
Better Business Bureau rejects Molekule’s air purifier claims - prostoalex
https://thewirecutter.com/blog/watchdog-rejects-molekule-air-purifier-claims/
======
PragmaticPulp
I expect a lot of people will focus on the problematic BBB in the comments
here, but it's important to focus on the core problem:

Molekule's marketing claims have been debunked from the start. Their massive
social media advertising campaigns have fed a lot of misinformation to a lot
of people since their launch. It's amazing how many people I know who
confidently recommend Molekule air filters as superior technology based on
nothing more than having seen their Instagram ads. Molekule has secured media
puff pieces from several influential media outlets as well as several print
publications, none of whom seem to have done the slightest amount of testing
to verify their claims.

Both Wirecutter and Consumer Reports actually tested the Molekule and found
the performance to be abysmal. Wirecutter went so far as to declare it the
worst air purifier they've ever tested:
[https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-air-
purifier/#molekul...](https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-air-
purifier/#molekule-the-worst-air-purifier-weve-ever-tested)

The product just plain does not work, and their marketing material appears to
be pure lies. I hope they see some consequences for this.

Perhaps the worst part is that the underlying PECO technology is potentially
promising as an adjunct to a traditional HEPA filter. Instead, the Molekule
company has gone all-in in their anti-HEPA marketing strategy, creating a
false dichotomy for marketing hype instead of trying to create an evolution of
the standard HEPA filter.

~~~
kurthr
What I find interesting about InstaAds is that whatever product you find
advertised is likely garbage... whether it is or isn’t you can find it (at the
same or higher quality) for 50% off by searching eBay/Alibaba. It’s almost a
joke now. Maybe I should make a meme and post it to the Gram.

~~~
volkk
I've noticed this as well! I think there are tons of dropship companies that
are run by a single person looking to make a quick buck selling rebranded low
quality alibaba products. It's endless on my instagram, and I now ignore every
single one of them because I know that it's essentially nothing more than
spam.

My gf ordered a few things that took AGES to arrive (probably because its
shipping straight from China), with 0 customer support (primarily because it's
likely run by a single person that couldn't care less about the actual
customer who probably subscribes to /r/entrepreneur or /r/juststart). And the
final product was as you put it, garbage.

~~~
gumby
> My gf ordered a few things that took AGES to arrive (probably because its
> shipping straight from China)

Probably they waited until they had enough orders to fill a container (or a
single pallet in someone else's container!) to save money.

~~~
eloff
Maybe, but often they may be shipping single units from China mail via boat,
which take about a 4-6 weeks to arrive (from order placement to arrival at
your door.)

------
jjeaff
>Highlights include Molekule’s position that its claims weren’t referring to
the Molekule purifier itself—weren’t referring to the product it was
selling—but rather were referring only to the underlying PECO “and other”
technology. In fact, Molekule based many of its claims on tests of prototypes,
or of the PECO filter alone

Seems like we have a mini-theranos on our hands. To make claims in your sales
material about you PECO technology filtering VOCs then claim you weren't
talking about the product itself is beyond scummy.

------
ThePhysicist
I always thought that the Internet with its „collective wisdom“ would make it
more difficult to sell snake oil to unwary consumer, but now I think the
opposite is true.

It’s crazy how many pseudo-scientific gadgets are hyped up by social media
these days. Here in Germany we have startups like “Mitte” that wants to sell
“personalized water” produced using smart purifiers and some rather sketchy
marketing ([https://mitte.co](https://mitte.co)). They were really successful
on Kickstarter (where else) but seem to be in financial trouble now. Maybe
that’s not surprising since Germany (like many European countries) has really
good drinking water, so apart from making the water softer by removing calcium
carbonate (which is also only a problem in some regions) there’s really not
much you can do to improve a basic product like water.

I wonder what’s next after air and water though...

~~~
alephnan
> "collective wisdom“ would make it more difficult to sell snake oil to unwary
> consumer, but now I think the opposite is true.

Check out the Fyre Festival documentaries

------
gregd
"And the unit’s always-on blue glow—which indicates when its primary PECO
filter is in operation—can disrupt sleep. (You can’t physically block the glow
with a coin or tape, because doing so would block the Molekule’s delivery of
air.)"

I'm not sure when this trend of putting blue lights on devices meant to be put
in a bedroom started, or when it will end, but for me, this could be the best
filter on the market (it's not) and I would still not purchase it based on the
blue light.

I have a Winix Air Purifier I bought from Costco in my bedroom and while it
has blue lights, they auto-shutoff in a darkened room. There is one blue
indicator on the faceplate that stays on, but I remedied that with a piece of
eletrical tape.

~~~
unholythree
I’ve changed out the super high intensity blue LEDs on my computers for amber
30 MCD ones. I don’t sleep in the room with them, but if I have someone crash
on my couch they don’t have search lights blinking at them all night.

They’re plenty bright to see in daylight, and personally I like the retro
charm.

------
TeMPOraL
> _Founders say they’re “very confident that this technology will destroy
> Coronavirus”_

I would love if this led to some serious legal consequences. This is creating
danger to the public.

------
Youden
It's not just Molekule, consumer air quality products in general are full of
dubious junk.

This study [0] fairly comprehensively compared the Foobot air quality monitor
to a research-grade sensor setup and found that it severely underestimated the
temperature (one of the easiest things to get right in my experience),
underestimated tVOC, had low correlation on its CO2 output (i.e. the CO2
output was pure garbage) and overestimated PM2.5.

I wish this was unique to Foobot.

The problem seems to be that these companies take a bunch of cheap, low-
quality sensors (e.g. using inferred CO2 rather than an NDIR sensor or saving
cost by not properly calibrating the sensors), put them in a premium-looking
(and priced) package and market them as if they were premium products, because
consumers won't know any better.

The worst part is that high-quality sensors really aren't that expensive. A
bundle of Sensirion tVOC, CO2, RH/T and particulate sensors can be had for
under $200 and with proper calibration they work great. Hook them to an ESP32
or something and put them in a case and you've basically got a Foobot.

[0]: [https://www.j-sens-sens-syst.net/7/373/2018/](https://www.j-sens-sens-
syst.net/7/373/2018/)

------
hedora
If you’re looking for an air purifier, the Honeywell HPA300 ($200) is more
than enough four our three bedroom house (despite the 465sq ft rating).

I want to be able to recommend the Bissell Air400, as it is quieter, has a
built in PM 2.5 meter, auto adjusts to pollutants, and the filter works at
least as well.

Unfortunately, it randomly turns itself off. This seems to be a design flaw,
as many other people report the same thing. Also, it doesn’t seem to use a PID
control loop to set fan speed, so the automatic speed controller sets itself
far too low for our house. On the bright side, it is frequently on sale for
50%+ off, since it has a terrible reputation.

In practice, I leave the honeywell on, and use the bissell if there’s a
problem (cooking smoke, allergies, wildfires, etc). In tandem, the two are
able to lower PM 2.5 by over 90%, which is more than enough for fire season.

Edit: In hindsight, I would have bought the HPA 300, and a standalone sensor
like the ones from purple air.

~~~
betterworldb
Do you have something that measures the PM level?

------
ilamont
The BBB's NAD program didn't conduct these tests this because of ordinary
people questioning the claims, it's doing it because another business demanded
it (and paid for it).

When it comes to dealing with consumer complaints, the BBB's goal is to make
its members look good and keep them out of civil lawsuits, regulatory
investigations, and media reports. They want to minimize damage to paying
members, and will do things like removing bad reviews from its websites (this
personally happened to me).

If you have some time check out the CNN report into the BBB (especially "These
companies got A+ ratings?"): [https://money.cnn.com/news/companies/bbb-
ratings/](https://money.cnn.com/news/companies/bbb-ratings/)

~~~
Shivetya
Hey I am all for the industry voluntarily policing itself. Reading further
into the article reveals that is action is warranted but not followed up on
that NAD will refer the issue to the FTC who has the force of law behind it if
they find in agreement with the assessment.

------
tyfon
To me this looks almost criminal but I don't know advertising laws in the US.
In my country you can't claim you are best in something without substantial
evidence to back it up. Most just write "one of the best" to avoid having to
prove it although that statement in itself has to have some evidence backing
it.

In any case I have a general rule. If you need to advertise your product it
sucks. If you have a quality product you will sell based on word of mouth of
early adopters. The first example that comes to mind is Tesla which spends
zero on marketing.

So for me, if I'm looking to buy a certain item and I see an ad for something
in that category it will be the last manufacturer that I consider. This isn't
always true but so far this rule of thumb has held up for me pretty well.

~~~
fsh
As others have pointed out, Tesla actually spends quite a bit of money on
advertising. They also got reprimanded in Germany for lying about pricing in
their ads: [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-06/tesla-
to-...](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-06/tesla-to-drop-
misleading-marketing-in-germany-touting-model-3)

~~~
tyfon
They had to stop putting the "price after savings" on their web pages in
Norway long time ago, it just wasn't compatible with our laws. They also had
to pay back money to buyers due to having the combined power of the motors on
their web page and not what the battery actually could put out.

I wouldn't count a product web page advertisement but I guess definitions
vary.

In any case they spend close to nothing if anything on regular ads and sell a
ton of cars (at least here in Norway).

------
subpixel
Ok, how can we get them to do the same for Berkey filters, manufactured by New
Millennium Concepts?

I used these for years before realizing I had fallen for their shuck and jive.

Backstory: [https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/big-berkey-water-filter-
sy...](https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/big-berkey-water-filter-system/)

------
dehrmann
I somehow missed that this air filter exists, but taking an existing, boring
product category (air filters, mattresses, razors, toothbrushes, edit:
_cigarettes_ ), giving it a design makeover, and following through with
marketing on social media and podcasts, seems to be a path straight to the
wallets of millennials.

------
fortran77
They're still coming very close to saying misleading things on their website:

(Source: [https://molekule.com/technology](https://molekule.com/technology) )

> "Developed over two decades by research scientists, PECO is an innovative
> technology that utilizes free radicals—the same radicals used to destroy
> cancer cells—to break down pollutants at a molecular level, including VOCs,
> bacteria, mold, viruses, and allergens. By using nanotechnology, PECO is
> able to destroy pollutants 1000 times smaller than what traditional HEPA
> technology was designed to trap."

Basically they may be using "PECO" filters, but there's no guarantee a little
fan in a cylinder blowing though a PECO filter in the corner of your room will
actually significantly clean the air. And they hint that it cures cancer!

------
johnzim
So annoyed I bought one of these based on testimonials from people I trust
(podcasters with allergies). I haven’t seen a significant improvement over a
regular HEPA filter.

At least it looks cool and has a HEPA filter at the base. It just doesn’t move
that much air.

~~~
adrr
Podcasters are always paid for these product reviews. This is out of the
playbook for all DTC companies. I'd recommend and support consumer reports. If
you're not paying for a review, more than likely it's paid for by a company.

Even review sites that look like they are ad supported and independent are
controlled by these D2C brands. Eg: Casper owns Sleepopolis.

[https://www.vox.com/2017/9/23/13153814/casper-sleepopolis-
la...](https://www.vox.com/2017/9/23/13153814/casper-sleepopolis-lawsuits-
mattress-reviews)

~~~
coleca
Wonder how many podcasters will stop raving about how the Molekule changed
their life. Probably none.

------
NoblePublius
You can make an air purifier as good as molekule with a $15 box fan, $3 20x20
air filter, and four pieces of duct tape. Come at me.

~~~
Marsymars
That sounds notably better than molekule. You can make an air purifier as good
as molekule with a fan, a piece of duct tape, and an LED.

------
m0zg
Instagram is full of this bullshit. I routinely get dog food ads that
advertise that their dog food has "vegetables" in it. Why the fuck would a
carnivore need "vegetables"?

------
Waterluvian
I had no idea the BBB did this kind of thing. I thought it was only the
regulatory bodies and Consumer Reports.

~~~
iudqnolq
If you're being harmed by false advertising as a competitor you can pay them
$10,000-35,000 to look into it and issue one of these.

------
Xcelerate
There seem to be quite a few air purifier startups. I was reading about one
called Mila recently — does anyone know if they are legit? I currently have a
cheap air purifier in my apartment, but with concerns about both wildfire
season and viruses, I would like to get a nicer one.

------
alephnan
I’ve been seeing ads by Molekule and their cofounder attacking a review by
Wirecutter, arguing Wirecutter lacked the technical adequacy to review the
product

[https://youtube.com/watch?v=sAuZok410V4](https://youtube.com/watch?v=sAuZok410V4)

~~~
masklinn
Ah yes, "it doesn't filter out your dust particules because you're not
properly dusting your particules!"

------
masklinn
How do you know you could benefit from or should get an air purifier (one that
works I guess, not Molekule's)?

They're not ultra expensive but they're not super cheap either, and it feels a
bit like a first world problem.

~~~
prostoalex
It's a no-brainer for people with asthma or those susceptible to allergies.

The rest depends on your sensitivity to decreases in air quality. Regularly
changing a filter in your central AC/heating system is probably enough.

------
bobblywobbles
It's a good thing I didn't buy one of these, and instead opted for a Coway.

------
sorokod
A spelling error in their name was the first clue.

------
say_it_as_it_is
BBB has zero credibility

~~~
sn_master
Why ? And where are you from ?

~~~
TylerE
BBB is just old people Yelp. They’re a rent seeker, and n any sort of
government body or regulator.

~~~
sn_master
Source/Examples ? (legit asking)

~~~
TylerE
[https://money.cnn.com/2015/09/30/news/better-business-
bureau...](https://money.cnn.com/2015/09/30/news/better-business-bureau-
millions/index.html)

------
Jam-B
While I am not defending Molekule, both the BBB and Consumer Reports act based
upon money generated from competitive companies. They are not unbiased, and
have found to be biased on multiple occasions.

------
BubRoss
The better business bureau is not an authority in the same way that a
government regulations body is.

~~~
fortran77
True, but this isn't the point of Wirecutter's article.

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eth0up
In my view, the BBB has become an extortion agency. A business can essentially
commit serial murder and maintain an A+, so long as they pay their dues. There
are many reputable and fine businesses with low BBB ratings, simply because
they refuse to pay for accreditation. An A+ from the BBB, should in my
opinion, be a stigma as easily as a credential. It is not always so, but it is
a problem.

~~~
fortran77
Possibly true, but this is not related to the point of the article.

~~~
eth0up
I'll go as far as to agree with commenter PragmaticPulp, but not entirely that
the integrity of the BBB is unrelated here.

Edited to add: I have had extensive interaction with the BBB regarding real,
genuine product safety issues, which encompassed misleading advertising and
due to the indifference of the BBB, led to an FTC report and more.

