# What you can and can’t say about supplements on Instagram > Most supplement ads that get pulled say one of a few things. Here they are, with what to say instead. **A first pass, not legal advice.** This playbook sets out the main rules for ads seen in the UK, as we read them on 7 November 2026. It is a starting point for briefing creators, not legal advice. Check your claims with your compliance lead or a lawyer before an ad runs. ## Say it’s an ad, up front Paid or on commission, the post is an ad, and people have to know that before they tap or read on. Source: CAP 2, Influencer guidance. Don’t say: - Obsessed with my new morning routine \#sp (Flagged by the #ad check, CAP 2) - Thanks for my new favourite thing \#collab (Flagged by the #ad check, CAP 2) Say instead: - \#ad Two weeks into my new morning routine - \#ad My honest thoughts after a month Put \#ad at the start of the caption and turn on Instagram’s paid partnership label too. In Stories, label every frame the product is in. ## Never say it treats, cures or prevents anything A food supplement can’t claim to prevent, treat or cure a disease, or compare itself with a medicine. Source: CAP 15, CAP 12. Don’t say: - This cured my tiredness in a week. (Flagged by this rulebook, CAP 15, CAP 12) - It’s better than ibuprofen for my joints. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 12) - I take it to prevent infections. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 15) Say instead: - It’s part of my morning now. - I take one with breakfast, every day. ## Health claims come from the GB register, word for word A health claim is allowed only if it’s on the register for a nutrient the product has at a significant amount. Source: GB register, CAP 15. Don’t say: - It boosts your immune system. (Flagged by the claims check, GB register) - NMN restores your NAD levels. (Flagged by the claims check, GB register) - Increases your energy all day. (Flagged by the claims check, GB register) Say instead: - Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system. - Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. A significant amount is at least 15% of the reference intake in a daily dose. Creatine’s claim needs 3 g a day. ## Leave ageing out of it No claim to slow, stop or reverse ageing is authorised, and anti-ageing counts as one. Source: GB register, CAP 15. Don’t say: - Turn back the clock from the inside. (Flagged by the claims check, GB register) - The anti-ageing supplement I swear by. (Flagged by this rulebook, GB register, CAP 15) - Younger cells in a month. (Flagged by the claims check, GB register) Say instead: - I’m fifty-two and this is what my mornings look like. ## Don’t claim proof you can’t show Clinically proven, expert recommended and the like need evidence the brand holds before the ad runs, about this product. Source: CAP 3. Don’t say: - Clinically proven to work. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 3) - Doctor recommended and backed by science. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 3) Say instead: - I chose this one because it’s one capsule a day. ## No promises about results Guaranteed, instant or for everyone is likely to mislead. Say what it was like for you. Source: CAP 3. Don’t say: - Guaranteed results. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 3) - It works for everyone. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 3) Say instead: - Here’s what a month looked like for me. ## Weight loss: no numbers, no promises An ad can’t promise a set amount of weight lost or a rate of loss. Source: CAP 13. Don’t say: - I lost 6kg in a month taking these. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 13) Say instead: - It’s part of how I eat now. ## Made with AI? Say so AI-made people, results and testimonials need a label wherever a viewer would take them as real. Source: CAP 3. Don’t say: - An AI-made person giving a testimonial, with nothing to say so (For your reviewer, CAP 3) - A result the product can’t give, made with AI (For your reviewer, CAP 3) Say instead: - Add a short on-screen line: “Made with AI”. ## Authorised wording from the GB register Word for word from the register. A line can be used only when the product has the nutrient at a significant amount: at least 15% of the reference intake in a daily dose, or 3 g a day for creatine. - vitamin B12: contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism; contributes to the normal function of the immune system; contributes to normal psychological function - vitamin B6: contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism; contributes to the normal function of the immune system; contributes to normal psychological function - vitamin C: contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to the normal function of the immune system; contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin; contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism - vitamin D: contributes to the normal function of the immune system; contributes to the maintenance of normal bones; contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function - magnesium: contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to normal muscle function; contributes to normal psychological function; contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism - iron: contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to normal cognitive function; contributes to the normal function of the immune system - zinc: contributes to normal cognitive function; contributes to the maintenance of normal skin; contributes to the maintenance of normal hair; contributes to the normal function of the immune system - biotin: contributes to the maintenance of normal hair; contributes to the maintenance of normal skin; contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism - riboflavin (vitamin B2): contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to the maintenance of normal skin - niacin (vitamin B3): contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to the maintenance of normal skin; contributes to normal psychological function - creatine: increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise ## The rulebook Sign up as a brand and these lines go on every product you add, ready to edit. Creators see them with the brief, and every script is read against them when it comes in for review. Lines creators may not say: - Cures, treats or prevents any condition - Medication or prescription - Reverses ageing or anti-ageing - Weight loss or lose weight Lines creators may say: - Part of my morning routine Disclosure: \#ad [Use this rulebook](https://affilo.app/playbooks/supplements/use) ## Sources - [CAP Code section 2: recognition of marketing communications](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/02.html): An ad must be obviously identifiable as an ad. - [CAP Code section 3: misleading advertising](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/03.html): Evidence for objective claims, testimonials, prices and edited images. - [CAP Code section 12: medicines, medical devices, health-related and beauty products](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/12.html): Medical claims, and what beauty and health products may say. - [CAP Code section 13: weight control and slimming](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/13.html): Weight-loss claims, amounts and rates of loss. - [CAP Code section 15: food, food supplements and health or nutrition claims](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/15.html): Nutrition claims, health claims and medicinal claims for food. - [The GB nutrition and health claims register](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register): The authorised health claims, word for word, and the conditions for each. - [The ASA and CMA guide for influencers on making clear that ads are ads](https://www.asa.org.uk/resource/influencers-guide.html): Where \#ad goes, and which labels aren’t enough. --- Rules as read on 7 November 2026. Source: https://affilo.app/playbooks/supplements PDF: https://affilo.app/playbooks/supplements/pdf