Beiersdorf prohibited from making certain ad claims for Nivea product

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission announced on Wednesday that it has reached a settlement with Beiersdorf, the maker of Nivea, regarding advertising claims of its Nivea My Silhouette! skin cream.

The FTC administrative complaint charged Beiersdorf with falsely claiming that by regularly applying Nivea My Silhouette! cream to the skin, consumers could slim down. According to the complaint, Beiersdorf marketed the skin cream in nationwide television ads and through sponsored search results on Google. As part of the settlement, Beiersdorf has agreed to pay $900,000.

The proposed settlement:

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

  
  


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  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; and

  
  


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