14 DAY TRIAL // The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has ruled that the ad for L'Oreal Revitalift Repair 10 with Rachel Weisz is retouched beyond recognition and, as such, misleading. The ad has been banned in the UK.
The gorgeous actress, who has been a L'Oreal spokesperson for some time, appears in the black and white photo with flawless skin.
Obviously, that's not the issue, since the ad is for an anti-wrinkle cream so it would make sense for its star to have flawless skin.
The issue is that Rachel doesn't even look like herself: she's been Photoshopped into someone else, someone younger and, to be fair, rather doll-looking.
Because the photo has been altered to make her look younger, the ASA says the ad will no longer be used in the UK, the Daily Mail informs.
“We considered that the image had been altered in a way that substantially changed her complexion to make it appear smoother and more even,” the Agency says in a statement.
“We therefore concluded that the image in the ad misleadingly exaggerated the performance of the product,” the ASA says.
In light of the ruling, L'Oreal fights back, saying that, while they did retouch the pic in post-production, Rachel really looks this good – with makeup, lighting and a professional photographer.
“The ad sought to represent Rachel Weisz as favorably as possible and therefore every effort had gone into ensuring the most flattering set-up,” the beauty giant says in a statement cited by the same publication.
“Rachel Weisz had been professionally styled and made-up and then lit and shot by a professional photographer in a studio setting,” L'Oreal adds.
“The photo was shot using a lot of light in order to make the picture more flattering and to reduce the appearance of imperfections in the ensuing image by giving the image a soft focus and lower resolution,” the company continues.