The founding father of a well being and wellness firm that bought “magic filth” which was discovered to comprise poisonous ranges of arsenic and lead after a marketing campaign from anti-multi-level advertising activists, is again with a brand new set of merchandise—that look remarkably much like his outdated ones.
Marc Saint-Onge calls himself the “mud man,” and has been extolling the virtues of “fulvic acid,” (decomposed plant materials within the soil, in any other case often called filth) in several kinds because the Nineteen Nineties. For 9 months in 2021, his MLM, Black Oxygen Organics (BOO), bought 4 ounce luggage of filth dug up from an Ontario peat bathroom—for $110 a pop. The corporate inspired consumers to “Drink It. Put on It. Bathe In It,” in keeping with reporting by NBC, claiming the substance may detoxify the physique and had a number of well being advantages.
That was till a coalition of anti-MLM activists banded collectively to lift consciousness of what they believed had been the hazards of consuming fulvic acid, resulting in a warning from the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration and a category motion lawsuit towards the corporate.
However earlier this month, Saint-Onge appeared in a launch video for Lovvare, a brand new magnificence and wellness MLM. In it, the corporate’s CEO John Altshuler introduced Lovvare would quickly be launching a brand new product—a powder referred to as ‘Fulvic Necessities+’, formulated by Saint-Onge. The powder incorporates a “proprietary mix of fulvic, humic and beetroot,” in keeping with the corporate’s web site.
(The corporate already provides a topical product referred to as ‘MudTox+’, a “humic/fulvic black powder” extracted from peat which sells for $49.99.)
Within the video, Altshuler touted what he claimed had been the various advantages of consuming the fulvic-humic acid mix.
“Growing vitality and decreasing fatigue, strengthening immunity, rising cognitive operate and lowering the chance of age-related cognitive dysfunction, rising nutrient and complement absorption,” Alshuler stated. “Might assist with hypertension or excessive blood sugar and associated points, reducing free radical harm, and performing as a really highly effective antioxidant, bettering muscle operate and supporting wholesome testosterone ranges.”
The product is presently solely accessible to the Lovvare’s ‘model companions,’ who’ve signed up with the MLM to do “direct promoting.” However within the video James Leonhardt, Lovvare’s vice chairman of gross sales and advertising, stated it will be transport to clients by the second or third week of July.
“After I noticed [the video] I used to be utterly unsurprised, as a result of that is how individuals like him function. There may be at all times a brand new sufferer to use,” stated Matt Wetherington, a Georgia-based legal professional whose regulation agency is pursuing a category motion lawsuit towards Saint-Onge and BOO. Saint-Onge has not appeared in court docket or responded to the subpoenas Wetherington has filed within the case.
“Is what Marc Saint Onge doing prison? The reply is sort of actually sure, however we’re going to have to attend and see,” Wetherington stated.
“He’s determined to pop his little head again up, which is daring of him,” says Ceara Manchester, an anti-MLM researcher and activist who was a part of the marketing campaign towards BOO, Saint-Onge’s earlier firm. “I don’t know why he thinks it’s now secure. He thinks [anti-MLM activists] are usually not going to go after him once more. However he’s unsuitable.”
“The filth MLM is again, child!” anti-MLM activist Savannah Marie stated in a TikTok about Saint-Onge’s partnership with Lovvare, “It’s going to look very acquainted to you.”
Manchester’s Fb group, ‘BOO is WOO,’ has already begun an initiative to report Saint-Onge and Lovvare to the FDA, the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) and the group Fact In Promoting.
“The corporate is absolutely small, and the product hasn’t launched but so we’ve got an opportunity to cease it earlier than it even begins,” Manchester wrote to members of BOO is WOO, “[Saint-Onge] is a confirmed scammer who’s keen to poison individuals with heavy metals for his personal greed.”
Manchester’s marketing campaign towards BOO got here after she started to note sellers making extraordinary claims concerning the merchandise on social media, together with that fulvic acid may assist most cancers, Covid, diabetes, and autism. Folks posted about giving the product to their youngsters and animals.
“I might emphasize how harmful it’s,” Manchester advised The Day by day Beast final week. “This is identical group of individuals, and the identical BOO distributors are already pitching it.”
In 2021, some members of Manchester’s group bought luggage of fulvic acid from BOO and despatched them to labs for testing. They’d grown more and more involved after discovering that the Canadian peat bathroom the place Saint-Onge allegedly sourced his fulvic acid was situated subsequent to a landfill, NBC reported. The outlet additionally purchased a bag of the product and despatched it to Ohio State’s Hint Ingredient Analysis Laboratory, which discovered that “two doses per day exceeded Well being Canada’s restrict for lead, and three doses for every day arsenic quantities,” NBC reported.
The marketing campaign towards BOO gained traction, and over the course of some months, the enterprise fell aside.
In September, 2021, Well being Canada recalled BOO’s tablets and fulvic acid powder as a result of “potential well being dangers.”
“The merchandise are being promoted in methods and for makes use of that haven’t been evaluated and licensed by Well being Canada,” the company wrote on its web site. “Cease taking these merchandise. Don’t administer the merchandise to youngsters or adolescents.”
The corporate advised sellers that the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration was holding its merchandise on the border, in keeping with NBC.
On Nov. 17, 2021, the FTC despatched BOO and Saint-Onge a stop and desist letter, demanding that the corporate’s representatives cease claiming that their merchandise may deal with or stop COVID-19.
Then, two days later, a federal class motion lawsuit was filed by Wetherington’s agency, claiming that BOO merchandise contained “dangerously excessive ranges of poisonous heavy metals” and had been “harmful for human use and consumption.”
The next month, the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning that buyers ought to keep away from BOO’s fulvic acid powders and tablets as a result of “elevated ranges of lead and arsenic.”
“Individuals who have Fulvic Care Powder and/or Tablets ought to instantly cease utilizing the merchandise and throw them away,” the FDA wrote in its discover.
Lastly, on Nov. 23, 2021, the corporate introduced it was shutting down instantly.
Saint-Onge and Altshuler didn’t straight deal with BOO or Saint-Onge’s authorized troubles within the launch video for Lovvare’s fulvic acid product, nor did they reply to a request for remark from The Day by day Beast.
Nevertheless within the launch video, Altshuler did ask Saint-Onge: “How do we all know we’re consuming one thing that’s secure?”
“What we’re doing now’s we’re performing some evaluation on the content material of the fulvic and humic and we make sure that there’s customary ranges of all of the minerals,” Saint Onge responded. “There’s natural, inorganic, there’s arsenic and lead and there’s sure ranges, and you may’t draw back from that as a result of it’s earth. These parts are in all pure merchandise, and it’s simply to have the ability to handle it and create a dosage that really has the usual ranges and the decrease ranges. And that’s what we’re capable of do now.”
Wetherington and Manchester had been skeptical of Saint-Onge’s claims that his new product is secure.
I don’t see why it will be a special product,” Manchester stated, arguing that Saint Onge has been promoting some model of fulvic acid for 25 years. “He retains making an attempt to reinvent himself with out getting caught.”
Wetherington emphasised that Saint-Onge has to date not appeared in court docket to defend his merchandise below oath as a part of the category motion lawsuit towards him.
“Refusing to try this I believe speaks volumes about his character and the merchandise he was peddling and persevering with to hawk,” Wetherington stated.
Saint-Onge and Lovvare didn’t reply to a request for remark.