Power Balance wristbands, as worn by David Beckham, Kate Middleton, Leonardo DiCaprio an P Diddy, have been exposed as a hoax, after the company was forced to admit false advertising for its claims that the silicone bracelets improve balance and strength.
The Power Balance wristbands have been on the market since 2007 and were marketed as being infused with healing powers, via a hologram on the front of the bracelet.
At the time, inventor Josh Rodarmel gave this not-so-scientific explanation: “Everything in nature has a set frequency. The body has a frequency and things which cause negativity to the human body – like cellphones and radiowaves – break down its natural healing frequency. My brother and I worked out a way of putting good frequencies into our holograms so they balance out the body.”
However Power Balance has been forced to retract the claims after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission smelled a rat.
“In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility.
“We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974.
“If you feel you have been misled by our promotions, we wish to unreservedly apologise and offer a full refund,” Power Balance wrote.
Tests have been run comparing the performance of athletes wearing Power Balance wristbands and silicon ‘placebo’ versions and unsurprisingly no difference was found.
However the company’s Twitter has been inundated with supporters and athletes who say they will continue to wear the bracelet.
If you want to snap up a Power Balance writsband then one can be yours for £29.99 here: powerbalance.com
