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Gaming hardware company Razer has retracted all claims that its Zephyr and Zephyr Pro mask filters are N95-grade after a YouTuber pointed out that Razer had made gross misrepresentations, and that the company was "dishonest" for doing so.

Shenzhen-based YouTuber Naomi 'SexyCyborg' Wu uploaded a YouTube video on Nov. 1, 2021 where she conducted an in-depth review of the mask.

She called out the company for using the label "N95" in their marketing materials for their range of Zephyr masks, and said such marketing was misleading and dishonest.

Wu: Having N95 filters does not make mask N95 certified

In her video, Wu took issue with Razer's use of the term "N95" in their product descriptions and marketing materials.

"It's just deceptive marketing," she said in her video.

She explained that N95 is a certification for the entire mask, not a part of the mask.

In previous claims on its website, Razer stated that the masks offered "N95 grade filters with two-way protection".

She pointed out that the Zephyr masks as a whole had not passed any certification for fit or filtration, and therefore cannot be labelled as "N95".

She also said that tucking N95 filter material into a mask does not qualify the mask as being N95 certified.

Without the proper certifications, "the mask can never, and should never, have N95 anything written anywhere on the packaging or marketing material," she said.

She added:

"It's dishonest, and frankly dangerous to misrepresent personal protective equipment during a global pandemic simply for the sake of marketing."

Razer removes claims

On Jan. 8, Razer tweeted a link to its webpage explaining "the science" behind their Zephyr masks, and the test results the products had received.

https://twitter.com/Razer/status/1479845750372769795

Razer also added a notice in some fine print on its website: "The Razer Zephyr and Zephyr Pro are not certified N95 masks, medical devices, respirators, surgical masks, or personal protective equipment (PPE) and are not meant to be used in medical or clinical settings."

According to GamesRadar, Razer also subsequently removed all mention of "N95-grade" from its website and marketing materials of their Zephyr masks.

Too little too late

However, this was not enough for Wu, who took to Twitter on Jan. 10 to say that too much damage had already been done, as many "immune-compromised individuals and healthcare workers all over social media" have started referring to the mask as an N95 one.

She called on Razer to pull the mask from its line of products, and to stop profiting "from a deliberate attempt at fraud".

She also asked that Razer issue a clear statement and that media outlets that had publicised the mask previously to also publicise its recall.

🧵@Razer has contacted me and told me they plan to remove N95 marketing from the Zephyr website.
Sorry but no- it's past that.
Media outlets have labeled it an N95 mask, immune-compromised individuals and healthcare workers all over social media are calling it an N95 mask.
1/9 https://t.co/hUJLvIAuQ5

— Naomi Wu 机械妖姬 (@RealSexyCyborg) January 10, 2022

Razer responds

In its comments to Vulcan Post, a Razer spokesperson said "the wearable by itself is not a medical device nor certified as an N95 mask".

Razer also said it was in the process of removing all references to "N95 Grade Filter" from their marketing materials.

It also said it would be reaching out to existing customers to clarify further on this matter.

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Top photos via Razer and Naomi 'SexyCyborg' Wu/YouTube