Ministry busts misleading cosmetics ads

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has found hundreds of advertisements falsely promoting certain cosmetics as the answer to skin troubles caused by wearing a face mask everywhere during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Altogether, 413 websites have been found to be in violation of the Cosmetics Act because of misleading or exaggerated advertisements, the Drug Ministry said Thursday. The pages have been shut down.

According to the ministry, 318 of the sites advertised their cosmetics as if they alone could treat problems such as skin rashes or pimples. The claims included anti-inflammatory effects, the ability to make skin regenerate and the ability to improve acne and redness.

Some products were falsely promoted as having the ability to repair damage underneath the skin, the ministry said.

There were also 95 cases where sites violated advertising regulations to sell eyelash products. Some of the manufacturers claimed their products could prevent eyelash loss and help customers grow fuller and longer eyelashes.

The ministry advised consumers to be careful not to be misled by false or exaggerated claims when buying cosmetics that are promoted as if they had druglike effects.

The ministry said it plans to continue to check for misleading advertisements of everyday products.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)