Ad description

A website, for a tattoo removal product, stated "The LazerCream system is the simplest, most affordable and convenient of any tattoo removal method available in the world".

Issue

The complainant, who did not believe the product could remove tattoos, challenged whether the claim was misleading.

Response

tattooremovalcream.co.uk said the process of removing a tattoo by laser was based on the breakage of pigmentation of the ink. They said LazerCream worked by breaking down the pigmentation within the tattoo, causing it to fade and eventually disappear. They said unpublished clinical trials indicated that in most cases LaserCream completely removed tattoos in 12 months.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA noted tattooremovalcream.co.uk said there was unpublished evidence that demonstrated their LazerCream product removed tattoos in most cases. They sent information that they claimed represented findings from two studies, but did not send complete copies of those studies, or comprehensible details of how they were conducted. In the absence of adequate documentary evidence to demonstrate that the cream worked as claimed, we considered the claim "The LazerCream system is the simplest, most affordable and convenient of any tattoo removal method available in the world" was misleading.

The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules  3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so.  (Misleading advertising),  3.7 3.7 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading in the absence of adequate substantiation.  (Substantiation)  3.11 3.11 Marketing communications must not mislead consumers by exaggerating the capability or performance of a product.  (Exaggeration).

Action

The claim "The LazerCream system is the simplest, most affordable and convenient of any tattoo removal method available in the world" must not appear again. We told tattooremovalcream.co.uk not to make claims that implied their product could remove tattoos, unless they held robust scientific evidence to demonstrate otherwise.

CAP Code (Edition 12)

3.1     3.11     3.7    


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