Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
This section should be read in conjunction with the entry on ‘Therapies, General’.
Phototherapy, also sometimes known as light therapy, involves the shining of light onto the body. CAP has accepted that, subject to holding robust evidence usually specific to the product advertised, certain marketers (those whose products emit light between 3,000 and 10,000 lux) may claim that their products can relieve conditions such as heavy fatigue or feeling anti-social. The ASA has not accepted such claims presumably because the marketers did not provide evidence or their products emitted light outside those frequencies (Glowing Health Ltd, May 2000). The ASA does not seem to have investigated high-density light therapy and CAP’s advice is subject to change.
CAP has not accepted, however, that colour therapy can cure psychological problems, attention deficit disorder, skin disorders and the like. Marketers should not claim to cure or treat serious medical conditions, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or depression, or make medicinal claims (Rules 12.1 and 12.2).
See ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)’.
Guidance on Health Therapies and Evidence QA (Sept 2011)
Last modified : 10 April 2012