Ismile Co., Ltd. and Smile Communications Co., Ltd. sold the Sayonara Danny range of mite-capture and allergy-mist products, advertised with claims such as 'a three-dimensional mite-capture sheet that captures a remarkable 250,000 mites with one sheet', 'capture power of 260,000 mites per sheet', 'decomposes allergenic substances' and 'a mite-repelling effect lasting about one month'.
The companies could not produce a reasonable basis behind these figures. The claimed capture counts, the allergy-molecule decomposition and the one-month repellent effect were presented to consumers as if they were verified performance.
Because the performance claims were markedly better than the products actually delivered, the Consumer Affairs Agency found a violation of Article 5(1) of the Premiums and Representations Act (quality misrepresentation). On 14 March 2025 it issued corrective orders under Article 7(1) against both firms.
The case is a Japanese example of a wellness product marketing vein where a precise-sounding number — 250,000, 260,000 — made an unproven claim seem mechanical and trustworthy.
The CAA ordered both firms to stop after finding the precise figures were unproven; a number made the claim seem tested.
A precise number like 250,000 mites reads as a tested result, not a guess
The allergy claims aimed at families who wanted a measurable fix for a household problem
Two companies sharing the range meant the same groundless claim was sold under one line
A number makes a claim feel tested. When '250,000 mites' had no basis, the CAA read it as customers being told the product was better than it was — and ordered both sellers to stop.
The corrective orders required both Ismile and Smile Communications to stop the groundless performance claims, inform consumers the displays were a violation, and establish recurrence-prevention measures. The enforcement is a warning to wellness sellers that a fancy figure without evidence is a quality misrepresentation.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE