Online seller of breast enhancement products sued over false claims of being able to increase breast size without surgery

Jun 30 2004

The Washington State Attorney General’s High Tech Unit today filed suit against a Snohomish County man for making unsubstantiated claims that the lotions, capsules and other products he offered for sale over the Internet could increase breast size without surgery.

Attorney General Christine Gregoire said the marketing scheme was particularly troublesome because the products were marketed to teenagers, and they contain hormones which have not been tested as safe for teenagers or adults.

“This case is important because of the misrepresentations about effectiveness of the products, and because of the potential health threat for a vulnerable population,” Gregoire said.

The consumer protection suit filed in King County Superior Court accuses Nature’s Advantage LLC, and its Marysville owner, Vaughn Wolfe, of making numerous unsubstantiated claims for the breast-enhancement products on two websites, NaturesAdvantageProducts.com and HerbalBreast.com. The products were marketed under the name Herbal Breast Advantage (HBA).

Among other things, the websites claimed that users had a 95 percent chance of experiencing improvements in their breasts by using the products, that the changes would be permanent, and that the products were safe and had no side effects. In fact, the defendants could not substantiate any of those claims with any clinical studies or data, research, or any other scientific evidence, the lawsuit contends. The HBA line of products, including lotions, sprays and internally-taken capsules, was invented and developed by Wolfe, who is neither a scientist nor a licensed medical professional. His products range in price from $3.99 for a bar of soap, to a 3–month supply of the “complete value system” for $259.99.

The lawsuit seeks to stop the illegal practices and obtain financial penalties and restitution for consumers.