Two skin clinics have come under fire by the Advertising Standards Authority – for promoting Botox as a beauty treatment rather than just sticking to factual information.
The ASA have announced a crackdown on the advertising of Botox as a beauty treatment and for making vague yet far-reaching claims. While the injectable is most famously known for its beauty benefits, the fact that it is technically a prescription medicine means it shouldn’t legally be promoted as a beauty treatment.
The types of taglines that the ASA have objected to are phrases which describe Botox in terms such as “revolutionary treatment”, “astonishing results” and having the ability to “erase lines”. Instead, they suggest that advertisers should “stick to the facts”.
It’s not the first time the ASA have stepped in to question advertising practices aimed at beauty. Four years ago they began a crackdown on the amount of airbrushing in adverts. They claimed the way in which extensive photo editing was used created a false image of beauty – one which was unachievable even for the real-life models.
Botox itself is already under review for the way it is administered, with recommendations made by a government committee under Sir Bruce Keogh’s instruction last year.
