No sponcon to see here.
Meghan Markle recently stepped out with a NuCalm anti-stress patch seemingly “strategically” placed on her wrist — but the brand is denying any “business relationship” with the Duchess of Sussex.
“We have never sponsored or paid for any product endorsements despite working with over 56 professional sports teams and hundreds of celebrities,” the brand tells Pvnew in a statement.
Instead, the company calls Markle a “loyal user of [their] technology.”
The statement continues, “We never share who is using NuCalm, but if an athlete or celebrity wants to share, that is their prerogative.”
The denial comes after brand and culture expert Nick Ede told the Daily Mail that Markle’s “strategic placement from a relatively new start-up company who reposted the image of her in their own social media is a clear message that she is looking to build her lifestyle brand and create a platform for her followers to benefit from her experiences and the products that help her.”
Notably, NuCalm tells us they have been around since 2009.
Ede called the debunked partnership “a good way to go” on Monday, concluding, “The image was a clear message to say she’s stressed but she’s using a patch to help her. Her brand is very strong.”
The dark blue biosignal processing disc, which could clearly be seen on Thursday with the sleeve of Markle’s camel-colored coat rolled up on one side, is a calming device.
According to the company’s website, the product “activates the parasympathetic nervous system” so that its user can have a “rapid return to a functional state (motor skills, attention, and full cognition) with no lingering effects or mental lethargy.”
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The “incredible” patch, which retails for $80 per 20-pack, “has nothing necessarily to do with stress,” a source told us Saturday.
It is unclear why the 42-year-old “Suits” alum was wearing the patch, and her rep did not immediately return Pvnew’s request for comment.
While reports surfaced last month of Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, experiencing a rocky patch in their marriage, insiders denied breakup speculation in July and called it “literally made up.”
The royal couple are currently apart as the Duke of Sussex, 38, travels in Singapore and Japan for a mini tour.
In Harry’s absence, Markle has been spotted attending one of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts.
Pvnew reported earlier this month that the former actress is getting her Instagram account, with the handle @meghan, ready to roll out as she prepares to make an online comeback.
Before getting engaged to Harry in 2017 — and going on to get married and welcome son Archie, 4, and daughter Lilibet, 2 — Markle ran The Tig for three years and covered travel, fashion, beauty and more wellness topics.