04.13.23
Vegamour, Inc., a holistic hair wellness company that offers consumers a line of hair care products including serums, shampoos, conditioners, and hair boosting supplements, voluntarily discontinued advertising claims regarding its Gro Ageless Anti-Gray Hair Serum.
The move comes on the heels of their response to a BBB National Programs National Advertising Division (NAD) challenge, brought as part of NAD’s routine monitoring of national advertising for truth and transparency.
NAD inquired about the advertiser’s Facebook and Instagram posts that link to reviews for Vegamour’s serum for delaying gray hair. The posts stated, “FINALLY a serum that can delay grey hair. Does it Work? We tried it and here’s our review.” The post then linked to reviews of Vegamour’s Gro Ageless Anti-Gray Hair Serum on hairheathsecrets.com and longhairtrends.com.
NAD’s inquiry focused on whether the Instagram and Facebook posts convey the message that the reviews on the hair health secrets and long hair trends websites reflect independent, honest opinions of the reviewers. NAD noted that advertisers must clearly and conspicuously disclose material connections and relationships with a reviewer or a review site. NAD has long held that if the review site is not independent, then the opinions shared are considered “advertising.”
During the proceeding, Vegamour informed NAD that it had elected to discontinue the Instagram and Facebook posts and make the review sites private until they could bolster their claims with appropriate disclosures. NAD, as a result, did not review the claims on the merits.