In Brief: FTC/Barbie soap settlement
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
FTC/Barbie soap settlement: Mattel Corp. signs consent agreement with Federal Trade Commission, which charged that environmental marketing claims for Mattel's Barbie Bath Blast Fashion Foam Soap were "deceptive and misleading," FTC says March 30. FTC alleged that although Barbie Bath Blast's labeling said the product did not contain ingredients that would damage the ozone layer, the product did in fact contain ozone-depleting substances. Under the agreement, Mattel is prohibited from: making "unsubstantiated" environmental claims for aerosol products; falsely using the claim "contains no CFCs" when a product has any "ozone-depleting substances"; and representing that products with ozone-depleting ingredients do not "adversely affect ozone," FTC reports. By entering the agreement, Mattel does not admit to any wrongdoing. Barbie Bath Blast was available only during 1993, according to Mattel, which notes that 90% of Barbie products are only available for one year..