Razer will refund $1.1 million to buyers of Zephyr light-up protective masks – they did not protect against COVID-19

Last year, Razer reached a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and agreed to refund more than 6,700 consumers who purchased Zephyr masks. These masks did not provide protection against COVID-19, and their advertising was found to be misleading.

Image source: Razer

The FTC said it has begun issuing full refunds to 6,764 U.S. consumers who purchased discontinued Razer Zephyr masks, ranging in price from $99.99 to $149.99 depending on the number of filters. The average refund was $150 per person. Payments are made by check or PayPal.

Razer introduced the RGB-lit mask in January 2021, at the height of the pandemic. The manufacturer claimed that the mask is N95 certified and is capable of filtering out most airborne microorganisms. However, the FTC investigation found that Razer did not conduct tests to ensure the mask met the N95 standard.

In January 2022, Razer stopped claiming the product was N95 compliant and agreed to settle the incident with the FTC for more than $1 million, without admitting wrongdoing. In April 2024, Razer told PCMag that it notified customers that the Zephyr masks did not meet the N95 standard, stopped selling them and began refunding customers. However, according to the FTC, the company only issued 6% of refunds, forcing Razer to shell out an additional $1.1 million to provide full refunds to all customers.