AN ad for L'Oreal moisturiser featuring the actress Dame Helen Mirren has been cleared following a complaint that claimed post-production editing had enhanced her appearance.
The television ad featured Dame Helen being offered a seat at a bus stop and looking unhappy, before she said: "Ever feel like you go unnoticed?", and then: "It's the science I trust to help me look like me. Nourish and indulge your skin, and show those age spots who's boss."
A print ad featured an image of Dame Helen under the heading "Age Perfect" and alongside text that said: "Age spots appear reduced. Skin feels nourished with moisture. Complexion looks more radiant."
But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a complaint from a viewer who believed that post-production techniques had been used to alter Dame Helen's appearance, specifically with regards to the lines around her mouth - and who believed that ads misleadingly exaggerated the likely effect that could be achieved by consumers.
L'Oreal supplied the ASA with four images of Dame Helen at recent red carpet events when she had been professionally styled and made up, noting that the lines around her mouth were consistent in both the ads and the red carpet photos.
L'Oreal also provided a list of the post-production techniques that had been used in the print ad, none of which related to wrinkles or to the skin on her face or neck, and confirmed that no post-production changes were made to Dame Helen's face in the television ad.
The ASA said consumers would expect Dame Helen to have been professionally styled and made up for the photo shoot, and to have been photographed and filmed professionally in flattering conditions.
It said: "We noted that wrinkles were clearly visible on Ms Mirren's face in both ads, including across her forehead and around her mouth.
"We considered that the recent press images of Ms Mirren would have reflected a similar degree of professional styling and make-up as the images in the ad, without any post-production amendments, and that her appearance in the ads was comparable to those more candid images.
"We therefore considered that the ads had not altered Ms Mirren's appearance in a way that would exaggerate the likely effect that could be achieved by consumers' use of the product, and concluded that the ads were not misleading."
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