Razer to pay $1.1 million over false claims for their “N95-grade” Zephyr face mask

The FTC has forced Razer to provide refunds to Zephyr buyers in the US due to their false product claims

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Razer revealed their “Project Hazel” (later Zephyr) face mask, a product that they claimed was a “N95-grade” face mask. Now, this claim has landed the company with a bill of more than $1.1 from the FTC over false advertising claims. #

The FTC has stated that Razer had advertised their Zephyr masks as “N95-grade”, despite not having submitted their masks for testing with the FDA or National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). As such, this mask was never N95 certified. The FTC also alleges that Razer has only stopped advertising their product as “N95-grade” following negative press and consumer backlash”.

Razer now has to refund all Zephyr mask owners in the US and pay a civil penalty of $100,000. In total, this will cost Razer over $1.1 million. Below is what Samuel Levine, the Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection had to say.

These businesses falsely claimed, in the midst of a global pandemic, that their face mask was the equivalent of an N95 certified respirator,

The FTC will continue to hold accountable businesses that use false and unsubstantiated claims to target consumers who are making decisions about their health and safety.

The FTC’s full complaint against Razer is available to read here. It notes that Razer’s CEO, Min-Liang Tan has made multiple posts on Facebook about their Zephyr mask. These posts claimed that Razer had “been getting the mask certified”, and that they “have been tested and certified for 99% BFE “Bacterial Filtration Efficiency”. The FTC says that these statements “implied that a government agency certified the filter’s performance. ” These tests did not occur.

You can join the discussion on Razer being forced to refund all US-based Zephyr mask users on the OC3D Forums.