Health · Healthcare & Policy · 2 hrs ago
UK urged to review claims made for LED face masks
Baroness Pidgeon urged the UK government to review LED face mask advertising claims during a House of Lords debate.
The call came ahead of Christmas, when adverts for at-home beauty devices are common.
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled a Beauty Pie mask advert misleading because the evidence did not robustly support a claim that wrinkles could be reduced in four weeks.
The studies cited had small samples, including one with 28 participants and another with 20.
A minister said rules already protect people from misleading claims, but did not announce an urgent review.
The exchange matters because shoppers may rely on claims about the devices’ benefits when deciding what to buy.
Baroness Pidgeon urged the UK government to review whether rules adequately protect consumers from unsupported claims about LED face masks.
The call followed an Advertising Standards Authority ruling that an advert for Beauty Pie’s C-Wave Light Facial LED mask was misleading.
The ASA said the studies cited to support claims of wrinkle reduction were unpublished and had methodological limitations.
Health minister Baroness Merron said regulations already exist to prevent consumers from being misled and welcomed the ASA’s scrutiny.
The discussion took place as the government was preparing a separate consultation on rules for some cosmetic procedures.
- Who
- Baroness Pidgeon urged the government to review the rules. Health minister Baroness Merron responded.
- What
- The government was asked to assess whether existing regulation adequately addresses LED face mask claims and product safety.
- When
- The discussion took place on Wednesday. The article was published on 29 October 2026.
- Where
- In the House of Lords.
- Why
- Baroness Pidgeon cited an ASA ruling and numerous adverts for at-home LED beauty devices ahead of Christmas.
Beauty Pie
Advertising Standards Authority
Evidence for claims
Beauty Pie
Beauty Pie submitted studies, including one in which 92 per cent of participants said their fine lines appeared less visible after four weeks.
Advertising Standards Authority
The ASA said the cited studies were unpublished and had methodological limitations.
Advertising claim
Beauty Pie
Beauty Pie’s promotion claimed its mask was clinically proven to reduce wrinkles in four weeks.
Advertising Standards Authority
The ASA prohibited the claim, ruling that the promotion was misleading.
The ASA upheld a complaint about an LED face mask claim that it was clinically proven to reduce wrinkles in four weeks.
The government launched plans for a crackdown on cosmetic procedures described by health minister Karin Smyth as involving “cosmetic cowboys”.
Baroness Pidgeon asked the House of Lords whether the government would review claims made for LED face masks.
The planned cosmetic-procedure regulations are set to undergo scrutiny in Parliament.
- ASA ruling
- The C-Wave Light Facial LED mask advert was ruled misleading
- First study
- 92 per cent of participants said their fine lines appeared less visible after four weeks
- First study sample
- 28 participants
- Second study sample
- 20 participants
- Government review request
- Raised by Baroness Pidgeon in the House of Lords
What people are saying
Given there are numerous adverts for at-home LED beauty devices in the run-up to Christmas, will the government urgently assess whether existing regulation adequately protects consumers in terms of both the product safety but also the evidence supporting claims about their health benefits?
We do have regulations to ensure that people are not misled and are protected.
But quite seriously, it’s good that the ASA is looking into this.