London - AFP
Anti-wrinkle adverts featuring 69-year-old actress Helen Mirren can still be shown in Britain after a watchdog on Wednesday dismissed a complaint but said the images had received "some retouching".
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that wrinkles around Mirren's mouth had not been airbrushed in a television advert for L'Oreal moisturising cream and that the retouching on print ads "did not relate in any way to the claims made for the product".
"We noted that wrinkles were clearly visible on Ms Mirren's face in both ads, including across her forehead and around her mouth," the ASA ruling said.
"We considered that the recent press images of Ms Mirren would have reflected a similar degree of professional styling and make-up as the images in the ad... and that her appearance in the ads was comparable to those more candid images.
"The ASA considered that consumers would expect Helen Mirren to have been.... photographed and filmed professionally in flattering conditions," it added, concluding that the ads were not misleading.
Mirren, who won an Oscar in 2006 for her title role in "The Queen", in the ad says "nourish and indulge your skin, and show those age spots who's boss. Grow another year bolder. Look and feel more radiant".
At the end of the advert, Mirren is shown donning a leather jacket flashing a glance at a younger man.