ASA Adjudication on tattooremovalcream.co.uk
tattooremovalcream.co.uk
171 Union Street
Dundee
DD1 4BG
Date:
1 February 2012
Media:
Internet (e-tailing)
Sector:
Health and beauty
Number of complaints:
1
Complaint Ref:
A11-172713
Ad
Claims on tattooremovalcream.co.uk for a tattoo fading cream, seen on 26 September 2011, stated "The LazerCream system is probably one of the most simplest [sic], affordable and convenient of any tattoo removal method available ... We provide a simple painless non scarring lotion in [sic] which you rub onto the tattoo and within a matter of months you will start to see your tattoo fade ... How does this work? Well as you apply the cream on a daily basis, the cream gently breaks down the pigment within the tattoo causing it to fade away and eventually it will be barely visible to the eye ..." The website featured three photographs of the same tattoo labelled "Original", "4 Months" and "9 Months", which showed it in varying stages of degradation.
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the efficacy claims for the product were misleading and could be substantiated.
CAP Code (Edition 12)
Response
tattooremovalcream.co.uk provided the ASA with a summary of a clinical trial that tested the efficacy of the product in improving the appearance or removal of tattoos.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA noted we had not seen the full clinical trial and were therefore unable to ascertain whether the trial was conducted robustly. We considered the summary, which was incomplete and did not include comprehensible details of how it was conducted, was not sufficient to support the efficacy claims for the product. Because we had not seen robust, scientific evidence, we concluded that the claims that the product could fade tattoos were misleading.
We also noted the claim "The Lazercream system is probably one of the most simplest [sic], affordable and convenient of any tattoo removal method available" implied that the product was capable of removing tattoos, which was in breach of a previous ASA adjudication against tattooremovalcream.co.uk. We told them to remove or amend the claim to comply with the previous adjudication.
The claims that the product could fade tattoos breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 and 3.4.2 (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation) and 3.11 (Exaggeration).
Action
The claims must not appear again in their current form.
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