ASCI finds all 60 reviewed supplement ads broke its code

India's advertising watchdog has found that every nutraceutical advertisement it finished reviewing in a three-month sweep broke its code. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) released the findings on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in a report titled "A Pill for Thought: Review of Health and Wellness Claims in Nutraceutical Advertising". ASCI looked at 61 advertisements for health supplements and similar products that ran between July and September 2026. One case is still being processed. All 60 completed cases were found to breach the ASCI Code, most often because the advertiser could not show proof for a health promise.

Nutraceuticals sit in a grey zone between food and medicine. They are sold as capsules, powders, gummies and drinks that promise better energy, skin, weight or immunity, and they are regulated in India as foods, under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), not as drugs. FSSAI's rules do not allow a food product to claim that it prevents, treats or cures a disease. An advertisement that tells a reader a supplement can "reverse" a hormonal condition such as PCOD, or help with asthma or blood pressure, therefore crosses a line that the law already draws.

The report's central finding is about evidence. ASCI said many advertisers backed their claims with research on a single ingredient rather than on the product being sold. A well-studied plant extract or vitamin does not show that a particular capsule, at its particular dose and in its particular mix, delivers the advertised result. ASCI's chief executive and secretary general, Manisha Kapoor, said in substance that people buy these products in good faith and that the strength of an advertising claim should match the evidence available, so that consumers are not misled by promises that go beyond the proof.

The review also describes three repeated patterns. The first is a health claim with no adequate clinical proof behind it. The second is a superiority claim, such as "faster" or "more effective", made without a clear comparison against something named. The third is a promise made ahead of the evidence, often supported by before-and-after pictures that suggest quick, visible change. ASCI said such pictures tended to amplify claims of rapid results without proof specific to the product.

For readers of this page, who follow heritage wellness and everyday nutrition, the report is a reminder to keep tradition, food and medicine apart. A supplement may contain ingredients that are familiar from the Indian kitchen or from traditional practice, but a label or an advertisement is not a clinical trial. Health claims should come with a named study, a regulator's approval or a qualified doctor's advice, and their limits should be stated.

Two limits of the report matter. It was a sweep that ASCI chose to carry out itself, not a random survey of the whole market, so it does not show that every supplement advertisement in India is misleading. It also does not say how many of the advertisers were referred to FSSAI or other authorities. ASCI's earlier annual complaints report had already found nutraceuticals to be the largest sub-category of complaints in the food and beverage sector, which helps explain why the watchdog chose to look at them closely.

Short-term: The 60 advertisements found in breach have to be changed or taken down, and 29 of them already have been. Brands that run similar promises, particularly timed weight-loss claims and disease-like claims, can expect closer scrutiny of their online and social media campaigns.

Long-term: The report sets out a clear standard for the industry: claims must be backed by evidence on the finished product and its dose, not on an ingredient alone. If FSSAI acts on referrals, firms that ignore ASCI could face action under food safety law, which carries penalties that ASCI itself cannot impose.

Who is affected: Shoppers who buy supplements for weight, skin, hair, breathing or hormonal health; nutraceutical makers and the influencers and platforms that promote them; doctors and dietitians who field questions about these products; and regulators such as FSSAI.

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