Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced new advertising restrictions for influencers.
Now influencers are facing tougher regulations when promoting, vitamins, sunscreen, medicines, skincare for acne and supplements.
Basically, the restrictions mean that while influencers can still technically promote the products they can’t include their personal and unverified experiences.
So, they can show off sunscreen but they can’t claim it prevented them from getting skin cancer.
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For instance, an influencer can say, “These vitamins can restore skin health,” but they can’t say, “These vitamins made my skin glow!”
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It’s an interesting line in the sand, particularly when you consider often influencers sell things primarily based on their own experiences with the product.
There’s a whole culture of road-testing something or trialling a new serum and these regulations will bring that to a screeching halt.
The TGA wrote, “Any comments you make about your personal experience with therapeutic goods amounts to a testimonial.
“Testimonials are not permitted by those involved in the production, sale, supply or marketing of the goods. This includes influencers who are engaged by a therapeutic goods company to promote the goods.
“Your social media posts may have an impact on your followers’ beliefs, attitudes, preferences and behaviours. Your comments about therapeutic goods can influence consumers’ choices.
“Therapeutic goods should be chosen on the basis of clinical need, not through the persuasion of influencers.”
Instead, influencers will have to take their own experiences out of the advertising – which is interesting because usually, influencers become influencers through sharing their own experiences.
