applied to the skin causes substantial weight or fat loss or a substantial reduction in body size.

• prohibits the company from claiming that any drug, dietary supplement, or cosmetic causes weight or fat loss or a reduction in body size, unless the claim is backed by two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical studies.

• requires that any claim regarding the health benefits of any drug, dietary supplement, or cosmetic be backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

The Wilton, Conn.-based Beiersdorf, Inc. is one of the largest sellers of hand and body care skin cream in the United States.  Nivea My Silhouette is sold at pharmacy and grocery stores in the United States.