National Advertising Division Recommends SharkNinja Discontinue Claim that SpeedStyle Hair Dryer Results in “Up to 6x Less Frizz”

New York, NY – November 16, 2023 – In a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge brought by Dyson, Inc., the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs recommended that SharkNinja Operating, LLC discontinue the claim that its SpeedStyle hair dryer results in “up to 6x less frizz” versus air drying.

Fast-Track SWIFT is an expedited process designed for single-issue advertising cases brought to NAD. 

The challenged claim, that use of the SpeedStyle with its RapidGloss Finisher styling attachment results in “up to 6x less frizz,” appeared in various places on Shark’s website and is accompanied by a disclosure that the comparison is “*vs. air-drying, based on a 600-person survey.” At issue for NAD was whether the survey Shark conducted was a good fit for the claim. 

NAD determined that Shark’s survey was not a good fit for a claim touting a quantified reduction in the amount of frizz because it did not measure a numeric reduction in the amount of frizz through either objective measurement or subjective observations. Rather, the survey recorded whether the participants observed the presence or absence of “frizz” after air drying or after drying hair with the Shark SpeedStyle and the RapidGloss attachment.

Therefore, NAD recommended Shark discontinue the “up to 6x less frizz” versus air drying claim but noted that nothing in its decision precludes Shark from making other supported claims relating to the perception of frizz based on a reliable survey. 

In its advertiser statement, Shark stated that it “will comply with NAD’s decision” although it “disagrees with NAD’s finding that Shark’s evidence was not a good fit for the claim that Shark SpeedStyle with RapidGloss finisher can result in up to 6 times less frizz as compared to air drying.”

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. Per NAD/NARB procedures, this release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.