L'Oreal Under Fire for Cheryl Cole's Hair Extensions in Ads

by Courtney Dunlop (Subscribe to Courtney Dunlop's posts), Posted Nov 24th 2009 at 9:05PM

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Filed under: Hair Care, Hair, News, Celebrity Hair

The smoke and mirrors surrounding the beauty industry are slowing chipping away.

Thanks to outrage over airbrushing nightmares and models exposing the ugly side of modeling, is it possible that unattainable beauty ideals are fading?

The latest semi-scandal involves a television ad in the UK for L'Oréal Elvive Full Restore 5 hair care line (not available in the US). The ad (watch it above) features singer Cheryl Cole praising the collection for making her chestnut locks "full of life, replenished with healthy shine."

There's just one problem. Cole is wearing hair extensions -- and people are angry about it. The London Times reports that Cole has been not-so-secretly sporting extensions for several years now and they are a part of her look, but that hasn't stopped viewers from expressing their outrage.

L'Oréal's stance is that they are within their legal rights -- a message quickly flashes on the screen to state "styled with some natural hair extensions." Did you catch it?

So here's the question: Is this false advertising? And are women being force fed unrealistic visions of beauty that ultimately make them feel worse about themselves?

The other side of the coin is this -- who really believes it? Do women who see the ad really believe it's Cole's natural hair or is everyone jaded enough to realize what's going on? By now we've seen enough weekly tabloid "Stars Without Makeup" exposé features to see that even A-listers look like crud when they're at the grocery store.

This isn't the first (or last) time beauty ads have come under fire. Rimmel got in truh-ble a few years ago for digitally enhancing Kate Moss' eyelashes for a mascara ad.

What's your take on using hair extensions in hair care ads? Leave a comment below and tell us.

Filed under: Hair Care, Hair, News, Celebrity Hair
Tags: airbrushing, false advertising, FalseAdvertising, hair care tips, hair extensions, HairCareTips, HairExtensions, loreal

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

jeangenie772003 11-25-2009 @ 11:42AM

Bottom Line: One is NEVER going to achieve the level of beauty that one sees in these ads. They are all digitally enhanced in some way. Anyone who believes that the product being advertised will make them look so great just because they use it is truly naive-and is that the fault of the advertisers? Is it necessary to dumb down because some people are dumb? I lament the loss of common sense on so many levels of life today. I guess loss may be the incorrect word, as one cannot lose what one never has.

Patricia 11-30-2009 @ 12:53PM

Achieving truth in advertising does not require "dumbing down" ad content. It requires the opposite - a well informed consumer who pays attention to the teeny tiny print and ADS WHICH DO NOT LIE. Are you saying a manufacturer can't effectively advertise without LYING?

john 11-27-2009 @ 1:02PM

False advertising, this ad i'm sure is played during times when children and young adults are watching television. They probably do NOT know that Cole has extensions and are not watching for some quickly flashed line on the screen that says she is. These are the people who are most vulnerable to an ad like this. They are the ones who will go and look in the mirror and say they want to be beautiful like her, and then get the product and when it doesn't work on them wonder if they are just to darn ugly.

False advertising if your product really works go get a person whose hair it really worked on.

Nelson 11-30-2009 @ 11:39AM

This isn't false advertising... it's misleading advertising. There is a difference. The disclaimer isn't a mere 0.5 second flash either. Advertising is spiraling down the tubes as far as getting to the point and explaining why we should buy a particular product it has become 15 - 30 seconds of pure garbage with a logo at the end. It's sad that the most honest commercials these days are for prescription drugs... as the other ads consist of people dancing around and finally at the end we are hit with "Old Navy" or "Target".

I kinda miss the straight forward approach of the ad execs of yesteryear... it was refreshing to see the fake commercials in that movie about lying, that's the way they should be!

Alia 11-28-2009 @ 1:10PM

Not surprising why advertising has a bad name... this sort of misrepresentation is annoying at best, fraudulent at worst. I'm in the marketing biz myself and it disgusts me to see how routinely we have come to expect and accept misleading statements/images in advertising, media, politics and so many other areas of life.

kkarlo4023 11-28-2009 @ 8:10PM

Someone believes these commercials??? Really???? Um, no one looks that good or has hair with that much volume or never has a pimple. Google stars without makeup and see what comes up. Most of the stars are barely recognizable.

Mary 11-28-2009 @ 8:13PM

Didn't L'Oreal also get in trouble for lightening Beyonce's skin on the package? man, they didn't learn

A. 11-30-2009 @ 11:36AM

Beyonce also wears wigs and extensions. Her natural hair is far shorter and baby fine not volumous and long. So that in itself is false advertising. most stars look nothing like the photoshopped images we are sold and told to believe. Loreal does not care and the stars don't either as long as they make a buck in the end.

specialpancakes 11-28-2009 @ 8:52PM

who cares

Bobbie Staley 11-28-2009 @ 9:05PM

Very tired of all the hypocrites. Not everyone follows the life and syles of the rich and famous and therefore turn to ads to direct them in what appears to be products to enhance their beauty. SHAME on all these companies who exploit the innocence of these women who have until recently been exposed to the real enhancements of their products (extentions, digital enhancements, airbrushing and artifical lighting..etc.

Gabrielle 11-28-2009 @ 9:06PM

Please!!! L'Oreal has Linda Evangelista doing commercials for anti-aging products......I have read a couple articles where she said she has had botox injections, (watch her face NOT move in the commercials), micro-dermabrasion, and every other thing you can think of, done to her skin. And they are trying to use her to sell their product?? They need to get someone who actually uses their products!!!

Tod 11-28-2009 @ 9:12PM

I don't care - she's still one of the most beautiful women on the planet!!

JJ 11-28-2009 @ 11:42PM

Tod: Desperate much?

the truth 11-28-2009 @ 9:23PM

this entire farce is just another commercial for the company. gee let's all sit around and give a care.

dphlmbd 11-28-2009 @ 9:37PM

Glad to see these controvercial ads. My friends have always said I should do a Suave commercial using my lovely long locks as they are shocked when I tell them I use Suave products only. They can airbrush my face all they want but no need to change my hair. Just a thought.

Kelly 11-28-2009 @ 9:41PM

I don't think it's false advertising at all. As an owner of human hair extensions, it's not just about putting hair on your head that's absolutely flawless 24 hours a day. You have to ukeep with them as well; shampooing, conditioning, etc. It is very possible that she could have used the products on both her hair AND her extension hair pieces, both being representation of the product's usage.

Jen 11-30-2009 @ 3:31PM

I completely agree with this comment- Hair extensions need to be taken care of just the same as your own hair-they ARE hair you know. This product could have very well been used on both...in fact, they could have been pointing out that she had the extensions to show "hey look what a good job it does on hair that doesnt even come out of YOUR head" or something to that extent. And if the product does work well on both, that is a GOOD thing.

That doesnt mean these type of ads dont exaggerate beauty in general, because they do, but that is what makes them ads. Calm down people.

sara 11-30-2009 @ 5:42PM

you actually believe that she would wear extensions all the time, and not only use them for that ad?? i mean, c'mon! you think she is going to take her sweet time, and waste it on shampooing with L'oreal for weeks, to get that hair? we all know that the best products out there, as far as moiturizing goes, are the salon ones...

HaircareSnob 11-30-2009 @ 10:10AM

Most of what you see is a glorified wig (oh, a wig does not sound as glamorous as extensions, does it?) Have a good look at her hairline and tell me if that is her real hair. Some hair extensions? What a joke!

Jessica 11-28-2009 @ 9:57PM

boo hoo. if you had the time and actually knew how to style hair YES your hair could look good, too.

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