"I'm a doctor, but don't do hair transplant, eat this."

- □□□ From the supplement advertisement


"I researched for 3 years and developed a cream that contains the highest amount of this ingredient in Korea."

- Wrinkle improvement ○○ cream advertisement


"I'm sure the cause is resolved. I hope you try it for a month and gain a lot of confidence."

- Hair growth tonic ▲▲▲▲ advertisement


There is a famous media commerce company A.

It has only been in business for 3 years, but it is a place where sales increased by 17,000% last year.

The main products are cosmetics and nutritional supplements.

Among them, this product is said to be effective in improving beauty such as wrinkles and hair loss.

We carry out aggressive marketing through social media such as YouTube and Facebook, and among them, there are ads that stand out.

This is a product introduction video of people wearing white doctor's gowns and

writing 'dermatologist'

along with their names in the subtitles .

It's illegal



from here on out

.

According to the current law, even if the content of “recommended by a doctor” or “researched and developed by a doctor” is contained or implied, it is subject to detection.

Because it is an advertisement that misrepresents it as a medicine, it can be punished by imprisonment for up to one year and a fine of up to 10 million won.

The ministry in charge, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, may issue a disposition to suspend product advertisements.

Even so, how could Company A advertise so shamelessly?

Are the 'doctors' in the commercials really doctors?


Ads that follow you until you live...

"absurd effect"

If you show even a small interest in company A's product, from then on, advertisements will follow you relentlessly.

Characteristics of social media targeted advertising.

I also just searched for company A cosmetics a few times for coverage, and the advertisement kept popping up on my Facebook.

There is a wide variety of products, from amazing before and after photos that are hard to believe even after looking at them, to product introduction videos by 'dermatologists'.

"Are you not going to live like this?"

Even people who have no idea about the barrage of shooting will want to buy things for no reason.

So, will this ad stay alive?

Even after I inevitably bought some products for a coverage shoot, ads still popped up.

It still floats.



Biotin, which is said to be good for preventing hair loss, and Acetyl Hexapeptide, which is said to improve skin elasticity...

.

The expert's splendid explanation in the ad prompted the reporters to seek expert advice.

Experts who watched the video point out that the introduction of ingredients has some reasonable content, but that the product's effects are exaggerated.

Kim Dong-hyun, professor of dermatology at Bundang Cha Hospital, said, "The wrinkly forehead becomes stiff as if it had been ironed or protrudes convexly. This is a phenomenon that can never happen when cosmetics are applied." said.

He also pointed out that through scalp products, etc., "It is difficult to increase the hair loss baseline by 15 to 20%, but it is absurd to introduce clinical results as an increase of more than 80%."

A specialist who asked for anonymity asked back, "No matter how you look at it, you don't seem to be a dermatologist. If it's real, you can't say this. What the hell is it?"


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What is the identity of these 'dermatologists'?

I was trying to track down the people called 'dermatologists' in the ad.

The 'dermatologist' who appeared in company A's advertisement or the person wearing a doctor's gown was only 5 people who saw it while covering.

To confirm their affiliation, we sent their names and photos to the Korean Dermatological Association to request their background check.

However, the society side gave the answer "not viewed".

Even if you are disqualified, you can search for a dermatologist by acquiring a dermatologist.

No matter how much I look for the name in the ad on the portal site, it doesn't come up.



During my research, I came across an unexpected announcement.

A company A posted an actor recruitment post on an internet community two weeks ago.

They said they were looking for female actors in their 2nd and 30s who could shoot on November 29th and 30th, and the concept was 'dermatology, information delivery.'

When the reporters called me directly, I was able to hear an amazing story along with a friendly explanation.



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(Can I know what role it is?) Nothing


else, just a concept explained by a dermatologist.

The script will be displayed on the main camera, so you can cut it off and read it.


(What are the supplies?) We


will prepare a doctor's gown.

I think you can come wearing a neat shirt like doctors wear inside.


Come to think of it, whenever the performers read a sentence, their pupils could be seen shaking as if they were reading a script written in front of them.

There are still traces of company A posting posts similar to the recruitment of actors in the past on the Internet.

On the 23rd, SBS 8 News reported in detail the suspicion.

(Related article: ▶ [Exclusive] 'Dermatologist' in a cosmetic advertisement... Turns out, he's an actor?)


Massive discount event in 'no answer to silence'...

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety responsibility

The industry raised suspicions that the company had used a substitute actor, not a real doctor, in addition to illegal advertising by promoting a 'dermatologist'.

The Korean Association of Dermatologists filed a complaint with the police against company A and actors on charges of violating the Medical Act, the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, and the Cosmetics Act.

The Korean Association of Dermatologists saw the company's advertising behavior as an act that undermined the trust of dermatologists and the medical community as a whole, and set a policy to take strong action.



Company A is 'silent answer'.

On the 21st, to hear the company's clarification, the reporters questioned whether the performers in the advertisement were real specialists or whether they used substitute actors, but

they could hear a short answer,

"I've never advertised like that."

At the same time

, he added the contradictory statement that

"other companies are similarly abusing it."

There was still no answer to additional inquiries asking for a specific position until just before the report.

Instead, we launched a massive discount event to commemorate 'Black Friday'.



Last September, the Korean Association of Dermatologists had already filed a complaint against Company A to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

However, the department in charge closed the complaint because the ad account was deleted and the video could not be found.

However, even after that, advertisements featuring 'dermatologists' continued, and the company was eager to sell the product.

It seems clear that the poor response of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also played a part in the company's continued illegal advertising.

After the report, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety found the advertisement in violation of Article 13 of the Cosmetics Act and requested measures such as blocking access to the platform company, and said that it would continue monitoring to prevent similar cases from recurring in the future.


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We are receiving additional reports

Despite the SBS report containing the contents of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the police investigation policy, another report was received that similar advertisements from Company A were still being exposed.

We know people who appeared in the advertisement as a 'dermatologist', or we are receiving information about company A's products and reviews.

Or, in a similar way, we are tracking media commerce companies that are promoting or advertising products.

We are waiting for you to contact us via Kakao Talk 'SBS Report' or reporter's e-mail (silver@sbs.co.kr).