Cosmetic Interventions: Non-surgical procedures

Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.

Non-surgical interventions are non-invasive procedures for cosmetic or health purposes which include treatments such as hair transplants, cosmetic injectables, chemical peels and non-ablative laser treatments. However, these are only examples – non-surgical cosmetic procedures cover a wide range of procedures, and are generally any cosmetic procedures that do not involve cutting the skin or entering internal body cavities.

Marketers of all non-surgical procedures should ensure that their ads are responsible, and they hold evidence for all claims of efficacy, do not exploit insecurities or portray offensive stereotypes and should not trivialise the procedure. See also Cosmetic Interventions: Social Responsibility and our guidance on Cosmetic Interventions. Our Guidance on the level of substantiation expected in health, beauty and slimming claims also gives an indication of the level of evidence expected by the ASA for non-surgical procedures.

Liquid BBLs (Brazilian Butt/Bum Lifts)

Liquid BBLs are non-surgical procedures that use filler injections in the buttocks, rather than fat transfer surgery.

In April 2025, the ASA investigated multiple ads for BBLs from six different advertisers. They found that some ads trivialised the procedure by making claims like “Safe and effective, our treatments come with no downtime and minimal discomfort”, whilst others pressured consumers into committing to the procedure through time-limited offers and Black Friday discounts. Others exploited insecurities around body image (NKD Medical Ltd t/a Dr Ducu London, Bomb Doll Aesthetics, CCSkinLondonDubai, EME Aesthetics & Beauty Academy Ltd, Rejuvenate Academy, BeautyJenics Ltd 16 April 2025).

Marketers are reminded that, whilst promotions on non-surgical procedures are not prohibited, the promotion must be responsible and never should pressure those seeing the ad into booking, even if the procedure is minimally or non-invasive – all procedures carry an element of risk. See Cosmetic Inventions: Social Responsibility - Promotions for more on promotions in this sector.

Hair transplants

Hair transplants are procedures that move hair follicles from one part of the body to another, usually to combat thinning hair or baldness. Marketers must hold evidence for any claims of efficacy for their hair transplants in their ads. In 2023, the ASA upheld a complaint about an ad that stated “Have defined and strong hair in just one day”, and included a photo of a young man running his fingers through his hair and smiling, because they received no evidence to show the procedure could lead to the pictured effect in one day, and the ad therefore exaggerated the effectiveness of the procedure (Dakik Saglik Medikal Turizm A.S. t/a Clincexpert Hospital, 11October 2023).

Since hair transplants are particularly popular abroad, marketers are reminded once again to see our Cosmetic Surgery: Surgery Abroad for more guidance.

Teeth whitening

Marketers must firstly ensure that their teeth whitening service are offered legally. They must also ensure that any claims about the product performance for teeth whitening products should ensure they are supported by appropriate evidence and that they are relevant and meaningful to the consumer. See Dental: Teeth Whitening for more.

Laser eye surgery

CAP understands some laser eye surgery would qualify as non-invasive as they require no or minimal incisions. Any marketer looking to advertise non-invasive laser eye surgery are urged to read our Laser Eye Surgery guidance.

Laser hair removal

Marketers of laser hair removal should avoid giving the impression that laser hair reduction will be effective for all consumers. They should also avoid the implication that it can be used for skin types for which it will not be effective, and ensure they hold robust evidence for their claims. See Hair: Hair removal for more.

Cryotherapy

The ASA and CAP have yet to see convincing evidence that cryotherapy is cosmetically (or medically) effective. As such, any claims that the therapy can have a therapeutic or aesthetic effect or can help with fat/weight loss would need to be supported by robust clinical trial evidence. See Health: Cryotherapy for more.

Lymphatic drainage

Before making claims for lymphatic drainage, practitioners should hold robust evidence for the efficacy of their treatment, including robust clinical evidence that the procedure can remove harmful toxins from the body. See Health: Lymphatic Drainage for more.

Chemical Peels

CAP accepts that microdermabrasion that occurs during chemical peels can slough off the dead layer of skin on the skin’s surface. It also accepts that the part or complete removal of the top layer can reveal “younger-looking” and “smoother” skin but marketers should limit their claims to “the appearance of skin”, and should go no further than that unless they hold rigorous evidence. See Beauty and Cosmetics: Chemical Peels for more on this topic.

Botox

Botulinum toxin (Botox), including other products such as Vistabel, Dysport, Bocouture, and Azzalure, is a prescription-only medicine and should not be advertised to the public. See Beauty and Cosmetics: Botox for more.