Quietum Plus

Quietum Plus posits that the cause of tinnitus, the medical term for a constant ringing in the ears that ranges from annoying to debilitating, is bad wiring. “It’s all linked to a ‘wire’ that carries electrical signals and sounds from your ear cells to your brain networks,” the company says on its website. “Ear ringing and whooshing happen when this wire gets damaged and messes up sounds.” Quietum Plus claims its purported tinnitus supplement “has the power to completely regenerate the brain networks and rebuild the ‘faulty wire’ that causes tinnitus.”

“I have had tinnitus for years and would very much like to think this is legit,” said a TINA.org reader who is just one of the millions of American adults that experience tinnitus.

But he was skeptical. And rightly so.

After receiving the reader’s tip, TINA.org investigated Quietum Plus’ marketing and found several issues, including:

• A Google ad that declared “Quietum Plus is FDA Approved.” The FDA does not approve supplements. The FDA approves drugs but has not approved a drug specifically for tinnitus. Moreover, experts warn that “controlled trials have not found any drug, supplement, or herb to be any more effective [in treating tinnitus] than a placebo.” The Quietum Plus website also uses the FDA’s logo in violation of the agency’s logo policy, which prohibits its logo from appearing on “private sector materials.”
• Quietum Plus’ use of stock images. At least three of the four “Real Quietum Plus Users” pictured on the company website are stock images. Say hello to “Mature man holding a bottle of medications and smiling,” “Senior man with grey hair holding bottle of pills looking positive and happy standing and smiling with a confident smile showing teeth” and, last but not least, “Elderly man and woman holding a bottle of pills in front of camera isolated on white background.” TINA.org couldn’t confirm that the fourth was a stock image but based on how he’s holding the bottle and smiling like the others, we have our suspicions.
• The company’s 60-day money-back guarantee. Quietum Plus only gives consumers 60 days from the date their package arrives to request a refund when the company’s refund policy says it can take at least 3 months to see the touted benefits. Quietum Plus also doesn’t cover the cost of return shipping. Meanwhile, the company pressures consumers into making a purchase by falsely claiming that the website “could be taken down tomorrow or in a couple of hours.”
• Packaging claims: “Clear Mind,” “Memory & Focus.” The FDA has established that claims to enhance focus and mental clarity are drug claims requiring its approval, which, as we’ve already covered, Quietum Plus doesn’t have.

TINA.org reached out to Quietum Plus and Google for comment. We’ve yet to hear back.

Of note, in response to a previous inquiry by TINA.org, Google removed an Amazon ad prompting consumers to “Shop FDA Approved Supplements,” in addition to a slider of “sponsored” products falsely advertised as FDA approved.

Find more of our coverage on supplements here.