Health and beauty website www.dermaskin.com has been hit by an Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigation after it advertised Botox as a commonly used anti-ageing beauty treatment on its home page.
In response to this, The Independent Healthcare Advisory Service (IHAS) challenged whether the reference to 'Botox' on the Dermaskin Clinics home page breached UK advertising laws by promoting a prescription-only medicine to the public.
In response to the ASA's investigation, the company agreed to remove references to Botox from its home page. It also added that its reference to Botox included a statement regarding the need to attend a consultation to determine the suitability of Botox on any areas of concern.
Despite this, the ASA upheld the complaint on the grounds that advertising prescription-only medicines (POMs) to the general public is prohibited by the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (HMRs), which is in CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 12.12. It also warned Dermaskin Clinics to take special care in future when referencing Botox.