Beauty adverts toned down, but can still mislead, say medical experts
Doctors warn consumers to treat product claims with care, despite new law, and say many are not backed by medical research
Advertisements for slimming and beauty products have toned down their more outrageous claims since new trading laws came into force on July 19, but consumers may still be misled by ambiguous messages, say two medical experts.
The amended Trade Descriptions Ordinance prohibits false or misleading trade descriptions in all forms, including in advertisements. It also bans companies from using testimonials from celebrities about a product's effectiveness when they did not use it.
Magazine readers might have noticed the changes. Two weeks ago an advertisement for a "weight-loss" gel appearing in gossip magazine claimed the gel could heat up legs and make them slimmer. A columnist, who reportedly used the gel for one and a half months and did not exercise, claimed to have lost about 11.5cm from her thighs.
However when the same advertisement appeared in published on July 19, the day the new law took effect, the columnist's testimonial was missing, leaving only ambiguous claims that the heat triggered by the gel would make legs prettier.
Another advertisement for a drink that claimed to help a person "shed 15 pounds in six weeks", which also appeared in the previous issue of , did not appear in the latest issue.
Dermatology specialist Dr Henry Chan Hin-lee debunked the advertisements' claims, saying there was no medical evidence to prove that applying substances to the skin would stimulate metabolism and help someone lose weight from a particular part of their body.
