Nature Republic aloe vera gel removed from Watsons HK and Wuhan stores over false advertising claims

Watsons has removed a Korean aloe vera gel from its retail stores in Hong Kong and Wuhan, after Watsons Wuhan was reportedly fined for false advertising by the Wuhan market watchdog. A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw the product has been removed from its online site.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Watsons Hong Kong’s spokesperson said that Watsons Hong Kong has taken immediate action to take the concerned product off shelves both in stores and online. It is also following up with supplier.

This comes as multiple Chinese media reported that Watsons Wuhan started advertising the product with an ad titled “Watsons Korean Nature Republic Aloe Vera Soothing Moisturising Gel Refreshing and Mild Moisturising 300mL, uses 92% original aloe vera extracts” from August 2021. 

The Wuhan Market Supervision Bureau said the labels on Watsons Wuhan’s website do not match the actual ingredients of the product, which was tested to contain 0.414% of aloe vera leaf juice from aloe barbadensis, according to Chinese media 紅星資本局. 

Furthermore, the market watchdog also said Wuhan Watsons used phrases such as “hydrate and fight acne,” “aloe vera gel formula without preservatives,” and “ancestral” in their advertising without offering any supporting evidence.The watchdog therefore ruled that Watsons Wuhan has violated the Chinese advertising law and fined the retailer of RMB4,236 for false advertising. Watsons Wuhan has also taken the concerned products off shelves after the incident. 

Don't miss: L'Oréal fails to dismiss lawsuit over wrinkle-smoothing collagen claims

Watsons wasn't the first brand to face similar lawsuit. Back in September 2022, L'Oréal has failed to dismiss a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the company of deceiving consumers by suggesting that two topical collagen products help smooth wrinkles.

According to the original complaint, the plaintiffs Rocio Lopez and Rachel Lumbra filed a complaint in August 2021, claiming that L'Oréal violated New York and California consumer protection laws by defrauding them into paying for its Collagen Moisture Filler Day/Night Cream and its Fragrance-Free Collagen Moisture Filler Daily Moisturiser.

Similarly, Tesla was sued for ‘false advertising' on its full self-driving car last September. According to a lawsuit brought about by Briggs A Matsko, seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the lawsuit was brought about “to hold Tesla and its representatives, including CEO Elon Musk, accountable for years of making misleading and deceptive statements regarding the company’s advanced driver assistance systems”.

The lawsuit alleges that for years, Tesla has deceptively and misleadingly marketed its ADAS technology as autonomous driving technology under various names, including “Autopilot,” “Enhanced Autopilot,” and “Full Self-Driving Capability” (“FSD”), the latter two of which Tesla charges consumers thousands of additional dollars to add to their new vehicle.

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