Reebok learned an expensive lesson about the gap between marketing promises and product reality when it agreed to pay $25 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it had made false and unsubstantiated claims about its toning shoe line.

The shoes — EasyTone and RunTone — were marketed as capable of toning legs and buttocks more effectively than regular sneakers, simply by virtue of their specially designed soles. Advertisements featured fit, attractive models and made specific claims: EasyTone footwear would lead to 28 percent more muscle activation in the hamstrings and 11 percent more muscle activation in the calves compared to walking in regular New Balance sneakers.

Those numbers, the FTC found, were not backed by reliable scientific evidence.

The toning shoe category had been one of the hottest trends in athletic footwear, with multiple brands competing to convince consumers that the right shoes could substitute for actual exercise. Skechers, which had its own line of toning shoes, later settled similar FTC charges for $40 million.

The Reebok settlement required the company to provide refunds to consumers who had purchased EasyTone and RunTone products. The FTC used the case to send a broader message to the fitness industry: claims about physiological benefits must be backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

For consumers, the episode was a useful reminder about fitness marketing. The appeal of products that promise significant results with minimal effort is powerful and perennial — and where that appeal is strongest, scrutiny should be highest. There is still no shoe that tones your body. There is only the work.