Professional
Why you will not read any brand names on our site
In brief
The product used in a wrinkle treatment is a prescription medicine. Advertising it to the public is prohibited in the Netherlands, and the law regards everyone outside the profession as the public. That is why we name no brands, show no discounts and speak of a wrinkle treatment. Providing information is allowed; promoting is not.
What the law prohibits
Dutch medicines law defines advertising broadly: any form of influence with the apparent aim of promoting the prescription or use of a medicine. For products available on prescription only, such influence directed at the public is prohibited.
In practice that means no brand name on your website, not in your price list, not in an advertisement and not in a social media post. Not in hashtags either, and not in a comment left by a client that you allow to stand.
What is allowed
- Explaining what a treatment involves, how it works and which risks it carries.
- Stating that the treatment is performed by a doctor on the BIG register.
- Quoting a fixed price for the treatment.
- Answering a patient's specific question during a consultation, including about the product.
The distinction lies in the purpose. Informing so that someone can make a considered choice is allowed. Encouraging use is not.
Why discounts are especially sensitive
Alongside the advertising ban, the principle applies that advertising must not undermine the rational use of a medicine. Discount offers, package prices and time pressure do exactly that: they shift the decision from medical consideration to impulse purchase.
For us that is not a burden but a confirmation of how we wanted to work anyway. Fixed prices, no promotions, and a consultation in which the decision is made.
What this means for our partners
Salons and hotels working with us fall under the same rules as soon as they communicate about the treatment. We therefore supply ready-made text and imagery that stay within the rules.
In short, for your window or your social channels: speak of a wrinkle treatment by a doctor, name no brand, and promise no results.
Who enforces this
The Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate supervises medicines advertising and can impose fines. In addition there is self-regulation through a review board that can assess material in advance.
If you are in doubt about a piece of communication, have it reviewed beforehand. That is considerably cheaper than afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
May a clinic put the brand name of an injectable on its website?
No. It concerns a prescription medicine, and advertising such medicines to the public is prohibited under Dutch medicines law. Speak of a wrinkle treatment.
May I as a patient ask which product is used?
Yes, and you should get an answer. Information within a treatment relationship is something other than advertising to the public.
Why do you not offer discount promotions?
Because discounts and time pressure encourage a decision based on price rather than medical consideration. That does not suit a medical treatment, and it sits uneasily with the rules on medicines advertising.
Written by Dr Sanne de Boer, doctor at Calla Medical. This article is general information and not legal advice; when in doubt, have communications reviewed in advance.
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