An advert implying that ‘traditional’ deodorants were linked with increased breast cancer risk has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
Deodorant brand Wild received a complaint that its YouTube campaign could potentially mislead consumers into thinking other antiperspirants were harmful.
The ad aired on 22 February 2024 and featured a woman with visible bruising on her chest applying the brand’s deodorant.
A voice-over for the video stated: “As a breast cancer thriver, I am prioritising my health and I’ve decided to finally go Wild.
“I’ve seen so many positive comments about how it’s completely natural…”
The ASA considered that this could be interpreted by viewers to mean that the woman switched to Wild’s deodorants from another brand that was “not natural”.
“We understood that there was a common misconception that ‘traditional’ deodorants or antiperspirants that contained ingredients such as titanium dioxide and aluminium and were seen as less ‘natural’ were linked to breast cancer,” the ASA stated.
Wild said it was “a giant leap to come to that conclusion” in response to the British watchdog's assessment.
“The woman featured in the ad only stated that she was a breast cancer survivor and did not state anything to the effect that Wild would stop people from getting breast cancer,” said Wild Cosmetics.
However, the regulatory body ruled that the advert must not appear again in its current form.
“We told Wild Cosmetics to ensure that they did not mislead consumers by implying that there was a link between competing products and breast cancer, unless they held sufficient evidence to substantiate the claim,” the ASA said in a statement.
It is not the first that Wild’s advertising has fallen foul of the ASA.
A YouTube video advert which claimed that traditional deodorants are linked to hormonal imbalances, itchiness and body odour was banned by the UK authority in 2023.
The video featured shots of a model applying and then throwing aside a series of spray-on deodorants while appearing itchy and uncomfortable.
Cosmetics Business has contacted Wild Cosmetics for comment.