The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced a settlement with L’Occitane, Inc., the maker of Almond Beautiful Shape and Almond Shaping Delight skin creams, which the company had claimed had been clinically tested and proven to “trim 1.3 inches in just 4 weeks.”  The products were also claimed to resculpt and tone the bodies of users of the product as well as to fight cellulite.  None of these claims were accurate for the two products that sold for $48 for a 7 ounces of Almond Shaping Delight and $44 for 6.7 ounces of Almond Beautiful Shape.  As one of the conditions of the settlement, L’Occitane is paying $416,000 in refunds to customers who purchased either product since March 19, 2012.

TIPS

Gilardi & Company is the redress administrator for processing the refunds and has already started sending out refund checks to consumers whose names and contact information was obtained through customer lists of L’Ocitane.  The checks must be cashed no later than May 19, 2015.  It is important to also remember that if you receive a letter or other communication informing you that you must pay any type of payment or provide personal information in order to receive your refund, that letter is a scam.  No payments are required to receive a refund in this matter and no personal information is required to be provided in order to receive your refund.

Finally, there is a long history of health and weight loss scams.  In general, the old saying is true, if it sounds too good to be true, it generally is.  No cream can reduce fat or trim your body.  Never purchase a weight loss product until you have thoroughly researched it.