Advertisment
A bus shelter advertisement for Bio Oil Skincare Oil featured an image of the product together with two testimonial quotes placed over the bottom half of the bottle which stated:
“It really worked miracles.”
And
“I would recommend it to anyone.”
Some of the wording on the product image was visible stating:
“Scars
Helps improve the appearance of both new and old scars.
Strech marks
Helps reduce the possibility of stretch marks forming during pregnancy, teenage growth spurts and periods of rapid weight gain….”
Complaint
The complainant considered that the advertisement was misleading as it had included claims for the product without providing supporting empirical data or survey data.
Response
The advertisers said that they had substantiation for the claim made in the testimonial. They said that they researched and developed specialist skincare products and had been on the market since 1987 and were a leading scar and stretch mark product in Ireland. They said that they had clinical trials across various studies to back the efficacy of the product in both the treatment of scars and stretch marks and they provided a link to their product information and the Scar & Stretch Mark Clinical trials conducted page from their website. The webpage included a synopsis of various trials that were carried out by various organisations.
1. Improvement in scars. Carried out by proDerm in Germany
Sample
Subjects: 36 female participants of various Fitzpatrick skin types. Scar ages: newly formed to 3 years old. Scar locations: abdomen, leg, arm, neck, knee, trunk, upper body. Age of participants: 18–65.
Result
Bio‑Oil® Skincare Oil is efficacious in improving the appearance of scars. A statistically significant result was achieved after only 2 weeks (day 15), evident in 66% of the subjects. After 8 weeks (day 57) 92% of subjects showed an improvement, with the extent of the improvement almost triple that at 2 weeks. A continuous improvement of POSAS over the duration of the study
2. Acne Scar Study – carried out by Dept. of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Sample
Subjects: 44 subjects with newly formed acne scars on the face (<1 year old). Bio‑Oil® Skincare Oil treatment cell included 32 subjects and the untreated cell included 12 subjects. Age of participants: 14–30.
Result
The best result of the clinical grading was in Bio‑Oil® Skincare Oil’s ability to reduce the erythema or redness of macular (flat) acne scars, with the overall skin becoming brighter. Results of the self-assessment questionnaire showed that more than 84% of subjects experienced an improvement in the overall condition of their acne scars and more than 90% experienced an improvement in scar colour. Acne count and sebum measurement results showed that using Bio‑Oil® Skincare Oil does not cause or aggravate acne or increase sebum secretion.
3. Stretch Mark Clinical Trial carried out by proDERM Institute for Applied Dermatological Research, Hamburg, Germany.
Sample
Subjects: 38 female participants of various Fitzpatrick skin types. Stretch mark causes: various (post pregnancy, weight gain or adolescent growth spurt). Stretch mark locations: abdomen, thighs and hips. Age of participants: 18–65.
Result
Bio‑Oil® Skincare Oil is efficacious in improving the appearance of stretch marks. A statistically significant result was achieved after only 2 weeks (day 15), evident in 95% of the subjects. After 8 weeks (day 57), 100% of subjects showed an improvement, with the extent of the improvement more than double that at 2 weeks. A continuous improvement of POSAS over the duration of the study.
The advertisers also provided a document detailing the clinical trials and the dates they were undertaken (2010 and 2012).
Conclusion
Complaint Not Upheld.
The Complaints Council considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’ response.
The Council noted the response, including the clinical trials across various studies referred to which had been carried out by a number of organisations. They noted that while the sample sizes were small, the results of each study were consistent across the various pieces of research. In the circumstances, the Council did not consider that the advertising was in breach of the Code on the grounds raised.
ACTION REQUIRED:
No further action required.
