· 3 min read · Jason Youngjin Koh
What a skincare ad can claim
Change one word in a skincare ad, from improves the look of to treats, and you have changed how the product is regulated. Write to the right side of that line.
A skincare ad can claim to cleanse, moisturise, protect, perfume or improve the appearance of skin. Once it claims to treat, cure or prevent a condition such as acne, eczema or rosacea, the product is making a therapeutic claim, which in Australia brings it under the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Vietnam follows the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, which draws the same line. Good copy sells results inside the cosmetic side of it.
What is the difference between a cosmetic and a therapeutic claim?
| Cosmetic claim | Therapeutic claim |
|---|---|
| Helps reduce the appearance of fine lines | Repairs damaged skin cells |
| Leaves skin looking clearer | Treats acne |
| Soothes and hydrates dry skin | Heals eczema |
| Visibly evens skin tone | Removes pigmentation disorders |
The left column describes how skin looks and feels. The right column describes a medical outcome. Sunscreens are a special case: most are regulated as therapeutic goods in Australia, so sun protection claims carry their own rules.
What else do Australian rules require?
Every claim must be true and supportable under the Australian Consumer Law, which the ACCC enforces. Before and after images must reflect real, typical results with no editing. Testimonials must be genuine. Natural, clinically proven and dermatologist tested need evidence behind them, and the ACCC has taken action against misleading environmental and health claims in recent years.
Does Vietnam apply the same rules?
Vietnam regulates cosmetics through the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, which says cosmetics cannot claim to treat or cure disease, and Vietnamese advertising law adds its own requirements on cosmetics ads. In practice, copy that is safe in Australia is close to safe in Vietnam, but the translation needs care. A phrase that is cosmetic in English can read as a medical claim once translated literally.
How do you write skincare ads that still sell?
- Describe what the customer sees and feels: softer, brighter, more even, less shine by midday.
- Show texture, application and real skin in natural light.
- Let customers describe their own experience in reviews and creator content, checked for medical claims before use.
- Use ingredient stories to build belief, without promising medical effects.
Meta also reviews health and appearance claims, and ads implying something about a person's body or condition get rejected. Copy that stays cosmetic tends to pass both the regulator and the platform.
For clinics offering skin treatments rather than products, a different set of rules applies. Advertising inside the AHPRA rules