Some of these pads may contain ingredients such as "distilled bamboo vinegar" that allegedly pull toxins from the body, but critics have shown that the process is not scientifically viable.
[1][2] On January 3, 2008, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an urgent warning[3] regarding the potential dangers of many imported pharmaceutical substances including several brands of detox foot patches.
"[4] In August 2008, National Public Radio commissioned a laboratory test to look for heavy metals in used pads, which Kinoki claims are extracted from the body.
NPR also discovered that the pads change from white to grey when they are exposed to moisture, including sweat, and not necessarily because they are absorbing other substances.
The Japanese company Kinoki claimed their foot pad to be able to cause weight loss by removing toxins, metabolic wastes, heavy metals and chemical from the body.