Nivea fined for slimming cream claims

Nivea's Canadian distributor has been fined almost $400,000 for making misleading claims thatone of their creams can make you thinner.

Canada's Competition Bureau announced that Beiersdorf Canada Inc.,the company'sCanadian distributor, will stop making the claims about Nivea's 'MySilhouette' product.

Under the terms of the agreement, Beiersdorfwill immediately remove the products from Canadian shelves. Beiersdorf has also agreed to paya $300,000 penaltyand to refund the purchase price and shipping costs to Canadian customers who bought the product.

The company will also issue a corrective notice on its website, and pay the commission $80,000 to cover the costs of its investigation.

Among other complaints, the bureau objected to the product's claim that regular use could achieve a "reduction of up tothree centimetres on targeted body parts, such as thighs, hips, waist and stomach."

Those claims created the misleading impression that use of the product could make the skin more toned and elastic, the bureau said.

"Beiersdorf misled consumers by claiming a person could slim down by simply applying a skin cream,"Canada's Competition CommissionerMelanie Aitken said.

"Unfortunately, consumers who purchased My Silhouette learned the hard way that there was no such easy fix."