ASA cracks down on Avon campaign

Published: 8-Oct-2008

Avon has been forced to withdraw a TV advert claiming that its Anew Clinical Advanced Dermabrasion System can make fine lines disappear. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) challenged the company over the advert voiceover, which states that when the four-level product is on level three “fine lines fade”. The authority also took issue with the instruction “dial up the intensity every two weeks”, as it implied a cumulative or persistent effect.


Avon has been forced to withdraw a TV advert claiming that its Anew Clinical Advanced Dermabrasion System can make fine lines disappear. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) challenged the company over the advert voiceover, which states that when the four-level product is on level three “fine lines fade”. The authority also took issue with the instruction “dial up the intensity every two weeks”, as it implied a cumulative or persistent effect.

In response, the C&T giant submitted a letter from an expert at TV advertising watchdog Clearcast, which said that Avon had provided clinical and consumer data showing that the combination of dermabrasive elements reduced the visible appearance of fine lines. He added that consumers would be unable to notice the difference between the claims “fine lines fade” and “the appearance of fine lines fade”. Regarding the second claim in question, the expert explained that the product contained various abrasive ingredients in two separate tubes and that changing the aperture mixed the contents of the tubes, allowing the intensity of the product to be dialled up.

However, the ASA expert said that one of the tests, conducted by an independent laboratory in the US, was carried out on the arm, which was not a good model for facial skin. Moreover, the statement “fine lines fade” suggests that the product could reduce fine lines rather than merely temporarily reducing their appearance. As such, the ASA ruled that the commercial must not be broadcast again in its current form.

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