Power Balance is the original brand of hologram bracelets claimed by its manufacturers and vendors to use "holographic technology" to "resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body" to increase athletic performance. Numerous independent studies of the device have found it to be no more effective than placebo for enhancing athletic performance. As a result, in 2010, the Australian distributor, Power Balance Australia Pty Ltd, was forced by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) to retract any previous claims.
The product was originally promoted at trade shows in the beginning of 2006 utilizing applied kinesiology as its most effective sales tool. The bracelets went on sale in 2007 and had several celebrity endorsements. The bracelets became a trend among high school, collegiate, and professional sports teams between 2008 and 2012. This sustained prevalence compelled journalist Darren Rovell to remark that "a growing number of professional sportsmen and their attendants are starting to sound like New Age crystal healers." CNBC Sports named Power Balance Product of the Year in 2010 for its strong sales and celebrity endorsements.
Power Balance headquarters, which was located in Laguna Niguel, California at the time, denied that they made any medical or scientific claims about their products. However, the company had been the focus of significant criticism, particularly for false advertising. The Power Balance bracelet has been described as "like the tooth fairy" and a "very successful marketing scam". Dylan Evans, a lecturer in behavioral science at Cork University's School of Medicine, stated the marketing of Power Balance was impressive: "They have managed to get away without deceiving anyone in the sense of an overt lie. There are no claims on the packaging itself. They don't make any reference at all to any health outcomes. They leave that as an inference that most people will draw."
By the end of 2011 the company was reported to be approaching bankruptcy after allegedly having to settle a $57m lawsuit, in the course of which company executives acknowledged that their past claims to improve strength and balance were not backed by science. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 22, 2011 due to a multitude of lawsuits. The brand has since been transferred to a new company, Power Balance Technologies, who still sells Power Balance bands and other items .
Efficacy
In December 2009, an informal, double-blind test was conducted by Richard Saunders of the Australian Skeptics on the Australian television program Today Tonight. The results of the test showed strong evidence that any effect that the holograms may have had was too small to be measured compared to placebo.
On October 28, 2010 Olympic champion gymnast Dominique Dawes, working for Yahoo Weekend News and Independent Investigations Group (IIG), tested Power Balance bracelets for their claim that they improve balance, flexibility and strength. According to IIG investigator Dave Richards "There was one 'legitimate' Power Balance bracelet, and 3 'sham' bracelets that had the hologram removed from them. The experiment was double-blinded, all bracelets were wrapped with tape so no one present knew which bracelet was real and which were fakes. Neither the participants nor the people recording the scores knew which bracelet was 'real' until after all participants had completed their runs and their scores were recorded." The results indicated that there was no benefit for those that had a real holographic bracelet compared to those who had a placebo.
In 2011, researchers from RMIT's School of Health Sciences reported the results of an independent, randomized and controlled double-blind trial. They found no difference in balance between people using a holographic wristband and those wearing a placebo.
A study at the University of Wisconsin tested the effects of Power Balance bracelets on a group of NCAA athletes. One set of the athletes received the Power Balance bracelet, while the other received a placebo bracelet. The athletes were subjected to tests of flexibility, balance, and strength, after which the athletes switched bracelets and performed the tests again. The study found that the Power Balance bracelet had no effect, compared to the placebo, on the performance of the athletes.
A group of students skeptical of the claims conducted a test which showed "no significant difference between the real wristband and the fake". Additionally, a 2012 Skeptical Inquirer study showed that, in a double-blind test of performance on an obstacle course, sixteen volunteers showed a difference in performance no greater than chance.