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ePaper created 2015-04-07, 08:37:00 | version 1.37.0
T he mass media lives on scandals. The food and cosmetics indus- tries are among the most fre- quently affected areas. The mechanism is always the same. Klaus Kocks calls it the ‘rule of three of whistle-blowing publicity’. ”An incident has been brought to public attention, and blame has been duly ascribed. The crime has occurred, and fingers are pointed at a perpetrator. Often those in the firing line are those who – ever since ‘Casablanca’ – have been referred to as ‘the usual suspects’. Popular bogey- man stereotypes are invoked. The inci- dent is understood to be representa- tive of both a fundamental and a de- plorable state of affairs. The exception is the rule. Deliberate intent to harm is attributed to the institutions that are denounced by those concerned in or- der to apportion blame and come to generalised conclusions …” We Germans are world champions in existential anxiety. ‘German Angst’ is an internationally understood term, standing for the peculiar incapacity of the Germans to distinguish between real and imaginary dangers. As a result, a profitable Angst in- dustry has come into existence. Its the- ses – generally based on the opinions of outsiders – have been globally dis- seminated by way of social media net- works. The root of all evil is, in most cases, a ‘single study syndrome’. The psychologist and scientific journalist Steven Pinker urges: ”Stop reporting single studies, no matter how sexy (these are probably false). Report lit reviews, meta-analyses.” But when the next scapegoat comes to be hunted through the virtual village, nobody can do anything about it. Consumers, meanwhile, are com- pletely overwhelmed by the flood of re- ports and disclaimers, and respond by simply not buying such products. ‘Free from’ products therefore offer them a safe haven. For example, 36% of all Americans already purchase gluten- free products, without any concrete medical reason to do so – this market is continuing to show growth in double digits! How much sense do ‘free from’ claims make? ‘Free from’ claims do not always make sense. But as advertising law does not provide for a needs test, the principle that applies is as follows: if a consumer, for any reason whatsoever, wishes to avoid a certain ingredient, More and more consumers are looking for products which are free from certain ingredients. In order to meet consumer expectations in this regard, marketing divisions all over the world have jumped on the bandwagon and attached a ‘free from’ label to their products. How should this trend be viewed today, and what develop- ments can be made out when we look to the future? 36 COSSMA 4I2015 MARKETING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT then it is perfectly legitimate for the in- dustry to comply with consumer de- mand in that respect. What is crucial is that the basic statutory requirements are met, and that the wording of the ad- vertising industry remains within the latitude of discretion that these allow. A legal framework for ‘free from’ claims? In Germany we have long had rules to control deceptive practices, which are enforced by the LFGB1 and the UWG2 . The EU Cosmetics Regulation and the EU Regulation No. 655/20133, and may therefore – at best – serve to define things more precisely, but do not really add up to anything new. ’Free from’ claims must not include any dis- criminating statements, such as ’free from toxic parabens’, and advertising based on the obvious is also ruled out, for example ’free from hormones’ – in view of the fact that hormones are, in any case, banned from cosmetics by EU legislation. Is ‘free from preservatives’ a practical or useful criterion? It is a more complicated situation when we come to the claim ’free from preservatives’. In an online survey car- ried out by Stiftung Warentest [the ‘Free from claims’: Mean- ingful or meaningless? Even surfactants can have preserving properties photo:Alliance,Shutterstock.com Additional information can be found at www.cossma.com/qr00003 or you can just scan the QR code! Your access codes for April: User name: cossma4 Password: body DownloadsDownloads COS1504_36_Kneipp_COS1406_22_Imogen_D 26.03.15 13:09 Seite 36 COS1504_36_Kneipp_COS1406_22_Imogen_D 26.03.1513:09 Seite 36