WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) —The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Feb. 7 that it will mail refund checks to more than 1,300 consumers who had purchased Mercola indoor tanning systems. The checks amount to a total of roughly $2.59 million.
The refund process comes on the heels of a 2016 settlement between the FTC and Dr. Joseph Mercola and his companies. The FTC had said Mercola brand D-Lite, SunSplash, and Vitality indoor tanning systems – products marketed by the defendants – were not as safe as the defendants maintained. Mercola and his companies marketed these products as safe, alleging that research proves indoor tanning does not increase the risk of melanoma skin cancer. Mercola also said the products can reverse the appearance of aging. The FTC alleged these were false claims not supported by science.
Mercola and his companies are banned from selling indoor tanning systems. They will also provide refunds to any consumer who purchased a tanning system after Jan. 1, 2012, and submitted a refund request before Oct. 31, 2016. On average, customers will receive a refund of $1,897. The FTC noted that consumers should cash these checks within 60 days of the mailing date.