Health and Beauty

The advertisement appeared on the advertisers’ Instagram profile within a short-form educational social-media video discussing common midlife skin concerns. The advertisement contained the statement that ‘after 40, we lose 30% of our skin’s collagen in just five years.’ The advertisement further promoted a cosmetic product specifically targeted at women over the age of 40.

The complainant considered that the advertisement made misleading claims about collagen loss in women. They said that women lose 1% of collagen per year, even after the age of 40, and it was only in the 5 years after menopause that they could lose “up to” 30%. They said that the average age of menopause was 51.

The advertisers said that the claim “after 40, we lose 30% of our skin’s collagen in just five years” was intended as simplified, consumer-facing language to describe common midlife skin changes, rather than a precise biological threshold beginning at age 40. They said that collagen declined gradually with age, but that hormonal and biological changes which occurred during midlife, particularly around menopause, can accelerate this process. They said that research showed collagen loss may increase during the early post-menopausal years, with some studies indicating reductions of up to around one-third within five years.

The advertisers said that peer-reviewed dermatological research confirmed that skin collagen decreased progressively with age and that hormonal changes occurring during midlife can influence collagen levels and skin structure. They said that multiple biopsy-based studies demonstrated that skin collagen content declined with increasing age. For example, they said, Shuster et al. (1975) reported measurable reductions in dermal collagen density across the adult lifespan.

The advertisers said that research also showed that hormonal changes, particularly reductions in estrogen levels during midlife, can influence structural skin changes. They said that Affinito et al. (1999) demonstrated that hypoestrogenism following menopause was associated with measurable reductions in skin collagen.

The advertisers said that further work by Brincat et al. (1987) reported that skin collagen levels in women correlated strongly with years since menopause rather than chronological age alone, indicating that hormonal status can influence the rate of collagen decline.

The advertisers went on to say that additional dermatological research had also demonstrated that estrogen played an important biological role in regulating skin structure and collagen production. Thornton (2002) , for example, they said, described how estrogen receptors existed within skin tissue and how declining estrogen levels can contribute to structural skin ageing. Clinical dermatology reviews summarising these findings noted that collagen loss may accelerate during the early post-menopausal years, with some studies reporting reductions approaching approximately one-third during the first five years following menopause. These findings, the advertisers said, illustrated the role hormonal changes can play in structural skin changes occurring during midlife.

In conclusion, the advertisers acknowledged that the wording in their advertisement could have been interpreted as implying a fixed starting point at age 40 in relation to collagen loss. They said that the advertisement had been paused and revised, and that future communications would more clearly refer to collagen decline in the context of ageing and hormonal changes rather than a specific age.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1220811/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10656502/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16096167/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12473056/

Complaint Upheld

The Complaints Council noted the complaint and the advertisers’ response alongside the fact that the advertisement had been paused and revised.

The Council concluded that the advertisement was likely to mislead as the claim would be understood as a specific, objective statement about extent of collagen loss, beginning from the age of 40. They noted, however, that it was not supported by the evidence

In the circumstances, the Council considered that the claim in the original advertisement that “after 40, we lose 30% of our skin’s collagen in just 5 years’ created an inaccurate impression of both timing and extent of collagen decline. Accordingly, they considered that the original advertisement had breached Sections 4.1, 4.9, and 4.10, as well as 11.1 and 11.2 of the Code.

Action Required:
As the advertisement had been paused and amended, no further action was required.