BEAUTY PIE LED MASK ADVERT BANNED FOR MISLEADING WRINKLE CLAIM

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advertisement for Beauty Pie's C-Wave Light Facial LED mask after ruling it made misleading anti-wrinkle claims. The advert, displayed on the London Underground, stated the mask was "clinically proven to reduce wrinkles in four weeks." Beauty Pie conducted a trial involving 28 participants over four weeks, with 92% of testers agreeing or strongly agreeing that their fine lines appeared less visible. The ASA found this evidence insufficient to support the claim.

The ASA identified several weaknesses in the trial. It noted the absence of a placebo group and described the sample size as "relatively small." Testers were also asked to use an exfoliating product and a hydrogel during the trial period, neither of which is sold alongside the mask, leading the ASA to conclude that improvements in wrinkle appearance could not be attributed solely to the device. Beauty Pie responded that sample sizes of 20 to 25 are routinely accepted by other regulators. The mask costs £199 for Beauty Pie members and £299 for non-members.

Beauty Pie is a direct-to-consumer, membership-based cosmetics firm that positions its products as luxury formulas at affordable prices. LED technology is already used in medical settings to treat conditions including eczema, acne, psoriasis, and sun damage, and at-home LED devices are growing in popularity. The global LED mask market is projected to be worth £600 million by 2032, according to analysis firm Skyquest. Dermatologists have stated that no clinical trials with sufficiently large sample sizes conducted over sufficiently long periods exist to establish the benefits of at-home LED masks.