L'Oreal has been condemned for producing "misleading" mascara adverts featuring Penelope Cruz.
The TV and magazine adverts boasted that women could have up to 60 per cent longer eyelashes with its Telescopic mascara.
The Hollywood star's voice promised: "Lashes that could reach for the stars."
But a sharp-eyed viewer suspected the actress was wearing false lashes to exaggerate the length of eyelid hair produced by the product.
She protested to the Advertising Standards Authority, who upheld her complaint.
It found the TV commercial misleading and said the magazine advert failed to be accurate and true. During the investigation, the French company admitted that the star had been wearing individual false lashes.
The ASA has ordered L'Oreal to add a disclaimer to future adverts whenever models are shown wearing false lashes.
It also told the firm to make it clear that its "60 per cent" claim referred to the appearance of the lashes - not to an actual extension in the length that could be achieved by using the mascara.
L'Oreal told the ASA its product made the tips of lashes more visible, giving a lengthening effect.
It said: "Penelope Cruz was wearing a few individual false lashes inserted into her natural lashes to fill in the gaps in her natural lashes for a consistent standard of lashes."
A signed affidavit from the star and her make-up artist supported this.
The Telescopic mascara was applied on top.
In its ruling, the ASA said it was concerned that the adverts failed to make it clear that lashes would "appear" up to 60 per cent longer.
It added: "We concluded that, in the absence of a disclaimer stating that Penelope Cruz was wearing some individual false lashes added to her natural lashes, and because the ad did not make clear that the claim referred to an increase in the 'appearance' of lash length, the ads could mislead."
The TV and magazine adverts boasted that women could have up to 60 per cent longer eyelashes with its Telescopic mascara.
The Hollywood star's voice promised: "Lashes that could reach for the stars."
But a sharp-eyed viewer suspected the actress was wearing false lashes to exaggerate the length of eyelid hair produced by the product.
She protested to the Advertising Standards Authority, who upheld her complaint.
It found the TV commercial misleading and said the magazine advert failed to be accurate and true. During the investigation, the French company admitted that the star had been wearing individual false lashes.
The ASA has ordered L'Oreal to add a disclaimer to future adverts whenever models are shown wearing false lashes.
It also told the firm to make it clear that its "60 per cent" claim referred to the appearance of the lashes - not to an actual extension in the length that could be achieved by using the mascara.
L'Oreal told the ASA its product made the tips of lashes more visible, giving a lengthening effect.
It said: "Penelope Cruz was wearing a few individual false lashes inserted into her natural lashes to fill in the gaps in her natural lashes for a consistent standard of lashes."
A signed affidavit from the star and her make-up artist supported this.
The Telescopic mascara was applied on top.
In its ruling, the ASA said it was concerned that the adverts failed to make it clear that lashes would "appear" up to 60 per cent longer.
It added: "We concluded that, in the absence of a disclaimer stating that Penelope Cruz was wearing some individual false lashes added to her natural lashes, and because the ad did not make clear that the claim referred to an increase in the 'appearance' of lash length, the ads could mislead."
If you have a look at half the other ads advertising mascara the women in those ads are also wearing false eyelashes...
Those eyelashes are the fakest things ive ever seen. trying to pass them off as a natural 60% longer is miseading on the part of the makeup companies
EVERY Ad for Makeup or Mascara.. or any beauty ads are faked!!
They always use fake lashes, they dont usually use the makeup brand the are selling/advertising and its sickening!
There should a law specifying that all adverts must show what they are selling only and not add in any other products to make up for down falls.
They always use fake lashes, they dont usually use the makeup brand the are selling/advertising and its sickening!
There should a law specifying that all adverts must show what they are selling only and not add in any other products to make up for down falls.
And it's happened to Rimmel as well.
Mascara ads showing Kate Moss sporting "traffic stopping" eyelashes have been banned after complaints that the supermodel's lashes were false.
The magazine and TV ads for Rimmel said that the 'Magnif'eyes mascara' produced 70 per cent more lift, with a 'unique vertical life brush' helping wearers 'get the London look'.
Moss features in both the magazine ad and the TV commercial - but two viewers complained that they did not believe her eyelashes were genuine and that the ads exaggerated the effect of the mascara.
Ad firm J Walter Thompson (JWT) insisted that Moss was not wearing false eyelashes, but did not provide documentary evidence to back it up. The firm admitted the lashes were enhanced after the shoot.
The Advertising Standards Authority investigated complaints that the lashes were false and also challenged whether Rimmel could back up their claim that the mascara provided 70 per cent more lift.
Rimmel said it had developed existing brush technology by creating a mascara brush that provided greater lash lift and claimed it had tested the claim of 70 per cent more lash lift on ten female panellists.
It provided a table and a sample before and after shot, claiming the results showed the average increase in lash lift from roof to tip was 74.7 per cent.
The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) said they were satisfied that the demonstration sequences were an accurate reflection of the capabilities of the product and supported the claims made in the TV ad.
However, the ASA concluded that it could not be proved the lashes weren't false - and ordered the company not to repeat the claims. It also found the 70 per cent claim could be misleading.
A spokesman said: "The ASA was concerned that Rimmel had failed to provide evidence that confirmed Kate Moss was not wearing false lashes.
"We were also concerned that JWT said they had retouched the lashes in post production, but had not provided data that clarified the extent to which that had altered the appearance of the lashes.
"Because we had not received documentary evidence that Kate Moss was not wearing false lashes in the ads we concluded that the images of the eye lashes in the press and TV ads may have exaggerated the benefits of the product, and were likely to mislead consumers.
"The ASA acknowledged the evidence submitted by Rimmel to support their claims '70% more vertical lashes' in the press ad and '70% more lash lift' in the TV ad.
"We noted that the measurements used in the test were taken from digital images of the eye before and after the mascara was applied, and were not taken from the actual lashes themselves.
"We considered that some consumers could interpret the claim to refer to an increase in actual lash length, rather than the length of the lashes as it appeared in the digital images.
"Because the claim '70% more lash lift' referred to an increase in the appearance of the lash length, and not an actual increase, we concluded that the ad could mislead.
"We told Rimmel not to repeat the ad in its present form. We advised them to include a disclaimer in future ads where post production techniques had been used to increase the effects of a product, or where false lashes had been used.
Mascara ads showing Kate Moss sporting "traffic stopping" eyelashes have been banned after complaints that the supermodel's lashes were false.
The magazine and TV ads for Rimmel said that the 'Magnif'eyes mascara' produced 70 per cent more lift, with a 'unique vertical life brush' helping wearers 'get the London look'.
Moss features in both the magazine ad and the TV commercial - but two viewers complained that they did not believe her eyelashes were genuine and that the ads exaggerated the effect of the mascara.
Ad firm J Walter Thompson (JWT) insisted that Moss was not wearing false eyelashes, but did not provide documentary evidence to back it up. The firm admitted the lashes were enhanced after the shoot.
The Advertising Standards Authority investigated complaints that the lashes were false and also challenged whether Rimmel could back up their claim that the mascara provided 70 per cent more lift.
Rimmel said it had developed existing brush technology by creating a mascara brush that provided greater lash lift and claimed it had tested the claim of 70 per cent more lash lift on ten female panellists.
It provided a table and a sample before and after shot, claiming the results showed the average increase in lash lift from roof to tip was 74.7 per cent.
The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) said they were satisfied that the demonstration sequences were an accurate reflection of the capabilities of the product and supported the claims made in the TV ad.
However, the ASA concluded that it could not be proved the lashes weren't false - and ordered the company not to repeat the claims. It also found the 70 per cent claim could be misleading.
A spokesman said: "The ASA was concerned that Rimmel had failed to provide evidence that confirmed Kate Moss was not wearing false lashes.
"We were also concerned that JWT said they had retouched the lashes in post production, but had not provided data that clarified the extent to which that had altered the appearance of the lashes.
"Because we had not received documentary evidence that Kate Moss was not wearing false lashes in the ads we concluded that the images of the eye lashes in the press and TV ads may have exaggerated the benefits of the product, and were likely to mislead consumers.
"The ASA acknowledged the evidence submitted by Rimmel to support their claims '70% more vertical lashes' in the press ad and '70% more lash lift' in the TV ad.
"We noted that the measurements used in the test were taken from digital images of the eye before and after the mascara was applied, and were not taken from the actual lashes themselves.
"We considered that some consumers could interpret the claim to refer to an increase in actual lash length, rather than the length of the lashes as it appeared in the digital images.
"Because the claim '70% more lash lift' referred to an increase in the appearance of the lash length, and not an actual increase, we concluded that the ad could mislead.
"We told Rimmel not to repeat the ad in its present form. We advised them to include a disclaimer in future ads where post production techniques had been used to increase the effects of a product, or where false lashes had been used.
Gah... everyone sues everyone for anything nowadays...
I can understand how this can be misleading; however, look at pretty much every other mascara add out there and you will find the same thing.
I once saw an ad that didn't have fake eyelashes but instead someone with poor photo-editing skills had drawn extensions onto the natural ones...
Personally, I think fake eyelashes would have looked better.
Ah well... Such is life...
Courtenay xoxox.
I can understand how this can be misleading; however, look at pretty much every other mascara add out there and you will find the same thing.
I once saw an ad that didn't have fake eyelashes but instead someone with poor photo-editing skills had drawn extensions onto the natural ones...
Personally, I think fake eyelashes would have looked better.
Ah well... Such is life...
Courtenay xoxox.
Leave A Comment
Create a Fashionising.com account to leave a comment or login.
SHARE URLS