Beauty Ads to Get Real

We've all seen the mascara adverts where the model has lashes that look too good to be true, only to spot a fleeting (and miniscule) caption admitting said model was filmed with lash inserts. Shampoo adverts are just as guilty, filming models (and high-profile celebrities) with flowing manes of hair extensions that can't be born out of a bottle. And it's not just styling that can be misleading, digital retouching can make a model’s skin look clearer or remove lines and wrinkles altogether.

Now two UK organisations, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), have released new advertising guidelines for cosmetic advertising. Cosmetics companies don't have to follow them, but if ignored they could come under fire from consumers and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). This reaction from the two committees comes soon after US beauty brand Make Up For Ever released adverts just last month that they claimed were the 'first unretouched make up ads' (pictured) to promote its new HD line of products.

The guidelines include the following -

The use of misleading lash inserts in mascara adverts; the excessive use of hair extensions in hair care ads; the use of fake nails in nail care ads; re-touching pictures to remove fine lines and wrinkles, hair fly-aways, and skin blemishes (for example) if the products are claiming to help those issues.

As these are just guidelines it’s unlikely they will be strictly policed, but since Make Up For Ever's unretouched adverts caused such a positive stir it may be time for other companies to ditch the trickery too.