Beauty products, grooming and hygiene

Helpful information on the advertising rules for beauty, grooming and hygiene products, and examples of previous Advertising Standards Authority rulings in this area.

Over the years, demand for glitzy products and procedures designed to help us look younger, healthier and more beautiful, has created a multi-million pound industry. But this industry is competitive and it is one that plays heavily on aesthetic appeal to promote its products. While there’s nothing wrong with painting a positive picture, there is a line to be drawn to ensure that ads don’t over-exaggerate the benefits that a beauty, grooming or hygiene product can have. That’s why we have strict rules in place to protect consumers from potentially misleading or socially irresponsible ads for beauty products.

The main areas of complaint we see for ads for beauty, grooming and hygiene products are around the use of post-production techniques and whether advertisers can prove the claims they are making.

Like all ads, advertisers marketing beauty, grooming and hygiene products must be able to provide evidence for any claims they are making in their ads about the efficacy of their product. This includes claims like “65% reduction in the appearance of wrinkles”, “8/10 women agreed their skin looked smoother” and “The UK’s number one shampoo for coloured hair.”

Whilst our rules do allow for the use of airbrushing and other post-production techniques, advertisers should make clear that these techniques have been used through the use of superimposed qualifications or disclaimers, and they should not be used to such an extent that they exaggerate the capabilities of the product. Similarly, the use of “before” and “after” pictures are allowed but not if post-production techniques were only used on the “after” picture.

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Latest rulings

Antony & Patricia Ltd t/a Bosun's Barbers
- Not Upheld
- Internet (social networking)
- 21 June 2017
The Bosun's Barbers Facebook page, seen in December 2016 and January 2017, contained text which stated "Est. 1969".
Bear Group Ltd t/a Daily Star Wins
- Upheld
- Television
- 10 May 2017
A TV ad for StarWins.com, seen on 17 January 2017, began with a shot of two men standing at a bar in a pub next to a table where a man and a woman were chatting to each other. One of the men at the bar watched a woman as she walked past before a voice-over stated, “Allow me to introduce you to Star Wins” and one of ...
Coty UK Ltd
- Upheld
- Television
- 19 April 2017
A TV ad for a Rimmel mascara seen on 8 December 2016. The voice-over stated, “Rimmel introduces Cara Delevingne for new Scandaleyes Reloaded mascara. Dangerously bold lashes. New max-density brush for clump free lashes. Extreme volume … Extreme wear.” The ad also included several images of the product being applied ...
Beiersdorf UK Ltd
- Not Upheld
- Internet (social networking), Television
- 05 April 2017
A TV ad and video ad on the Nivea UK YouTube channel, seen in April 2016, promoted Nivea Protect & Care antiperspirant:
a. The TV ad featured a voice-over that stated, “On one side you want strong deodorant protection that lasts all day long. On the other side, you want that soft skin feel. Now you can hav...

View all rulings

Beauty products, grooming and hygiene

Helpful information on the advertising rules for beauty, grooming and hygiene products, and examples of previous Advertising Standards Authority rulings in this area.

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