The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2014
Sensa sold 'sprinkle, eat, and lose weight' — the science wasn't there
Jan 2014: Sensa paid $26.5M to settle FTC charges — the sprinkle-on powder sold weight loss 'with no dieting', backed by a flawed study and paid endorsements.
Sensa Products, LLC · 2014-01
What happened
Sensa sold a powder to sprinkle on food — 'sprinkle, eat, and lose weight' — claiming it enhanced smell and taste so users felt full faster, with no dieting or exercise. Ads said 1,400 users had lost an average of 30.5 pounds in six months, and creator Dr. Alan Hirsch cited his own studies as clinical proof. Between 2008 and 2012 US retail sales topped $364 million; a month's supply cost $59.
The FTC found the study scientifically flawed, Hirsch's expert endorsements unsupported, and testimonials bought with payments of $1,000 to $5,000 and trips — never disclosed as paid. On 7 January 2014, in a sweep the Commission named 'Operation Failed Resolution', Sensa agreed to pay $26.5 million for consumer refunds, part of a $46.5 million judgment with the balance suspended. In December the FTC mailed 477,083 refund checks, totalling $26,023,329.
Sensa said it stood behind the product and would adjust its advertising. The FTC's Jessica Rich wrote the sweep's epitaph: 'The chances of being successful just by sprinkling something on your food, rubbing cream on your thighs or using a supplement are slim to none. The science just isn't there.'
Why it happened
- The whole pitch was a magic verb — 'sprinkle' — promising weight loss and asking nothing in return.
- The evidence stack was in-house: a flawed study, an expert who was the founder, testimonials bought with cash and trips.
- $364 million in sales shows how far a claim can travel before the evidence catches up with it.
The lesson
Weight-loss claims need competent science before airtime: a flawed study, an interested expert and undisclosed paid testimonials are each their own violation — and the refund bill follows the revenue.
Aftermath
Sensa vanished from shelves after the refunds went out in December 2014, and 'Operation Failed Resolution' became the FTC's annual template for January's weight-loss advertising.
Sources
- FTC — Sensa and Three Other Marketers of Fad Weight-Loss Products Settle FTC Charges in Crackdown on Deceptive Advertising
- LA Times — FTC orders weight-loss firm Sensa Products to return $26.5 million
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