Six Brazilian butt lift ads get slapped down by regulator

Six cosmetic procedure providers have been spanked by the ad watchdog for pressuring customers, exploiting women’s insecurities or trivialising medical risks following a probe into the advertising of liquid Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs).

The move forms part of a wider piece of work on ads for liquid BBLs identified for investigation following intelligence gathering by the watchdog’s Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses AI to proactively search for online ads that might break the rules.

Beautyjenics, Bomb Doll Aesthetics, CCSkinLondonDubai, EME Aesthetics & Beauty Academy, Rejuvenate Academy, trading as Rejuvenate Clinics, and NKD Medical, trading as Dr Ducu, were all investigated despite not a single compliant being made against them.

The Advertising Standards Authority contacted all six companies over the ads, which it maintained risked pressurising consumers into booking procedures by referring to Black Friday offers or other time-limited deals.

Some created unrealistic expectations or exploited women’s insecurities, with phrases such as “get that perfect peachy look!” and “feel confident every step of the way!” Others trivialised the risks of the procedure.

However, only three companies responded to the ASA’s enquiries.

EME Aesthetics disagreed that its ad put pressure on customers or trivialised the risks of liquid BBLs. NKD Medical said it aimed to communicate the benefits of its treatments without trivialising the risks, while Rejuvenate Academy removed all references to time-limited offers and said its ads would make clear the procedures were performed by a medical professional to minimise the risks.

Banning all six ads for being socially irresponsible, the ASA said it expected advertisers to “exercise a high level of caution” when promoting procedures that carry significant risks and currently lack formal regulation.

An ASA spokesperson said: “Choosing to undergo a cosmetic procedure is a serious decision, so ads that trivialise this, exploit insecurities, or pressure consumers can cause real harm.

“We’re particularly concerned about these types of ads for liquid BBLs, given the procedure is currently unregulated and is known to be high risk.

“Today’s rulings send a clear message.”