Cosmetic clinics in Australia must follow two layers of advertising rules: the AHPRA advertising guidelines and the stricter Medical Board cosmetic guidelines in force since 1 July 2023. Together they ban before-and-after photos, testimonials and influencer content, price-led offers and discounts, and naming branded injectables. You can advertise the consultation, your practitioners' real qualifications, and factual information about a procedure. The safest cosmetic copy sells the consultation, never the result.
Key takeaways
- Cosmetic clinics carry two layers of rules: the general AHPRA guidelines and the stricter Medical Board cosmetic guidelines from July 2023.
- No before-and-after photos, no testimonials or influencer content, no price-led offers or discounts, and no branded injectable names.
- You can advertise the consultation, factual procedure information, and real qualifications. Sell the consultation, not the result.
- Cosmetic advertising needs pre-publication review. The breaches that get clinics reported are usually price ads, transformation galleries, and influencer reels.
Why are the rules stricter for cosmetic clinics?
Every clinic follows the AHPRA advertising guidelines. If you want the full picture first, start with the pillar guide on what your clinic can and cannot say under AHPRA. Cosmetic clinics carry a second layer on top.
Since 1 July 2023, the Medical Board has applied specific guidelines for cosmetic surgery and procedures. The reason is simple. Cosmetic marketing has the strongest pull toward the exact things the rules ban: dramatic before-and-after images, glowing influencer reels, and price-led offers that push people toward a procedure they may not need.
The guidelines also require something most clinics miss. Cosmetic advertising needs review before it is published. So the stakes are higher and the checking is meant to happen earlier.
What can a cosmetic clinic not advertise?
Here is the list that catches cosmetic clinics most often.
- Before-and-after photos. Including implied before-and-after, transformation galleries, and patient images shared on social.
- Testimonials and influencer content. Patient reviews about a procedure, influencer reels, celebrity endorsements, and procedure-linked star ratings or counts like "10,000 treatments performed".
- Financial inducements. Price-led ads, time-limited offers, package or bundle discounts, gift cards, loyalty rewards, referral bonuses, and competitions.
- Branded injectable names. The brand names of anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers are prescription products and must not be advertised to the public. For the full TGA picture, see why you cannot advertise Botox in Australia.
- Anything that works against the cooling-off period. "Same-day surgery" or "walk in, walk out" undercut the mandatory wait before major surgery.
- Body-image pressure. Hooks that exploit insecurity ("hate your nose?") or normalise procedures ("everyone's doing it", "new year, new you").
- Targeting under-18s. Stricter requirements apply to minors, including referral and a longer cooling-off period.
What can a cosmetic clinic say instead?
The rules limit claims, not information. You can still build a clear, credible site.
- Factual descriptions of a procedure and what it involves, in generic terms.
- What to expect at a consultation, including the assessment and the cooling-off period.
- Real qualifications and experience, stated plainly. Use "surgeon" only with specialist surgical registration.
- Fees, stated factually on a consultation page, with no discount or time pressure attached.
- Risks and recovery information presented in a balanced, accurate way.
Say this, not that: five cosmetic rewrites
Here are five common cosmetic sentences that breach the rules, each with a compliant version. Every "say this" line is written to the full standard.
1. The price offer
Not this: "$199 lip filler. This week only."
Say this: "Book a consultation to discuss dermal filler treatments and the fees involved." It removes the price hook and the urgency.
2. The branded injectable
Not this: "Get [well-known anti-wrinkle brand] and [well-known filler brand] with us."
Say this: "We offer consultations for anti-wrinkle injections and dermal filler treatments." Generic terms, framed as a consultation, not a product.
3. The before-and-after
Not this: a results gallery captioned "real patient transformations".
Say this: "During your consultation we explain how the treatment works and what it involves." It informs without showing or implying a result. For the full consent and consistency rules, see the guide on before-and-after photos under AHPRA.
4. The influencer reel
Not this: a paid creator video saying "I love my results, you have to book here".
Say this: "Information about our practitioners' qualifications and experience." It builds trust with facts, not a testimonial.
5. The body-image hook
Not this: "Hate your nose? Everyone's getting it done."
Say this: "If you are considering rhinoplasty, a consultation helps you understand the procedure and whether it suits you." Calm, factual, no pressure.
The traps that get cosmetic clinics reported
Most reports do not come from a single shocking claim. They come from ordinary marketing moves that feel normal in this industry.
Treating the cooling-off period as a hassle. The wait is a patient protection. Advertising it as an obstacle, or implying you can skip it, is a breach. State it plainly as part of your process.
Letting the social feed do the advertising. A reshared patient story or a creator's "results" post is still your advertising, and you are liable for it. The clinic is responsible even when it did not write the words.
Leading with price. A discount or a set price for injectables is the clearest inducement breach there is. Move fees to a factual consultation page and lead with the consultation.
You can check a lot of this yourself. Open every page and every social profile and ask: does this show or imply a result, use a patient's words, or lead with a price or a discount? If yes, it needs a rewrite. A GhostRank audit runs that check across your whole site against the AHPRA and TGA advertising rules and hands you a fix list. If you want the copy written to the rules from the first draft, that is the work I do for cosmetic and regulated clients across Australia. See my compliance-first copywriting services, or read more about me.
This is general guidance for clinic owners and marketers, not legal advice. AHPRA and the Medical Board update their guidelines from time to time. Check the current versions, and get formal advice before publishing high-stakes cosmetic pages.
