Anti-cellulite jeans? Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt!

Via Brit + Co

We're all used to sketchy beauty claims by lotions, potions and pills, but this is a new one. Wrangler is apparently releasing a line of "Denim Spa" jeans for women that have been impregnated with extracts that "soothe" or "moisturize" skin. One pair, "Smooth Legs," even claims to reduce the appearance of cellulite.

According to the Telegraph:

Infused with algae extracts, retinol and caffeine, the style was clinically tested by the Institut Adriant in France, where after four weeks of wearing the jeans for eight hours a day, five days a week over six weeks, 69 per cent of the panel claimed that the appearance of their thighs had improved. 

The Smooth Legs style reportedly lasts for 15 days' wear (or four to six washes), after which a reload spray can be applied after each wash to continue to reap the jeans' beauty benefits. In total the jeans can retain their cosmetic effects for around 67-95 wears, according to Wrangler.

Yeah, about that. First of all, the cellulite cream industry is a great big fraud. There's no medical proof that any chemical can actually reduce cellulite, especially when applied topically. Retinol, which is part of the "Smooth Legs" jeans, can thicken the skin when applied therapeutically, so it may reduce the outer dimples by making legs... plumper.

All that aside, the idea that a pair of cosmetic-soaked jeans could do anything meaningful is absurd. But this is fashion advertising. When have fashion's promises ever been based in reality? Plus, Wrangler has just signed Lizzy Jagger as the "face" of their new line:

I despise this kind of marketing, promising impossible results to gullible consumers. Interestingly, in the UK, the notoriously twitchy ASA has already started cracking down on anti-cellulite advertising. This month, they banned an ad featuring Mila Kunis that claimed its cream could help anyone "Get Mila Kunis' Esquire look" — beside a sexy underpants shot of the "Sexiest Woman Alive" from the magazine in question.

Thanks to Adland.TV for the tip.