Irish cosmetics company criticised over 'misleading' ads posted by social media influencers

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has criticised an Irish cosmetics company over its failure to respond to complaints over advertisements which were shared online by social media influencers.

The ASA has upheld a number of complaints in relation to various posts, promoting BPerfect products, which were shared by two separate influencers on Instagram.

In a decision, just published, the ASA noted how a number of complainants considered that the Instagram posts had not been disclosed correctly as being paid-for adverts.

In one case the complainants stated that "in some cases, the size, location and colour of the font used meant that either the disclosure was partially or fully obscured. In the circumstances they considered that it was not clear that the stories were featuring commercial content."

READ NEXT: SPOTTED! Harry Styles spotted in small town in Ireland as pictures go viral online

Upholding the complaint, the ASA noted that the primary disclosure used did not have the '#' as required, nor was it the first word in any text block.

In its decision, the Council also noted that the letters ‘ba’ had variously appeared either before or after ‘ad’ in some content. However, it says this is not an "approved secondary disclosure".

The Council also noted that in some cases, "the font colour, size and placement of the disclosure minimised its visibility or fully obscured it."

They considered therefore, that the content had not been identified correctly as advertising material and should not reappear in its current form.

The make-up company, which was founded in Belfast in 2013, used the influencer Julie Haynes to promote product discount codes and their radiant glow skin perfector.

The Advertising Authority found a number of the posts were in breach of advertising codes for being “misleading”. 

READ MORE: ‘Felt like my world ended’: Irish woman’s shock at learning of mother's death via WhatsApp

Separate-but-similar complaints relating to posts shared by another Irish influencer - Sarah O Connor - were also upheld.

In that case, the ASA also found the content had not been identified correctly as advertising material.

"In the circumstances, and in the absence of a response from the advertisers, the Council concluded that the omission of the hashtag and the incorrect placement of the disclosure was in breach of Sections 3.31 and 3.32 of the Code." states the decision.

In both cases, the ASA has directed that the adverts "should not reappear" in their current form and it has criticised BPerfect for not engaging with it regarding the complaints.

"The Council expressed concern at the advertisers’ failure to respond to the complaints. They reminded them that there is an onus on advertisers to ensure that their advertising is in conformity with the Code," it stated.

Commenting on the latest Advertising Standards Authority rulings, its chief executive Orla Twomey said: “The Advertising Standards Authority is committed to protecting consumers from advertising that is harmful, misleading, or offensive. Our latest complaints bulletin showcases the broad scope of our work in maintaining honesty, transparency, and integrity across Irish advertising."