The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a pair of ads by retailers Boots and Wickes for being ‘irresponsible’ and ‘misleading’ respectively.

Boots’ 20-second spot for its flagship skincare brand No.7 was deemed by the regulator to be irresponsible due to its laissez-faire attitude to sun protection.

In the clip, two women look at an old photograph, jokingly saying: “Remember this? Can’t believe we didn’t always use sunscreen. The other responds: “I know, right? We were too busy having fun.”

The ad then claims that the cosmetic firm’s ‘Future Renew serum’ can “reverse visible signs of sun damage”. Eighteen complainants argued that the ad condoned not using sun cream and made light of UV damage.

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Upholding the complaints, the ASA ruled that the ad should no longer be shown and that future Boots ads should avoid any suggestions that might promote the ‘non-use’ of sun protection.

Boots countered however that it included the disclaimer: “Recommended with daily SPF usage” throughout and that many consumers believed that skin-aging was entirely irreversible.

DIY brand Wickes also landed itself in hot water with the regulator after it ran a competition on X offering participants the chance to win £5,000 worth of vouchers to transform ‘their outdoor space’.

After several complaints, the ASA ruled that the ad was misleading as the competition’s judging criteria was entirely unclear and that Wickes had failed to provide accurate information as to how the entries would be judged.