Background
This ruling forms part of a wider piece of work on ads for food supplements making claims about the treatment of symptoms of the menopause, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and other women's hormonal issues.
The ad was identified for investigation following intelligence gathered by our Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses AI to proactively search for online ads that might break the rules. See other rulings published on 25 March 2026.
Summary of Council decision:
Three issues were investigated, all of which were Upheld.
Ad description
Two paid-for Meta ads for Lunera, a food supplement brand, seen in July 2025.
a. A paid-for Meta ad featured text stating, “I went from a size XL to a M…and finally feel like myself again”. Further text stated, “Once menopause hit, everything changed. I became apple-shaped overnight, no waist, no bum, skinny arms and legs, and not in a flattering way […] then I discovered Lunera. Lunera is a natural menopause supplement designed to tackle what’s really going on: Hormonal weight gain […] Lunera helps support hormonal balance, allowing your body to release stubborn fat and return to its natural, feminine shape. No calorie counting. No exhausting gym routines. No lecture […] And after just two weeks of taking Lunera Hormone Balance every morning … I could actually see my waist again. Dresses fit properly, and I felt proud in them, my tummy flattened noticeably, I dropped nearly 4kg without even trying.” The ad included an image of the product alongside text stating, “I went from XL to M at 54! Tackle Stubborn Apron Belly. Full of Energy. Relieve Bloating”.
b. A paid-for Meta ad featured text stating, “I’m 52, menopausal and no matter what I ate or how much I walked, the weight just kept creeping up. I was bloated, tired and felt like a stranger in my own body. A friend recommended Lunera […] no wild promises, just support for hormones, metabolism, and inflammation […] by week 2 I was sleeping better, and by week 4, the scale finally moved […] nearly 3 months in, I’m down 11 lbs […] This isn’t magic, you still need to eat well and move […] But this has truly helped me.”
Issue
The ASA challenged whether:
- claims that stated or implied that the supplements, or substances in them, could help to prevent, treat or cure the symptoms of the menopause and inflammation;
- health claims that referred to a rate or amount of weight loss; and
- health claims relating to the support of metabolism in the ads breached the Code.
Response
1. Kaocommerce Ltd t/a Lunera confirmed that the claims in the ads were drawn from customer testimonials and had been included without sufficient consideration of their regulatory implications. They accepted that claims such as tackling “hormonal weight gain”, going “from a size XL to a M”, feeling “bloated, tired and felt like a stranger in my own body” and being “full of energy”, would be understood by consumers as attributing a medicinal property to a food supplement and should not have appeared.
2. They accepted that the ads contained claims that would be understood by consumers as referring to specific rates and amounts of weight loss, that was prohibited by the Code.
3. They accepted that the claims about supporting hormones, metabolism, bloating and inflammation would constitute specific health claims for the purposes of the Code. They were unable to provide evidence that the claims were authorised on the Great Britain nutrition and health claims Register (GB NHC Register) and therefore acknowledged that those claims should not have been used. They said both ads had been voluntarily and permanently deactivated and would not be used again. They also said they were taking steps to prevent similar issues in future, including by engaging a third-party regulatory specialist and introducing internal compliance training.
Assessment
1. Upheld
The CAP Code (which reflected legislation) prohibited claims that stated or implied a food or food supplement could prevent, treat or cure human disease.
Ad (a) included the claims: “I went from a size XL to a M…and finally feel like myself again”; “Once menopause hit, everything changed. I became apple-shaped overnight, no waist, no bum, skinny arms and legs […]”; “Lunera is a natural menopause supplement designed to tackle what’s really going on: Hormonal weight gain […] Lunera helps support hormonal balance, allowing your body to release stubborn fat and return to its natural, feminine shape. […]”; and “after just two weeks of taking Lunera Hormone Balance every morning … I could actually see my waist again. Dresses fit properly, and I felt proud in them, my tummy flattened noticeably, I dropped nearly 4kg without even trying […] I went from XL to M at 54! Tackle Stubborn Apron Belly. […] Relieve Bloating”.
Ad (b) included the claims: “I’m 52, menopausal and no matter what I ate or how much I walked, the weight just kept creeping up. I was bloated, tired and felt like a stranger in my own body. A friend recommended Lunera […] no wild promises, just support for hormones […] by week 2 I was sleeping better and by week 4, the scale finally moved […] nearly 3 months in, I’m down 11 lbs […]”.
The ASA considered that those claims stated or implied that the supplement could treat or cure hormonal symptoms associated with the menopause, such as bloating, sleep disturbances and weight gain. We further considered that symptoms of the menopause were adverse medical conditions. Because of that, we considered that the claims that the supplement could treat or cure symptoms of the menopause, both in general terms and in relation to specifically described symptoms, were for the purposes of the legislation reflected in the Code, claims to treat disease.
Ad (b) also included the claim, “support for […] inflammation”. We considered that because inflammation was a symptom of adverse health conditions, that was a claim that the product could prevent, treat or cure human disease.
For those reasons, we concluded that the ads made claims that a food supplement could prevent, treat or cure human disease and therefore breached the Code.
On that point, ads (a) and (b) breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 15.6 and 15.6.2 (Food, food supplements and associated health or nutrition claims).
2. Upheld
The CAP Code stated that ads for foods and food supplements must not include health claims that referred to a rate or amount of weight loss.
Ad (a) stated, “I dropped nearly 4kg without even trying”, which was presented as a testimonial. Ad (b) stated, “nearly 3 months in I’m down 11 lbs”, also presented as a testimonial. We considered consumers would understand those claims to mean that as a result of consuming the supplement, the two individuals giving the testimonials had lost 4kg and 11lbs of weight respectively.
Because the ads included a health claim, made in relation to food, that referred to an amount of weight loss, we concluded that they breached the Code.
On that point, ads (a) and (b) breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 15.6 and 15.6.6 (Food, food supplements and associated health or nutrition claims).
3. Upheld
The CAP Code required that only health claims authorised on the GB NHC Register were permitted in marketing communications for foods and food supplements. The Code defined health claims as those that stated, suggested or implied a relationship between a food, food supplement or ingredient and health.
Ad (b) included the claim, “support for metabolism". We considered consumers would understand that claim to mean that the product had a beneficial effect on the body’s metabolism, which we considered was a specific health claim for the purposes of the Code.
However, we had not seen any evidence which demonstrated that this claim was authorised on the GB NHC Register. Because of that, we concluded that the claim “support for metabolism” was an unauthorised health claim and therefore breached the Code.
On that point, ad (b) breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 15.1 and 15.1.1 (Food, food supplements and associated health or nutrition claims).
Action
The ads must not appear again in the forms investigated. We told Kaocommerce Ltd t/a Lunera not to state or imply their food supplements could prevent, treat or cure human disease, which for the purposes of the Code included claims to treat or cure the symptoms of menopause and inflammation. We also told them not to make health claims that referred to a rate or amount of weight loss and not to make specific health claims unless they were authorised on the GB NHC Register.
CAP Code (Edition 12)
15.1 15.1.1 15.6 15.6.2 15.6.6
