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As any woman knows, cellulite is big business - $96.9 million was spent last year in the United States alone on products that claim to remove it, not to mention the millions of gym memberships it sells.

Warning: Don't try this at home.

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But scientists at an Austrian lingerie manufacturer have hit upon an easier way to burn off the unsightly fatty deposits all day long: tights impregnated with microcapsules of caffeine.

Palmers, a 92-year-old company based in Wiener Neudorf, spent several months developing and testing the Slim Fit 20 pantyhose. As with other brands of tights that contain skin products such as aloe vera, red algae, or seaweed, the caffeine-laced fabric is activated by body heat. The small drops of liquid, which last for four washes, boost metabolism and burn fat.

"Caffeine rubbed on the skin, like caffeine-laced anticellulite creams, would absolutely work to improve the appearance of cellulite," says dermatologist and La Jolla Spa medical director Mitchel Goldman, who conducted a study using caffeine-laced anticellulite cream. Of the 34 women in the study, 25 noticed a decrease in thigh circumference.

Tightsplease.com, the United Kingdom's largest online pantyhose store, is the sole distributor of the caffeine tights so far.

Site director Charles Duncombe says he was skeptical about the price - $50 for three pairs - but sold an estimated 20,000 units in the product's first 18 months. "The response has been phenomenal," Duncombe says.

"I can count on one hand how many customers have called to say the pantyhose doesn't work." That'll make any woman skip the gym and grab a pair.

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Bulletproof clothing that's fashionable too.

Kicking off a multimillion-dollar shoe brand.