Davina McCall, Mariella Frostrup, Zoe Ball and friends have brought menopause into the mainstream and even secured reduced NHS prescription costs for women at this life stage. But at the same time, they have made space for a whole industry of supplements and wellness brands that are making money off the back of women’s anxieties.
Ads for those products are all over social media, and the Advertising Standards Authority – spurred by concerns about their health claims – is taking them to task. A recent AI-powered sweep of health claims in online ads found that Facebook et al are rife with supplement brands claiming that their products can prevent, treat or cure the symptoms of the menopause.
As a result, ads for 222 Balance Me, Lunera, Minerva and Nova Menopause Vitality have all had their ads banned, while another brand, PolyBiotics, was banned for false claims around polycystic ovary syndrome.
ASA investigations manager Catherine Drewett said: “When it comes to women’s health, people deserve clear and accurate information. Ads making misleading claims about treating symptoms of the menopause, PCOS and other hormonal conditions can cause real harm and today’s rulings hold advertisers to account. We’ll continue to monitor this sector closely and we encourage anyone with concerns about an ad they’ve seen to get in touch.”
222 Collective came up with a feeble excuse, pleading that as a new, founder-run small business it was still learning about advertising regulations – and admitted that the wording was making overclaims about what its products could achieve. Lunera accepted that its claims should not have appeared, while Minerva and Nova didn’t even reply to the ASA’s efforts to contact them.
