14 DAY TRIAL // You’d expect any company, no matter how small and regardless of the branch it activates in, to know better than to use a celebrity’s face for an ad without their permission, especially when said celebrity is as famous as Ray Liotta.
Even if this is common sense, no one thought to tell a skincare company by the name of Nerium International, which has been using Liotta’s face in an ad for a cream called Nerium AD, that claims to improve the appearance of the skin and eliminate signs of aging in just 30 days.
The fake ads have been up online for some time now, and you can see one of them in the picture above.
There’s a clear difference between the before and after shot, but, Liotta says in the lawsuit he just filed against the company, he never used the product he’s apparently advertising and, more importantly, he never signed off on their using his face to push it.
Liotta is asking for considerable damages, but also for Nerium to pull all the fake ads with his face on it, E! News reports. No word yet on how much money he’s asking for from the company, for using his face for so much time for profit, without asking for his permission.
“Also reportedly named in the lawsuit is Shahs of Sunset star Mike Shouhed, who is listed as one of the investors in the company. While Liotta clearly isn't a fan of Nerium, the company's website does proudly list a slew of celeb supporters, including Samuel L. Jackson, Common, Melissa Joan Hart, Candace Cameron Bure, Darius Rucker, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Wyclef Jean and Olivia Newton-John,” the publication says.
Considering the claims that back the miracle cream, it wouldn’t be that surprising if it actually had so many celebrity supporters. Apparently, Nerium AD is proven to “dramatically reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin texture, enlarged pores, and aging skin.”
It also seems to be able to do that in just 30 days, as the fake ad with Liotta suggests.
It’s no longer a secret that celebrities make a lot of money in endorsements, with many of them actually cashing in more on this kind of deals than in actual work. Liotta would have probably accepted a deal if they had asked him but, then again, if they had, they would have had to dig deep in their pockets.