"Skin Elasticity" Glutathione... Consumer Agency Reports "More Than Half Are False Advertisements"

Among 100 Advertising Practice Reports, 59 Violated the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, Including 5 Products with Excessive Glutathione Content Advertisements

On the 9th, the Korea Consumer Agency announced that more than half of the 100 glutathione food products sold on online shopping malls were found to have unfair advertisements violating current laws. Glutathione is an antioxidant substance used as an ingredient in pharmaceuticals for skin whitening, among other purposes.

In the investigation, 46 products including 'Goodbam Glutathione' were found to have used expressions such as fatigue recovery and skin elasticity, causing consumers to mistakenly believe they were health functional foods. Additionally, 6 products including 'GlutathioneUP' were found to have false or exaggerated advertisements related to skin whitening, and 5 products including 'Glu & Cica' were found to have deceptive consumer advertisements using testimonials containing false or exaggerated claims. There were also 2 advertisements emphasizing the prevention and treatment effects of diseases such as acne care. In total, 59 products were found to have violated the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods.

In the investigation into the safety and labeling advertisement status of glutathione foods, the Consumer Agency also confirmed that 5 products overstated the glutathione content in their labeling and advertisements. These products include ▲PNT Glutathione White Film ▲Glutathione White Film ▲Dr. Phil Brightening Glutathione ▲Blackberry Multi Glutathione ▲Healthy Hug Glutathione Impact 130, with actual glutathione content being only about half of the labeled or advertised amount.

Based on the results of this investigation, the Consumer Agency requested the relevant authorities to inspect products with unfair advertisements. They also plan to strengthen education and promotion to ensure manufacturers and sellers of glutathione foods provide accurate content information, and to request telecommunication sales businesses to block the sale of unfairly advertised products through regular consultative bodies.

The Consumer Agency urged, "Do not confuse the yeast extract content with the glutathione content in glutathione foods, and to avoid mistaking general foods for health functional foods or pharmaceuticals, always check for the 'Ministry of Food and Drug Safety' certification mark when purchasing health functional foods."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.