ASA Adjudication on Rimmel International Ltd

Ad

Magazine and TV ads for Rimmel mascara.

a. The magazine ad featured Kate Moss, was headlined "NEW MAGNIF'EYES MASCARA" and claimed "Traffic stopping lashes BREAKTHROUGH EYE MAGNIFIER BRUSH 70% MORE VERTICAL LASHES Outstanding lash lift".

b. The TV ad also featured Kate Moss and claimed "New from Rimmel London - Magnif'eyes mascara, the unique vertical life brush, for 70% more lash lift that holds. Traffic stopping lash alert. Get the London look. New Magnif'eyes mascara from Rimmel London".

Issue

1.  The complainants, who believed Kate Moss was wearing false eyelashes in both ads, challenged whether the ads exaggerated the effects of mascara.

2.  The ASA challenged whether Rimmel could substantiate their claim that the mascara provided 70% more lash lift.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

1.  J Walter Thompson Ltd (JWT) maintained that Kate Moss was not wearing false eyelashes on the shoot, but did not send documentary evidence in support of this. They said the lashes were cleaned up and enhanced in post production.

2.  Rimmel International Ltd (Rimmel)  submitted a report which contained consumer research and laboratory tests.  They said  they had developed existing brush technology by creating a mascara brush that provided greater lash lift. They said they had tested the claim of 70% more lash lift on ten female panellists. They provided a table showing comparative measurements taken using digital imagery that recorded the difference in eyelash height before and after the product was applied.  They sent a sample before and after shot and a diagram of how the comparative measurements were taken. They said the results showed the average recorded increase in lash lift from root to tip was 74.7%.

The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) said they  were satisfied that the demonstration sequences were an accurate reflection of the capabilities of the product and supported the claims made in the TV ad. They said they had asked for assurance at script stage that the representation of the product in the ad would accurately support the claims made.

Assessment

1. Upheld

The ASA was concerned that Rimmel had failed to provide evidence that confirmed Kate Moss was not wearing false lashes.  We were also concerned that JWT said they had retouched the lashes in post production, but had not provided data that clarified the extent to which that had altered the appearance of the lashes.  Because we had not received documentary evidence that Kate Moss was not wearing false lashes in the ads we concluded that the images of the eye lashes in the press and TV ads may have exaggerated the benefits of the product, and were likely to mislead consumers.   

On this point the TV ad breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 5.1 (Misleading advertising)  and 5.2.1 (Evidence).

The magazine ad breached CAP Code clauses 7.1 (Truthfulness) and 3.1  (Substantiation).

2. Upheld

The ASA acknowledged the evidence submitted by Rimmel to support their claims "70% more vertical lashes" in the press ad and "70% more lash lift" in the TV ad.  We noted that the measurements used in the test were taken from digital images of the eye before and after the mascara was applied, and were not taken from the actual lashes themselves.  We considered that some consumers could interpret the claim to refer to an increase in actual lash length, rather than the length of the lashes as it appeared in the digital images.  Because the claim "70% more lash lift" referred to an increase in the appearance of the lash length, and not an actual increase, we concluded that the ad could mislead.

On this point the TV ad breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rule 5.1 (Misleading advertising).

The magazine ad breached CAP Code clause 3.1 (Substantiation).

Action

We told Rimmel not to repeat the ad in its present form. We advised them to include a disclaimer in future ads where post production techniques had been used to increase the effects of a product, or where false lashes had been used.  

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)