The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been asked to investigate whether Dr. Mehmet Oz is violating social media promotional policies by failing to fully disclose his connections to a company.
Public Citizen, a progressive consumer advocacy group, wrote to the FTC citing concerns about President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The group accused Oz of making "undisclosed product advertisements" on Instagram, TikTok, and X, formerly known as Twitter, for the health and wellness company iHerb, where Oz serves as a global advisor.
Public Citizen says Oz has violated the FTC's endorsement disclosure and influencer marketing guidelines by not informing his millions of online followers about his financial ties to iHerb while frequently posting about the company.
Newsweek has contacted Oz's office, the FTC, and iHerb for comment via email.
Oz, a former Senate candidate in Pennsylvania best known for hosting The Dr. Oz Show, has posted at least 24 TikTok videos, 25 Instagram reels, and 20 posts on X about iHerb since becoming its global ambassador, according to The Washington Post. These posts and Oz's links to the supplement company have raised concerns among his critics about potential conflicts of interest with him serving as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator.
Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, urged the FTC to open an investigation and take "appropriate action" if necessary.
"Disguised advertisements are inherently deceptive because consumers do not know to apply appropriate screens," Weissman wrote on Tuesday. "The issue is acute with disguised ads featuring paid endorsements, where deceived consumers believe admired celebrities are making genuine, self-directed, and enthusiastic endorsements of brands, not realizing those celebrities are instead paid and may not even use the touted brand."
Oz's most recent social media post about iHerb was one he shared the day before Thanksgiving on multiple platforms. Public Citizen noted that this and other posts Oz has shared online do not disclose his connection to iHerb or include the hashtag #ad to indicate the posts are promotional.
"Thanksgiving is a perfect excuse for practicing gratitude—which also happens to be a proven way to reduce stress," Oz posted on X while sharing the November 27 video. "You can also reduce stress with adaptogens like ashwagandha from a trusted source like @iHerb. Happy Thanksgiving!"
Other videos shared by Oz include a September post on TikTok promoting a 28 percent off sale at iHerb and one endorsing a supplement called nootropics, which he said boosts "brain performance."
Public Citizen acknowledged that Oz discloses his role as a global advisor for iHerb in his social media bios. However, the group argued that most viewers of his posts are unlikely to read his bio, meaning this disclosure does not "adequately inform consumers and enable them to contextualize the advertisement" as a promotion.
"The FTC has elucidated clear standards for endorsement disclosure in its endorsement guidelines. The guidelines are clear that endorsement disclosures must be made in every promotion, not just generically," Weissman wrote.
"Specifically, if a person uses their social media account to promote a product or service in exchange for compensation, they must note the paid relationship in the social media post, not just in their biography."
The group added that while TikTok automatically applies content disclosures to posts, it is unclear whether these adequately inform viewers of Oz's financial ties to iHerb.
.png)
English (US) ·