Britain bans airbrushed L'Oreal make-up adverts

Britain's advertising watchdog said Wednesday it had banned two adverts by French cosmetics giant L'Oreal over "misleading" airbrushed images of actress Julia Roberts and supermodel Christy Turlington.

L'Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics maker, had failed to prove that the photos used in its magazine adverts accurately showed the results of the products, the Advertising Standards Authority said.

The ban follows a complaint by a British lawmaker about ads for L'Oreal's "Teint Miracle" foundation, promoted by Roberts for the Lancome brand, and ads for "The Eraser" foundation by Maybelline, featuring Turlington.

"We accept that digital manipulation is used in adverts but it has to be done in a truthful way," Advertising Standards Authority spokesman Matt Wilson said.

"In these particular adverts we were not satisfied that the post-production techniques have not exaggerated the benefits of the product."

L'Oreal, the world's defended the adverts, saying that they accurately showed the results the products could achieve.

It admitted post-production techniques had been used on the picture of Turlington to "lighten the skin, clean up make-up, reduce dark shadows and shading around the eyes, smooth the lips and darken the eyebrows".

Roberts has "naturally healthy and glowing skin", L'Oreal said, adding that the photo was taken by Mario Testino, well known for his flattering camera work.

But Jo Swinson, the lawmaker from the centrist Liberal Democrat party who made the complaint, said images like the "dishonest and misleading" ones featured in the adverts were "distorting our idea of beauty."