Rimmel mascara ad featuring Cara Delevigne banned for 'misleading' consumers

A Rimmel mascara advert featuring model Cara Delevigne has been banned for using production techniques that exaggerate the effect of the make-up.

The television ad, which the advertising watchdog says “misleads” consumers, includes numerous close-ups of the fashion model applying the mascara.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said consumers were likely to believe that using the mascara would lead to the appearance of thicker and fuller eyelashes.

Defending the now-banned ad, Rimmel owner Coty UK said it used lash inserts to fill gaps and create a “uniform lash line” in accordance with industry practice.

And advertising clearance agency Clearcast said Coty UK had not used lash inserts to mislead or exaggerate the effects of the mascara.

It added that the company had not lengthened or thickened any lashes in post-production.

But the ASA said the use of lash inserts and the post production technique were likely to exaggerate the effect beyond what could be achieved by the use of the product.

It said: “We noted Coty's assertion that the post-production techniques used were not intended to lengthen the model's eyelashes. However, we considered that they did appear to be longer in the after photo.

"Because the ad conveyed a volumising, lengthening and thickening effect of the product we considered the use of lash inserts and the post-production technique were likely to exaggerate the effect beyond what could be achieved by the product among consumers.

"We therefore concluded the ad was misleading."

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again in its current form, and told Coty UK "not to exaggerate the effect the product was capable of achieving".