The Enduring Menace of Detox Teas
Despite widespread criticism, brands like Flat Tummy Tea are still booming
“Food baby or real baby, bloat is a total b*tch!”
Heavily pregnant model Amber Rose instagrammed the above caption this June while holding a bag of Flat Tummy’s pregnancy tea. “It’s safe to take while pregnant,” she wrote. “Haters stop riding the bandwagon! #ad.”
Flat Tummy’s millennial pink webpage claims the pregnancy tea can aid nausea and digestion, “For our bloated babes!” Yet in small print at the bottom of the page the company notes: “Please do not use the products available on the site when pregnant or breastfeeding.” After being called out for this discrepancy, Rose deleted her post.
“They’re recycling the same deceptive marketing — that you can drink a tea to detox your body. It’s a false claim.”
A prolific “teatox” industry has taken over social media, espousing the same message: drink a special tea and obtain the Instagram body of your dreams. Or you can suck it — in June 2018, Flat Tummy Tea launched a line of appetite suppressing lollipops. Other tea brands include Bootea, Skinny Mint Tea, SkinnyMe Tea, and Teami. The teas are pushed by an army of ambassadors — including…
