More "snake oil" and/or WTF products

[fireheart]

So I was watching The Checkout ("consumer affairs" show that is fairly neutral on both sides (ie it sides with the consumer, but also shows what businesses can do and doesn't state that they're wrong for doing so)) and tonight's "point of contention" was on gluten-free everything.

They went into the discussion of gluten-free products such as bacon and salt (ie things that are labelled as gluten-free when they either had negligible amounts or were gluten-free ALREADY) and then brought out the big gem:

Gluten-free shampoo.

W.T.F?!?!?!?!?!?!

Seriously, unless you're going to eat it, WHY the heck do you need gluten-free shampoo!!!!! Oh and I should add that this thing went for almost $30. (to give you an idea, most shampoos are between $4-$8 in supermarkets)

So share your products and/or snake oil-esque product stories....last thread was 8 or so years ago, so let's share em!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Not me, but a former college roommate of mine. He decided the best way to lose weight was to buy one of those electric belt thingies you wear around your stomach.

It burned his belly but did not take off any weight.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Ethical flea shampoo for cats 'Not tested on animals'. Then how do you know it kills fleas if you haven't tested it? Or are fleas not animals? I don't know if it works, I didn't buy it, it seemed sketchy.

[Aislin]

Most shampoo is already wheat free but people with celiacs can even get sick getting flour on their skin or breathing it in. I had a face wash that was making me sick and my husband bought me some wheat shampoo when he was in Senigal that burned my skin.

[Kittish]

For me the 'snake-oil' things are all the buzzwords floating around on food these days. All natural, organic, fat free, gluten free... Really people?

Arsenic can be completely organic, is all natural, fat free and gluten free. Does that make it healthy?

[vikingchyk]

For me the 'snake-oil' things are all the buzzwords floating around on food these days. All natural, organic, fat free, gluten free... Really people?

Arsenic can be completely organic, is all natural, fat free and gluten free. Does that make it healthy?

I don't necessarily relegate those snake oil terms to the trash - it just rankles me when I see them used on products when you know the companies are just hitching their wagon to the latest craze, to make money. They don't give a flying fig about whether it means their stuff is healthier!

Sort of like when "low fat" everything was the rage in the late 80s/early 90s, and you saw nonsense like pretzels being labelled low-fat. No change, just a marketing gimmick (or "awareness campaign" just like the current buzzwords

The thing that really soured me on that whole debacle was when non-fat pretzels came out. Ummm, most pretzels were 1g fat per serving. So, why no fat? What is the point? Oh, and you had to add more sugar, so they won't taste like crap? Brilliant!!

[wolfie]

Ethical flea shampoo for cats 'Not tested on animals'. Then how do you know it kills fleas if you haven't tested it? Or are fleas not animals? I don't know if it works, I didn't buy it, it seemed sketchy.

And how do they know that it's safe for cats if they didn't test it on CATS?

Arsenic can be completely organic, is all natural, fat free and gluten free. Does that make it healthy?

No, arsenic can't be completely organic, in EITHER sense of the word. Arsenic is a metallic element that is mined. The food sense of the word means that it's grown without artificial fertilizers and pesticides (arsenic isn't grown). The chemistry sense of the word means "carbon-based chemicals" - arsenic doesn't contain carbon.

[AccountingDrone]

Ethical flea shampoo for cats 'Not tested on animals'. Then how do you know it kills fleas if you haven't tested it? Or are fleas not animals? I don't know if it works, I didn't buy it, it seemed sketchy.

I will tell you what I tell everybody about the not tested on animals stuff.

See, back in the day, the FDA ran all sorts of tests on chemicals used in foods or notionspotionsandlotions. They have a wonderful database of stuff sorted out for manufacturers so you can use their formulary to make pretty much any commercial product and say it is not animal tested because YOU didn't do the testing, it is already done for you.

If you flip over a bottle of generic spoo, and compare it to the nonanimal tested spoo, it has the same ingredients with perhaps some foofy essential oils of snark added, so as it is substantially identical to every other bottle of spoo on the market, it has already been animal tested and is just fine.

[dalesys]

...If you flip over a bottle of generic spoo, ...

Which reminds me of Fast Eddie's question, "How come hair conditioner looks like come?"

[Kittish]

No, arsenic can't be completely organic,

Derp. I'm thinking of cyanide. Either way, though, the point remains.

Dalesys, I've wondered the same thing frequently myself since I came across that. And the other inscrutable questions asked. I do love the astronaut in a bubble mind problem. I hope someone actually does it someday while I'm still alive to see the results.

[otakuneko]

If you flip over a bottle of generic spoo, and compare it to the nonanimal tested spoo,

"Would you like some spoo? It's quite fresh."

[fireheart]

One other moment I spotted on that show last night came up in one of my favourite segments. The segment is called "As A Guilty Mum" and basically pokes fun at the stuff that is either overpriced, or your kidlet doesn't need. Usually it's devoted to one specific segment ie sleeping, bathroom, entertainment. The segment I'm thinking of? Toilet training.

Here are some of the products...

-a toilet training "set" called, of all things, Dumpy and the gang go potty. It is that franking creepy that I said to my partner "if we ever have kids, NO DUMPY in the house"

-a "musical" potty. Basically instead of it making the flushing noise, it "sparkles" (sparkle noise) and has the disney princesses on it.

And my personal favourite wtf product...the "iPotty." Basically it's a potty with a space for where you can stick an iPad or similar device, which has toilet-training apps loaded onto it.

All I can say is.....WHY?!?!?!?!

[Kittish]

All I can say is.....WHY?!?!?!?!

Laziness and abdication of personal responsibility is about all I got there.

[Seshat]

... toilet training apps? ....

I can see a purpose for tracking apps, especially for kids with related health issues. And those might need to become fairly sophisticated to be truly as helpful as the parents and doctors might need.

But for healthy kids, with ordinary toilet training? .. BWAH? A simple tracking app at most, I would imagine. Help you get a firm handle on what's normal for your particular kid, rather than the generic kid, faster than you otherwise would. And that's all.


But then, I'm the one who slept in a drawer more than once when I was a baby.

(Yes, they lined it. With towels, I think.)

[fireheart]

... toilet training apps? ....

I should've clarified. It's basically a potty with a "lectern" so your kidlet can play "toilet-training games" ie "Crap Like A Champion" on their iDevice.

And here's the segment! (the iPotty is about 1:55 in)