Less than magical promises of youth

Once upon a time, a woman drank a potion, magically turned into the young maiden she was 20 years earlier, and lived happily ever after.

The End?

Maybe in this fairy tale. But for real-life people who believe in — and literally buy into — the unsubstantiated claims of a miracle product, the ending is rarely, if ever, a happy one.

The FTC’s case against Telomerase Activation Sciences, Inc. (TAS) offers a lesson for consumers: be wary of products claiming miraculous results. In this case, the FTC says TAS told people its pills or creams reverse aging, improve skin elasticity, boost energy, and increase bone density, among other things. The company also claimed its pills repair damaged DNA and even prevent or reduce the risk of cancer, according to the complaint. What’s more, TAS paid actress Suzanne Somers to praise the pills on The Suzanne Show, disguising the paid commercial as independent, educational programming.

People paid $600 to $2,200 for 3 months’ worth of capsules, and $500 per ounce for the cream. In all, TAS racked up at least $56 million in sales for products that, the FTC says, had no solid science backing their effectiveness.

The moral to this story? Do your homework before buying a product claiming to do the phenomenal – even if a celebrity endorses it. And tell the FTC if you pay for a product that promises, but fails to deliver, miraculous results.