Falling into the trap: Earlier this year, a post by Instagram make-up blogger Sheikhbeauty promoting tea brand Flat Tummy Tea was banned by the ASA for failing to meet advertising rules
Meet the advertising watchdog
Shabnum Mustapha is the Media and Public Affairs Manager of the ASA.
She tells Cosmetics Business about how to keep the regulator on your side and the main pitfalls of social media advertising.
1. Never mislead the audience
Some of the main complaints we receive about beauty products are about pre and post-production techniques that end up misleading consumers.
For example in a mascara advert, we understand that eyelash inserts sometimes need to be used — if the model has damaged or missing eyelashes.
But those inserts must be the same length as her natural eyelashes. If the inserts are longer, it’ll imply that the product has contributed to the long lashes and that’s not fair on the consumer.
On the other hand, if you’re promoting a lipstick,
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