HOW DID AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR A COSMETIC CLAIMING TO CURE PSORIASIS AND ECZEMA APPEAR IN THREE NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS?
Freelance journalist Naomi Marks, writing in the British Medical Journal, investigated how advertisements for Cashmere Beauty apparently slipped through the normal vetting procedures to appear in the Times, the Independent, and the Guardian. The ad, which in the Guardian was 20 cm high and across two columns, was headlined “Psoriasis & eczema remedy discovered” and claimed the product to be “an effective alternative to toxic prescriptive products treating Psoriasis, Eczema or any irritated complexion”, also claiming to treat scar tissue, bumps, mild acne and stretch marks. It further stated that the product was “dermatologically tested and FDA approved.” Now the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is investigating whether or not the advertisement violates the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing. Under the code (http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/codes/cap_code/), strict guidelines govern the use of terms such as “remedy” and “heal”; products making such claims
