I lie with my little eye... L'Oréal lashed over misleading advert

Published on Wednesday 25 July 2007 00:12

"LASHES that could reach for the stars," actress Penélope Cruz declares after applying L'Oréal's "telescopic" mascara.

But the company came down to earth with a bump yesterday as watchdogs said their advertising could be misleading.

Cruz, it has emerged, was wearing "a few" false lashes to fill gaps in her natural lashes, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) yesterday said L'Oral should have made that fact clear, and must do so in future adverts.

The ASA also criticised the advert's claim that the mascara made lashes "up to 60 per cent longer" when it was the appearance that seemed longer, not the actual length of the lashes.

Experts said the case illustrated the pressures companies face in making the most of their products when spending thousands of pounds on advertising.

The TV advert under scrutiny showed the actress standing next to a telescope that pointed towards the night sky. While the camera features a close-up of her eyelashes, Cruz says: "So separated. So long. Imagine lashes that could reach for the stars."

The ASA was contacted by a viewer who believed Cruz was wearing false lashes.

L'Oral told the ASA investigation that Cruz was wearing individual false lashes. They included a signed affidavit from the actress and her make-up artist saying only a few individual fake lashes had been used.

The ASA told L'Oral to include a disclaimer in future adverts making clear when models were wearing false eyelashes, adding that the company had to make clear the "up to 60 per cent longer" claim referred to the appearance of eyelashes rather than their actual length.

L'Oral said: "It is common industry practice to make use of some artificial lashes in order to ensure a consistent lash line under filming conditions. The ASA had previously accepted ... this was not misleading."

And it added: "L'Oral will obviously, for its future advertising campaigns, fully comply with the ASA's new requirements."