The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has investigated a website and paid-for Google ad for Red Light Therapy.
The website claimed that a product was CE-marked and discouraged essential treatment in which medical supervision should be sought.
The website and Google ad included a web page with the heading ‘Red Light Therapy – Harness The Natural Power of Light’, with text stating ‘reduces the inflammation and discomfort of a huge range of injures and ailments.’ Red Light Therapy also claimed that their devices were CE-marked and certified by Restriction of Hazardous Substances, Federal Communications Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration.
The ASA considered that consumers would understand those to be medical claims that the Red Light Therapy could treat the symptoms and conditions listed. An investigation was carried out and the ASA did not see any evidence to demonstrate that the product was a CE-marked medical device and therefore, no medical claims could be made for the product.
The ASA stated that the
ad must not appear again in its current form. The company were informed that
future ads could not make medical claims unless they could demonstrate that the
product was a CE-marked medical device.
