National Advertising Division issues its recommendation for Olly’s Kids Chillax supplement

A January 27, 2025, case decision summary¹ from the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs explained its recommendation regarding certain claims for the Kids Chillax dietary supplement from supplement manufacturer Olly Public Benefit Corporation. The challenge had been brought by Olly competitor Bayer Healthcare, LLC, which also manufactures supplements, including multivitamins for children. The nonprofit organization BBB National Programs operates programs providing third-party accountability and dispute resolution services. Founded in 1974 by the US advertising industry, the NAD reviews truth-in-advertising challenges from businesses, trade associations, and more².

The NAD recommended that the company modify or discontinue certain claims related to the product's ability to improve the mood of children. The supplement – which contains 50 mg L-theanine, 30 mg magnesium, and 50 mg lemon balm – is marketed as supporting a “calm” and “relaxed” mood in kids and helping them “stay engaged,” supported by the amino acid L-theanine.

In particular, the NAD evaluated whether the provided research on L-theanine and a clinical study commissioned by Olly supported the claims. The anxiety assessments in the study were deemed by the NAD as unreliable for some of the study participants, and the L-theanine research was considered to be not a “good fit” for the claims.

NAD recommended that the following claims be discontinued or advertising be modified to be consistent with the research:

• OLLY’s Kids Chillax “supports a calm and relaxed mood”
• “Z is for Zen: These peaceful pals are just the thing to help gently calm little minds, while helping kiddos stay engaged”
• “L-Theanine is “Captain calm”
• A 50 mg dose of L-Theanine “works within 60 minutes to support a relaxed state of mind”
• L-Theanine “helps support a calm mood for kiddos”
• L-Theanine “works to support a relaxed state of mind”

Olly permanently discontinued certain claims for the Kids Chillax supplement during the proceeding.

NAD also recommended that claims on Olly’s previous formulation of its Kids Multivitamin Probiotic (KMP) to be modified. However, Olly stated it had reformulated it, using a different probiotic, and that the claims had been discontinued permanently.

Consumer reviews on Olly’s website were also questioned by Bayer, which argued that they should be considered misleading implied claims and removed, as they suggested that the Chillax supplement helped with ADHD, behavioral problems, anxiety, and sleep troubles. The NAD found no evidence to suggest the reviews were false or did not reflect the reviewers’ experiences, and deemed Olly’s actions regarding its collection of reviews was reasonable. It also said that the Federal Trade Commission has noted that while advertisers are not required to moderate unsupported product claims in reviews, monitoring reviews for misleading messages is prudent, and that if a misleading message is repeated, its removal should be considered, or the advertising should be reviewed. 

Olly stated that it “respectfully disagrees with NAD’s recommendation that it discontinue or modify the claims for its Kids Chillax product,” and that it planned to appeal part of NAD’s decision.

References

1. BBB National Programs. National Advertising Division Recommends Olly Discontinue or Modify Certain Claims for its Kids Chillax Product; Olly to Appeal https://bbbprograms.org/media-center/dd/olly-kids-chillax (accessed 2025-01-30).
2. BBB National Programs. National Advertising Division https://bbbprograms.org/programs/all-programs/national-advertising-division (accessed 2025-01-30).