On July 15, the Federal Trade Commission finalized an order against the wellness company Vanilla Chip LLC, which does business as TruHeight, over deceptive advertising of height-growth supplements for kids and teens. TruHeight used review manipulation and unsupported health claims as ploys in its marketing.
Few things are easier for predatory businesses to capitalize on than a parent’s love for their child. For anxious parents and self-conscious kids, height can feel like the determining factor in health, athletics, masculinity, and social life. And importantly for Mom and Dad’s wallet, it opens the door for wondering if there is somehow a solution.
The market for monetizing and preying upon those anxieties has never been wider.
According to the FTC, since at least 2020, TruHeight marketed its “protein shakes, gummies, capsules, and other supplements” as clinically proven to increase height. At the center of the issue were the claims that the products caused kids and teens to grow taller than they would have otherwise, were backed by real clinical evidence, and that customer testimonials were honest reviews.
None of those claims were true. The company’s “clinical evidence” came from a single, company-sponsored study of 32 subjects that found no meaningful difference between the experimental and control groups. Many of TruHeight’s “glowing” reviews came from employees, customers who were offered discounts, or vendors paid to create fake social media profiles to post fake reviews.
The FTC ruled that TruHeight must pay $750,000 in fines for its fishy business tactics and is barred from making any further “false or unsupported health claims” and “using fake or incentivized customer reviews.”
TruHeight’s marketing formula is a familiar sight for anybody who has seen or engaged modern wellness advertising in recent years: the oh-so-glowing testimonials, clinical-sounding but empty claims, and just enough trappings of legitimacy to keep the pitch from smelling like snake oil.
Whether it’s TikTok Shop scam artists selling laxatives as magical weight-loss detox supplements or teas that “flush out toxins” in 48 hours, many of these “wellness” companies do not even need to retain customers after their products have no effect. The next “cutting-edge” supplement from the marketing department is already on the way to empty out wallets.
The global wellness industry, which reached $6.8 trillion in 2024 and has doubled in size since 2013, seemingly has a powder, gummy, or capsule for every fear or issue. A 2025 KFF/Washington Post survey of parents found that about eight in 10 parents see information or advice about children’s health on social media at least occasionally, and three in 10 see such advice daily or weekly. About four in 10 parents said it is difficult to know what advice to trust from online content and influencers.
According to a recent Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll, nearly half of all parents of young children, aged 0–4, rated social media as “very useful” for getting new ideas to try. When every insecurity, from height to weight or acne, has a supplement, parents looking for help are forced to sort through the online marketplace on their own or trust what content creators have to say. Just don’t forget to use the influencer code at checkout for 10 percent off.
TruHeight is a reminder that the wellness industry does not need to cure anything to make money. Companies like it only need to make the next gummy, powder, or shake seem like the thing that might finally work.
READ MORE from Henry Zavalick:
