AOX's store display said CCS 'verified' its water filters — CCS had done no such thing

AOX, a Singapore water-filter company, promoted its products in physical stores with an impressive-looking endorsement: the official logo of the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS), reproduced in its marketing materials alongside the statement 'Our findings were verified by Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore'. There was one problem: CCS had verified nothing. The agency said it had not reviewed or verified AOX's claims — and does not accredit businesses at all.

On 31 March 2026 CCS publicly announced it had taken AOX to task. Using the logo with the false verification statement was an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act — it misled consumers into believing a statutory board stood behind the product. Misusing CCS's logo was also an offence in itself under the Competition Act. Following CCS's intervention, AOX admitted committing the offence.

AOX gave CCS an undertaking: stop using the logo, refrain from unfair trade practices, and issue clarifications on its website and at its physical outlets. CCS chief executive Alvin Koh said claiming CCS verification where none was done misleads consumers, and warned businesses against misusing the logo. CASE president Melvin Yong said the action signalled that misleading marketing would not be tolerated.