When a beauty business writes its website, posts and LINE messages, the first line to hold is this: no medical claims. Beauty, nail and skin care studios aren't medical institutions, and under Taiwan's Medical Care Act they may not run medical advertising, so wording like treating acne, removing dark spots or dissolving fat crosses the line. Under the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act, ads for skin care products you sell or use may not claim medical efficacy either. Our approach is to describe the process and experience of a service, make no promises about results, use no before-and-after photos to promise changes, avoid words like best or number one, and take the facts from the salon. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice; the latest announcements from the competent authorities prevail.
1. Two laws in plain language
- Medical Care Act: only medical institutions may run medical advertising. A beauty business isn't one, so wording about treating or improving illnesses or physical problems may be treated as medical advertising
- Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act: promotion and advertising for cosmetics may not be false or exaggerated, and may not claim medical efficacy. Any copy that introduces, sells or uses skin care products needs to follow this
Put simply, a beauty business can write what it does, how it does it and in what setting, but not what the service will cure. The line isn't only about which words you use; it's whether the whole sentence would make someone think there's a medical effect.
2. Common wording compared
| Common wording | Why we don't write it | What we write instead |
|---|---|---|
| Treats acne, improves acne-prone skin | It's about dealing with a skin problem, which is a medical effect | The care steps, such as cleansing, moisturizing and a mask, and roughly how long |
| Removes dark spots, spots gone in one session | Promises a change in the skin, like a medical effect | What type of products are used and how the process works |
| Dissolves fat, eliminates fat | Claims to change body tissue, which is a medical effect | What the service involves and how long it takes, nothing about body shape |
| Best, number one, the only | Unsupported and exaggerated | Concrete facts: location, opening hours, stylist experience |
| Before-and-after photos with claims about results | Uses a comparison to promise change | Portfolio photos that say what was done, without suggesting everyone gets the same |
Everything in the right-hand column is a fact the salon already knows. These facts help customers and they help AI: when someone asks for a good place in Taipei for a first facial, AI is looking for the process, timing and location, not promises about results.
3. Facial and skin care needs extra care
Hair and nails rarely run into medical claims, but facial care, skin care and body care easily go too far. Customers often come with a skin problem, and it's easy to reply that you can help improve it. Our approach is for service descriptions to cover only the steps, roughly how long, what type of products are used and the setting; when customers ask about acne, inflammation or allergies, suggest they see a dermatologist first.
This also helps customers and AI tell clearly that you're a beauty business, not an aesthetic clinic. The two can do different things, and spelling that out makes misunderstandings less likely.
4. One standard for website, posts and LINE
Many businesses think only paid ads need care, so website articles, social posts and LINE broadcasts get written more loosely. Our approach is to write anything that introduces the business and its services to the public to the same standard. Customers and AI don't separate ads from posts; they treat both as what the business says. Before anything goes live, run through this checklist.
- Is this sentence a fact? Who at the salon has confirmed it?
- Does it describe effects such as treating, improving or removing something?
- Does it use before-and-after photos to promise change?
- Does a product description claim medical efficacy?
- Does it use words like best, number one or the only?
- If it uses a customer's photo or words, has that person agreed first?
5. What to do when you're not sure
The rules may change, and the same sentence may be judged differently in different contexts. If you're not sure, hold it back, rewrite it to describe only the process and experience, or ask your local health bureau directly. Better to leave a sentence out than put the business at risk. This article is a plain-language summary, not legal advice; the latest announcements from the competent authorities prevail.
The short version
Beauty business content should describe only the process and experience of a service, with no medical claims, no promised changes and no words like best or number one; when in doubt, the latest announcements from the competent authorities prevail.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a beauty studio say it improves acne?
- We don't write that. Claims about improving or treating skin problems are medical effects, and a beauty business isn't a medical institution, so under the Medical Care Act it may not run medical advertising. You can describe the care steps and timing instead. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.
- Can we post before-and-after photos?
- Portfolio photos of hair, nails and makeup can say clearly what was done; we don't use before-and-after comparisons to promise results, and facial and body care call for even more care. The latest announcements from the competent authorities prevail.
- Can we describe the benefits of skin care products we sell?
- Under the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act, cosmetics ads may not be false or exaggerated and may not claim medical efficacy. Product descriptions can cover the product type and how to use it; for exactly what uses may be described, the latest announcements from the competent authorities prevail.
- Can this article be treated as legal advice?
- No. It's a plain-language summary, not legal advice; the latest announcements from the competent authorities prevail, and specific questions should go to your health bureau or a lawyer.