Under a proposed settlement recently announced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Razer will have to refund $1.1 million to customers who purchased its Zephyr RGB face mask. The company claimed the face mask used N95-grade filters, but the FTC alleges that Razer never submitted them for testing and \u201cstopped the false advertising only after negative media coverage and consumer outrage over the misleading claims.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Razer first released the Zephyr face mask in 2021 as a quirky, cyberpunk alternative to the traditional face masks worn during the pandemic. Although Razer initially marketed the $100 mask as an N95 filter mask, it removed that tag after YouTuber Naomi Wu took it apart and discovered it was not N95 certified after all. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, N95 masks are supposed to filter out at least 95 percent of airborne particles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Razer also planned to launch a $150 Zephyr Pro mask with voice amplification, but that didn't happen. Razer addressed the claims about its Zephyr masks at the time, writing in a post on X that "the Razer Zephyr and Zephyr Pro masks are not medical devices, respirators, surgical masks, or personal protective equipment, and are not intended for use in a medical or clinical setting."<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FTC alleges that Razer made misleading statements about the mask on social media and on product pages, and also claims that Razer never tested it with the Food and Drug Administration or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe company falsely claimed that its face mask was equivalent to an N95-certified respirator during a global pandemic,\u201d said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC\u2019s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. Razer now faces a detailed investigation and a hefty fine that will surely tarnish the company\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n