A Rimmel mascara ad featuring Cara Delevingne has been banned for 'misleading' customers

A Rimmel ad starring model Cara Delevingne has been banned for exaggerating the effects of a mascara.

Seen one beauty campaign promising to deliver longer lashes, silky smooth skin or bee-stung lips, seen them all. But in a move that could leave cosmetics giants nervy about their “miraculous” promises, Rimmel has seen it’s ad spiked for using “misleading” post-production techniques.

The campaign, for the brand’s Scandaleyes Reloaded mascara, features model and brand ambassador Cara Delevingne applying the mascara followed by close-ups of the finished effect with a voiceover claiming the mascara would give women “extreme volume” and “dangerously bold lashes.”

The ad was referred to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) by a viewer who complained it misled consumers.

Rimmel’s owner, Coty UK, said it had used lash inserts to fill in gaps and create a uniform “lash line” in accordance with industry practice.

Ad clearance agency Clearcast said Coty had not used lash inserts to mislead or exaggerate the effects of the mascara, and said the company had not lengthened or thickened any lashes in post-production.

But the ASA took a different view and said consumers were likely to believe that using the mascara would lead to the appearance of thicker and fuller eyelashes.

It concluded that the effect of the lash inserts or the post-production – or both – was to give the appearance of “longer lashes with more volume”.

The ASA ruling said: “Because the ad conveyed a volumising, lengthening and thickening effect of the product we considered the use of lash inserts and the post-production technique were likely to exaggerate the effect beyond what could be achieved by the product among consumers. We therefore concluded the ad was misleading.”

Following the ruling the ad must not appear again in its current form.

Speaking about the conclusion a spokesperson for Coty said: “While we regret the decision of the ASA, we will of course comply with the ruling and not air the TV commercial again in this state.”

It’s not the first time beauty adverts have been banned for misleading the public. Back in 2011 L’Oreal saw make up campaigns featuring Julia Roberts and model Christy Turlington banned by the Advertising Standards Agency.

After a complaint to The ASA that the ads put pressure on women and young girls who compare themselves unfavorably to the unrealistic images, The ASA ruled that the glossy magazine ad was in fact confusing and exaggerated the effects of the product.

Earlier this month Pepsi were forced to remove its latest advert starring Kendall Jenner after accusations that the corporation was trivialising police brutality and undermining the Black Lives Matter movement.

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