Clarins product: 鈥渟cepticism abounds鈥�
COSMETIC advertisements remain a treasury of claims that get less precise the more closely you look. Three readers alerted us, however, to the way Clarins Cosmetique鈥檚 blurb for its Expertise 3P product became very specific. Proclaimed benefits included a 鈥淢agnetic Defence Complex鈥� that 鈥減rotects skin from the ageing effects of Artificial Electromagnetic Waves鈥�.
So how would that work, then? Feedback normally recommends tinfoil to protect from the effects of electromagnetic waves. In any case, we thought the electromagnetic waves posing the greatest threat to your skin came from that all-natural fusion reactor in the sky.
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Reader Mary Ratcliffe draws our attention to Clarins鈥檚 legal statement, specifying that 鈥渁ny reproduction or representation of the website鈥檚 contents is strictly forbidden鈥�. We in turn draw Clarins鈥檚 attention to the parts of that permit reproduction of extracts as 鈥渇air dealing鈥� for the purposes of review and criticism.
This, we are sure, applies even when the extracts are no longer there, for the claims that Expertise 3P 鈥減rotects skin from the ageing effects of Artificial Electromagnetic Waves鈥� were dropped from the Clarins website sometime between 7 and 10 August.
At first, we wondered why they had done this. Then we came across an adjudication of the UK Advertising Standards Authority, published on 15 August, which upholds complaints made against Clarins (UK) in response to claims made in its advertising. concludes as follows:
鈥淲e told Clarins not to state that electromagnetic waves generated by modern-day devices or domestic communications equipment could damage or age skin or to imply anti-ageing and pro-health efficacy claims for Expertise 3P unless they held robust scientific evidence to support that. We also told them not to make an undue appeal to consumers鈥� fear of the harm that could be caused by man-made electromagnetic waves.鈥�
It all adds piquancy to the comment made in the with Clarins Laboratories managing director Lionel de Benetti that appeared on 9 August in the Malaysian newspaper The Star. 鈥淲ith these types of products,鈥� he says, 鈥渋t is necessary to explain the science behind them.鈥�
We certainly agree 鈥� and we can鈥檛 say we鈥檙e surprised to read at the end of the article: 鈥淒e Benetti admits that it hasn鈥檛 been an easy process trying to sell this product and scepticism abounds.鈥�
鈥淥n a packet of Growing Success mouse killer: 鈥淔or use only as an amateur mouse killer鈥�. Bob Humphrey observes: 鈥淪o, those professional mice didn鈥檛 waste their tuition fees鈥�
Telephone exchanges evade laws of physics
IN AN on 2 August about broadband speeds failing to live up to the promises of internet service providers, BBC online news quotes a BT spokesman as saying of an advertised speed of 8 megabits per second: 鈥淰irtually no one will get it. The laws of physics start applying as soon as it leaves the exchange, and you would have to live on top of the exchange to get the full 8 megabits.鈥�
Several readers have written to us expressing surprise that the laws of physics apparently do not apply within telephone exchanges. They wonder what it鈥檚 like working in one.
THE BBC also had some surprising news about a telescope that week. 鈥淭he Alma telescope [in Chile],鈥� an stated, 鈥渨ill study the night sky at sub-millimetre wavelengths. Astronomers say Alma will illuminate one half of the universe that has hitherto been shrouded in darkness.鈥�
Tony Park, who alerted us to this, feels that this intention is somewhat overambitious, not least because of the amount of time it would take, given the speed of light.
FROM a recent issue of the Denton Record-Chronicle published in Texas: 鈥淭he St Paul Christian Learning Center is looking for a 2-year-old teacher who would like to help in making a difference in the lives of children.鈥� Bill Reed, who spotted this, hopes they are successful but suspects 2-year-old teachers are pretty hard to come by these days 鈥� qualified ones, at any rate.
FINALLY, we asked you a couple of weeks ago if it is true that there is a sign at a hospital in Southampton, UK, that says: 鈥淢aternity Department 鈥� Deliveries at Rear鈥� (4 August). Thanks to the many of you who responded and sent photographs to prove your point. You all agreed that such a sign does exist, but you all also noted that it is located in the grounds of the University of Southampton, not the hospital, and that the actual wording of the sign is: 鈥淯niversity of Southampton School of Nursing and Midwifery. Deliveries at rear of building.鈥�
Special thanks go to Jim Leppard, who reminded us that he told us about this sign six years ago and that we 鈥渒indly published鈥� an item about it on 2 June 2001. We are glad that Leppard seems to be the only person who remembers this, but we are still blushing.