The UK watchdog has prohibited Juniper from marketing prescription-only weight-loss injections to the public.
ASA prohibits weight-loss injection adverts targeting new mothers
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that social media adverts for Juniper exploited new mothers’ body image insecurities and created an undue sense of urgency around medicated weight-loss programmes.
Posts on Instagram, Facebook, and weight-loss support groups promoted prescription-only medicines directly to the public without clear disclosure, the regulator said.
One Instagram post in October featured a mother caring for her baby, walking with a pram, and holding a protein shake, accompanied by the caption: "I probably needed a hug, but I decided to start a medicated weightloss journey with Juniper instead and I really didn't expect it to bring so much more than progress on the scales. For me it’s about my confidence returning, the energy I thought I’d lost and a reminder that showing up for myself was always worth it."
The ASA judged the advert reinforced harmful gender stereotypes and pressured new mothers to prioritise weight loss.
Juniper disputed the claim, stating its aim was to convey that mothers could "seek a balance that felt right for them."
The ASA concluded the advert nonetheless breached the code and was irresponsible.
The watchdog also investigated two Black Friday Instagram adverts promoting discounted subscriptions and posts in Facebook weight-loss groups, which lacked clear advertising identification. The ASA ordered Juniper to refrain from promoting prescription-only medicines to the public and to avoid creating undue urgency in future campaigns.
CheqUp Health founder Toby Nicol commented: "Today's ruling highlights the need for greater clarity across the weight loss medication market. When non-compliant advertising continues to appear so visibly on fast-moving digital channels, it creates confusion for consumers and gives the impression that some practices may be permissible when they are not. … That creates an uneven environment where responsible providers can be penalised while others are able to push at the boundaries."