Misleading 'weight loss leggings' advert banned
An advert for leggings designed to speed up weight loss has been banned over a lack of evidence to support its claims.
Pic: Getty
The ad on the Debenhams website for Elle SlimTech leggings suggested the wearer would benefit from faster weight loss and a reduced appearance of cellulite thanks to micro-capsules within the material.
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In the advert for the £45 cropped leggings, it was claimed that friction caused during the wearing of the garment caused the microcapsules to break, releasing slimming ingredients such as red agae, sophora japonica and copaiba into the skin.
These ingredients, it suggested, reduce "muscular tiredness, smooths and moisturises the skin, helping to reduce cellulite", as well as lifting and toning.
Retailer Debenhams and the manufacturer, Elle Sport, insisted the claims were supported by clinical sports trials, and presented three independent studies to the Advertising Standards Authority.
However, the ASA found that none of the studies found no evidence to suggest any significant weight loss occurred, despite the participants wearing the leggings for eight hours a day for five days. In fact, the biggest improvement made was a reduction around the tummy of less than 1cm on average.
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According to the Daily Mail, a Debenhams spokesperson said: "We prepared the advert using information provided by the product supplier, which was supported by research carried out by a reputable independent third party."
But the ad has now been banned, and the retailer warned not to imply that the wearer would benefit from accelerated weight or fat loss.
Have you tried SlimTech leggings? Did you notice any significant weight loss? Leave your comments below...
