# What you can and can’t say about wellness products on Instagram > Sleep, stress and mood products can talk about the routine. They can’t claim to treat the mind or body. **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: - My wind-down ritual \#sp (Flagged by the #ad check, CAP 2) - Can’t sleep without this now \#gifted (Flagged by the #ad check, CAP 2) Say instead: - \#ad My wind-down routine - \#ad What I take before bed 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. ## No claims to treat the mind or body Sleep, stress and mood products can’t claim to treat insomnia, anxiety or any other condition unless they’re licensed medicines. Source: CAP 12, CAP 15. Don’t say: - Ashwagandha cured my anxiety. (Flagged by this rulebook, CAP 12, CAP 15) - Fixes insomnia for good. (Flagged by this rulebook, CAP 12, CAP 15) - I don’t need my melatonin any more. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 12) Say instead: - My wind-down routine, start to finish. ## Botanicals and CBD have no authorised claims Ashwagandha, lion’s mane, CBD and other botanicals have no authorised health claim. Talk about the routine, not the effect. Source: GB register, CAP 15. Don’t say: - Lion’s mane boosts your brain power. (Flagged by this rulebook, GB register, CAP 15) - CBD that melts stress away. (Flagged by this rulebook, GB register, CAP 15) Say instead: - Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function. - Vitamin B6 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. A nutrient in the product, at a significant amount, can carry its own authorised claim from the register. ## Leave out detox and cleanse Detox and cleanse claim the product removes something from the body, which needs evidence no tea or tonic has. Source: CAP 15, CAP 3. Don’t say: - A seven-day detox for your liver. (Flagged by this rulebook, CAP 15, CAP 3) - Cleanses your system overnight. (Flagged by this rulebook, CAP 15, CAP 3) Say instead: - My tea after dinner. ## 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: - Scientifically proven to lower stress. (Flagged by the claims check, CAP 3) Say instead: - I chose it for the taste. ## 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. - 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 - 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 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 - riboflavin (vitamin B2): contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; contributes to the maintenance of normal skin ## 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 - Anxiety, depression or insomnia - Medication or prescription - Boosts brain - Melts stress or reduces stress - Detox or cleanse Lines creators may say: - My wind-down routine Disclosure: \#ad [Use this rulebook](https://affilo.app/playbooks/wellness/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 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/wellness PDF: https://affilo.app/playbooks/wellness/pdf