UK bans Rimmel make-up ad for playing on girls' 'insecurities'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Rimmel's post included a video of an influencer applying make-up and a shot of a Rimmel concealer product for hiding facial blemishes.
SCREENSHOTS: TIKTOK/LANA JENKINS
Follow topic:
LONDON - An “irresponsible” advert for cosmetics brand Rimmel was banned by the UK regulator on Dec 20 for “playing on young girls’ insecurities”.
Rimmel London was censured by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for the paid-for ad seen on Facebook on Sept 9.
The ad included the caption “get ready to slay this back to school season”.
The post included a video of an influencer applying make-up and a shot of a Rimmel concealer product for hiding facial blemishes.
The influencer was identified in British media as Love Island TV star Lana Jenkins.
In its defence, Rimmel London, a subsidiary of US beauty multinational Coty, said the campaign “in no way communicated a need to wear make up but rather focused on trending make-up looks”.
It said the campaign was targeted at the 18-35 age group and its own internal guidelines stipulated it did not market to children.
Ruling against the firm, however, the ASA said the ad “implied that girls or young women were more likely to succeed or do well when they went back to school if they wore make-up”.
This had the “had the effect of playing on young girls’ insecurities about their appearance” and was therefore “irresponsible”, it said. AFP
