FOR RELEASE: August 24, 1993
REVLON, INC. TO SETTLE CHARGES OF UNSUBSTANTIATED AD CLAIMS
FOR "ANTI-CELLULITE" AND SUNSCREEN PRODUCTS
Revlon, Inc. and its subsidiary, Charles Revson, Inc., have
agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges of unsubstan-
tiated advertising claims for their Ultima II ProCollagen Anti-
cellulite body complex ("Anti-cellulite body complex") and
PhotoAging Shield ("PAS") products. A proposed consent agreement
would require competent and reliable scientific evidence to
substantiate such claims in the future.
Revlon, Inc. is a Delaware corporation and Charles Revson,
Inc. is a New York corporation, both with headquarters in New
York City.
According to the complaint attached to the agreement,
through statements and depictions in advertising and promotional
materials, Revlon claimed that its ProCollagen body complex:
-- significantly reduces cellulite;
-- reduces skin's bumpy texture, ripples or slackness caused
by cellulite;
-- helps disperse toxins and excess water from areas where
cellulite appears; and
-- increases sub-skin tissue strength and tone.
The complaint charges Revlon with representing that it had a
reasonable basis for such claims when, in fact, it did not.
In addition, according to the FTC, Revlon marketed PAS as a
product intended to prevent "photoaging." Photoaging occurs when
the ultraviolet rays (UV) from natural sunlight, and possibly
- more -
(Revlon--08/24/93)
from artificial light, cause the skin to become prematurely
wrinkled and leathery. According to the Commission's complaint,
Revlon advertising and promotional materials for PAS contained
the following claims:
-- "While you can't prevent biological aging, you can
prevent Photoaging...This revolutionary product acts as a
shield for your skin;" and
-- "It's called PhotoAging Shield and it's so protective it
actually intercepts damaging light waves before they
penetrate your skin."
The FTC alleged that these and other statements and
depictions in advertisements and promotional materials have
represented that PAS blocks all of the harmful rays which cause
photoaging. The complaint alleges that Revlon falsely
represented that it had a reasonable basis for such a claim.
The proposed consent agreement to settle these charges,
announced today for public comment, would require Revlon to have
scientific evidence to support any future claims about the
effectiveness of cellulite treatments or sunscreen products.
Revlon also would be required to disclose the sun protection
factor (SPF) value in any sunscreen ad in which it touts the
ability of the product to protect against the sun's rays.
The order also would permit representations for sunscreen
products that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes
as supported by scientific evidence in a tentative final or final
standard. FDA issued a tentative final monograph on over-the-
counter sunscreen drug products on May 12, 1993.
The Commission vote to amend the complaint and accept the
proposed consent agreement for public comment was 5-0.
A fact sheet on sunscreen products and the type of
protection they offer is available from the FTC.
The proposed consent agreement will be published in the
Federal Register shortly. It will be subject to public comment
for 60 days, after which the Commission will decide whether to
make it final. Comments should be addressed to: Office of the
Secretary, Federal Trade Commission, 6th Street and Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.
NOTE: A consent agreement is for settlement purposes only and
does not constitute an admission of a law violation. When the
Commission issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries
(Revlon--08/24/93)
the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation
of such an order may result in a civil penalty of up to $10,000.
Copies of the amended complaint, (entitled "Amended Com-
plaint" because it supersedes a previously approved administra-
tive complaint concerning only the cellulite product) the consent
agreement, an analysis of the agreement to aid the public in
commenting, and the consumer fact sheet, Sunscreens, are
available from the FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, at
the above address.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACT: Howard Shapiro, Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2176
STAFF CONTACT: Phoebe D. Morse, Boston Regional Office
10 Causeway Street, Room 1184
Boston, Massachusetts 02222
617-565-7240
or
Brinley H. Williams, Cleveland Regional
Office
668 Euclid Avenue, Suite 520-A
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
216-522-4207
(FTC Docket No. 9231)
(FTC File No. 882 3110)
(Revlon2)