Can I Advertise Botox On Social Media?
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has announced that from the 31st January they will be actively monitoring Social Media accounts in a bid to crack down on the advertisement of Botox.
Dental Practices now need to make sure that any adverts or posts on social media platforms do not mention Botox treatments.
Why Can’t I use the word Botox on Social Media?
Botulinum Toxin, the active ingredient in anti-wrinkle injections is a Prescription Only Medicine (POM). The advertisement of a POM is against the Committee of Advertising Practice’s (CAP) guidelines. Therefore, adverts for Botox are in breach of this.
It’s important to remember that while Botulinum Toxin is most commonly known as Botox, other brands include Vistable, Dysport, Bocouture, and Azzalure.
How does this affect my social media campaign?
The CAP’s regulations state that the promotion of Botulinum on social media is not allowed. This includes paid ads, posts on your pages and as a part of influencer marketing.
What do I need to do?
- Remove any reference to Botox from your social media posts and adverts. This includes direct and indirect mentions and any obvious reference to Botox. Do not use Botox and other terms in images and hashtags, as well as promotions such as open evenings or as a prize for competitions.
- Do not indirectly refer to a POM by using vague terms such as ‘anti-wrinkle injections’. The ASA could still see this as advertising for a POM.
- Do not create posts or ads that have the term ‘anti-wrinkle injections’ with a price that refers to a POM, as the ASA will view this as an advert.
How can I advertise facial aesthetic treatments on social media channels?
Overall, Botox and other POMs cannot be advertised to the public on social media channels.
However:
- Practices can still advertise non-POM aesthetic treatments such as Dermal Fillers. Just be very specific and make sure not to mention them in conjunction with any reference to Botox or Anti-wrinkle injections.
- It is still possible to promote anti-wrinkle treatments by focusing on the consultation and service, rather than the product itself. For example, the ASA says that wording such as ‘Book a consultation for the treatment of lines and wrinkles’ may be acceptable. However, when doing this be very careful not to refer to Botox in any way.
Read the full ASA guidelines here
If you have any questions about the new guidelines for promoting Botox on social media please get in touch.
Find out more about advertising Botox treatments on other platforms in the following posts:
Advertising Botox on Websites
Advertising Botox on Google
More posts from our team
Five Star
Reviewed Marketing
"Would definitely recommend to a friend"
"I cannot recommend Dental Design highly enough"
"Really great company to deal with"
"Very professional, efficient & adaptive to new situations"
"I cannot recommend them highly enough"
"Has been invaluable and gone out of her way to help us"
"We love the look of our practice website. Very professional!"
"Dental Design stood out both in their knowledge of the industry and their professionalism"
"The team and package offered at dental design was unrivalled"
"absolutely fantastic and are always on hand to help"
"Dental Design are fantastic to work with"
"always met with a swift and professional response"
