The Advertising Standards Authority has moved to ban a Christian Dior mascara advert starring Natalie Portman following complaints from cosmetics rival Loreal that the image used had been photoshopped to exaggerate its effect.
Dior subsequently conceded that ‘post-production’ techniques had been used but denied this amounted to misrepresentation, claiming that they did not believe such effects “went beyond the likely consumer expectations of what was achievable using the product.”
Demurring from this view the ASA stated that Portman’s visage had been retouched to “separate/increase the length and curve of a number of her lashes and to replace/fill a number of missing or damaged lashes, for a more stylised, uniform and tidy effect".
As such it has been ruled that the ad cannot be used again in its current form.