14 DAY TRIAL // Control pants are becoming increasingly more popular, with some brands even going as far as claiming they can efficiently help the wearer get rid of cellulite and even drop a few pounds because of it. The same goes for the relatively recently released Marks & Spencer knickers, which reportedly include ingredients that are widely used in the fight against the dreaded orange-like skin.
The only problem is, as consumer group Which? puts it, as cited by the Telegraph, the slimming claims are an exaggeration for the M&S pants are nothing but pants. They cost almost £30 and claim not only to help a woman look gorgeous in an outfit that would otherwise cling to all the wrong places, but actually drop a few pounds while also getting rid of cellulite. M&S says the knickers do this because they contain ingredients like aloe vera and caffeine, which are proven to fight cellulite.
After speaking with two plastic surgeons and one dermatologist, Which? has determined that all these claims are dust in the eyes at best. Not only do the knickers not contain large-enough quantities of the two ingredients to make them efficient in the fight against cellulite, but neither are there conclusive studies to prove they can lead to weight loss. As such, the product is misleading women into thinking they will actually get a miracle cure for the one problem for which there is no other cure than a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.
“Which?, the consumer watchdog, said it believed women might be misled into buying the expensive garment. As well as being advertised as ‘firm control anti-cellulite,’ the garment also contains ingredients such as aloe vera and caffeine embedded into the fabric. Which? said two consultant plastic surgeons and a dermatologist – which it employed to examine the claims – were doubtful about the evidence, noting that any very tight underwear without the added ingredients could have a similar effect of smoothing the skin. They were also concerned about lack of evidence that the aloe vera and caffeine work on cellulite and are in sufficient quantities to be effective,” the Telegraph writes about the conclusions of Which?.
M&S, though, is adamant that it would not advertise a product for things it does not do. “This garment is clearly labeled and we refute claims that it could be misleading. It contains ingredients widely used in creams to reduce visible signs of cellulite and the fabric has been independently tested,” a spokesperson for the company says. Moreover, the label only says the knickers are “proven to reduce the visible signs of cellulite,” the rep adds.