La Roche-Posay's 'No.1 recommended' claim banned — proof buried in the footer

A product listing seen on 11 December 2024 on laroche-posay.co.uk promoted the MELA B3 cleanser with 'MELASYL FIGHT HYPERPIGMENTATION. A NEW MODE OF ACTION LIKE NEVER BEFORE' and 'N1 DERMATOLOGIST RECOMMENDED BRAND IN THE UK*', with the survey reference sitting at the bottom of a long footer below product reviews.

Rival Beiersdorf UK complained that the 'new mode of action' claim was misleading and unsubstantiated, and that the No.1 claim could not be substantiated or verified. La Roche-Posay defended with six studies including three randomised clinical trials and two patents for Melasyl; the No.1 title came from surveys of 73-78 consultant dermatologists. After the ASA contacted it, the company moved the footnote under the claim and added a 'to verify this claim, click here' link.

On 17 September 2025 the ASA upheld the complaint in part. The mode-of-action claim and the substantiation of the No.1 claim were not upheld, but the verifiability complaint was: the survey reference was not clearly connected to the claim at the top of the page, sat in a long footer visible only after scrolling past reviews, and the verification information covered only the 2024 survey while the page carried claims based on both 2023 and 2024 surveys. The listing breached CAP rule 3.35 and must not appear again in its current form.