Anveya Living Private Limited - Thrive Co. Hair Prime Serum

Recommendation: Upheld | Medium: Suo Motu - NAMS (TAMS)

The ASCI had approached the advertiser for its response in addressing the objections raised in the complaint. The advertiser was offered an option to seek an Informal Resolution (IR) of the complaint by modifying or withdrawing the claims in the advertisement, or alternately to substantiate the claims with supporting data. The advertiser was also offered an opportunity for a telecon with the ASCI Secretariat, which they did not avail and submitted their response. The advertiser in their response stated that the claims about the product's effects are supported by independent clinical trials, and its effectiveness has also been published in research papers. As claim support data, the advertiser provided a copy of published research article, and clinical study report. The advertiser’s response with the claim support data was referred to an independent technical expert of ASCI for their opinion. The expert opinion was then shared with the advertiser to allow them to make additional submissions. The advertiser expressed interest in scheduling a call with the technical expert but requested a postponement due to personnel commitments. The ASCI Secretariat had a telecon with the advertiser and granted them an extension of two business days to respond to the expert’s opinion. The advertiser acknowledged the extension and indicated that they would submit the required documents; however, the documents were not submitted in time for the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) meeting. The CCC viewed the Facebook advertisement (https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=1499174537730940) considered the complaint, the advertiser’s response along with the claim support data, and the opinion of the expert presented at the meeting. The CCC noted that the advertiser submitted a clinical study described as a proof-of-concept safety and efficacy assessment of an anti-grey hair product in adults with partially grey hair, along with a related journal publication. The CCC further observed that the study was a small, single centre, single arm trial involving a limited number of participants. Claim – “Say goodbye to premature greys and hello to a vibrant, youthful mane with our anti-greying serum!” The CCC discussed that the before and after photos shown in the study report and in the journal article were taken at different angles, and the direction of hair growth differs between the images. While regular use of black tea extract in the product may darken grey hair over time, this does not justify the claim that the product eliminates premature greys. Claim – “Reverse grey hair in 60 days with the best-Anti Grey Hair Prime Serum”. The CCC discussed that the claim asserts that the product can reverse grey hair within a specified short period is unsupported. The photographic evidence again shows images taken at different angles, making the results unreliable. Any observed darkening of hair is likely due to the black tea extract and does not demonstrate actual reversal of grey hair. Claim – “This powerful anti-grey hair serum for men and women contains Arcolys, Arcedin, Biotin, and Black Tea Extract, designed to restore natural color and prevent hair greying”. The CCC observed that this claim lists specific ingredients and states that the product restores natural color and prevents hair greying. However, there is no documentation provided to confirm the presence of these ingredients in the product. Also, there is no evidence that these ingredients prevent greying and restores natural hair color. Based on this assessment, the CCC concluded that the said claims in the advertisement were inadequately substantiated. The claims are misleading by exaggeration and are likely to lead to widespread disappointment in the minds of consumers. The source and date for the claims is not indicated in the advertisement. The said claims contravened Chapter I, Clauses 1.1, 1.2, 1.4 and 1.5 of the ASCI Code. This complaint was UPHELD.