ASA upholds complaint against Nouveau Beauty

Published: 9-Mar-2016

Claims about nano-currents dismissed by advertising standards

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Nouveau Beauty Group lodged by CACI International, the maker of non-surgical facelift devices.

Nouveau was unable to back-up claims made in an advertorial for its A-Lift treatment. The A-Lift treatment is an anti-ageing facial, said to provide a non-surgical alternative to a facelift using nanocurrents to electro-stimulate the skin. The treatment is said to re-energise skin cells and improve the complexion.

The complaint referred to an advertorial by the group that stated: “Nano-current comes with high medical credibility and clinically evidenced results.” The advert also claimed the treatment could “fuel cellular metabolism, function and renewal” and was able to “outperform the staple-micro current machine we know and love”.

While Nouveau maintained that its claims were substantiated, the ASA upheld the complaint. The ASA stated the group had “not provided evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of nano-current technology”. Overall the ASA ruled the claims in the advertorial were misleading.

Find out more on legislation for cosmetics ingredients and claims at the 2016 Cosmetics Business Regulatory Summit.

In a statement, the ASA said: “Because Nouveau Beauty Group had not provided comparative data to substantiate the claim, ‘… can A-Lift nano-current outperform the staple micro-current machine we know and love? The answer is fundamentally yes’, we concluded that it was misleading.” Nouveau Beauty Group has been told the advertorial must not appear again in the same format and that any future efficacy and comparative claims made in advertising must be supported with robust documentary evidence.

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