Le Petit Saint
UK Marketing Compliance
Review draft · Version 1.2 · 25 September 2026
01 / A clear standard
Purpose & scope
A concise companion to the Australian framework for Le Petit Saint’s UK marketing. Use for websites, social posts, paid media, creators, email, SMS and print. This guide concerns marketing, not clinical protocols or a full assessment of premises, treatment or professional regulation. Confirm requirements for the actual service and UK nation; Le Petit Saint’s London activity is in England.
Document control
UK Medical Director / final clinical approver: Dr Raul Cetto MRCS DOHNS PhD (UK), Medical Director. GMC Reference: 6116517. Supported by Saint Studio. Approval and effective date: pending. Prepared 22 September 2026; revised 25 September 2026. Review before adoption, annually thereafter and sooner if guidance changes. This draft is not regulator approval or legal advice on a particular advertisement. [U10]
Medicines: a firm boundary
Do not advertise prescription-only medicines to the public. Botulinum toxin promotion is restricted, including indirect references that effectively advertise it. Promote a genuine consultation without implying access to a particular prescription medicine. A disclaimer, an “Ad” label or a private-message invitation does not legitimise prohibited public promotion. [U2 U3]
Claims and skin care
Use specific claims supported by suitable evidence. Avoid guarantees or suggestions that treatment is risk-free. Distinguish a cosmetic appearance claim from a claim to treat disease; the latter requires a separate regulatory assessment. Check the actual product, device or treatment instead of copying claims between them. [U4 U9]
People, images and audience
Use genuine, representative images without misleading retouching or filters that exaggerate the effect. Record permission for patient imagery. Cosmetic-intervention ads must not target under-18s; check both placement and content, including platform audiences. Do not imply that appearance determines happiness, belonging or success. [U1 U5]
Offers, creators and professional identity
Be accurate about fees, qualifications and the need for assessment. Avoid pressure that encourages an ill-considered decision; doctors must not offer services as prizes. Make commercial creator content clearly identifiable as advertising. A genuine testimonial is not proof of a clinical claim, and cannot advertise a prohibited medicine. [U6 U7]
02 / Risk at a glance
Le Petit Saint / LONDON
Use the highest applicable risk level for the complete asset, including its imagery, caption, links and landing page. These are internal review categories, not a likelihood score or regulatory approval. Colour is supported by a written rating and action.
| Risk | Content / trigger | Required action | Reviewer / escalation |
|---|---|---|---|
| High / Stop | Prohibited medicine promotion; misleading or unsupported claims; inappropriate targeting or missing patient permission. | Do not publish. If live, preserve an appropriate record and remove or pause. Resolve the issue before reconsidering publication. | Saint Studio + Medical Director (final clinical approval where required) |
| Medium / Review | Treatment benefits; skin-care efficacy claims; outcome photography; patient stories, creators or promotions. | Hold the complete asset and landing page for review. Check evidence, context and permissions. A disclaimer alone does not resolve an issue. | Specialist review + Medical Director (final clinical approval where required) |
| Low / Routine | Verified clinic hours, architectural imagery and factual team introductions without clinical claims. | Check facts, permissions and context. Save the reviewed version and decision before publishing. | Saint Studio |
| Scenario | Risk | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| “Botox appointments — DM to book” in a public Le Petit Saint post | High / Stop | Do not publish as public promotion; refer to the UK clinical lead. |
| A consented Le Petit Saint patient story about a permissible service | Medium / Review | Check authenticity, claims, privacy and commercial disclosure. Consent alone is not approval. |
| A Mayfair interior photograph with factual clinic information | Low / Routine | Check facts, image permissions and the next step; save the reviewed version. |
Review before release
Low risk still requires the standard check. Review is not permission to publish, and internal sign-off cannot authorise prohibited advertising. Reassess the rating when the copy, image, audience or context changes. For Medium and High-risk clinic-controlled marketing requiring clinical/regulatory oversight, Dr Cetto gives final clinical approval before release; High-risk issues must first be resolved. Routine Low-risk activity remains with Saint Studio. Independent earned editorial outside clinic control does not require this approval.
03 / A simple review routine
Practical examples
“Botox appointments — DM to book” → Do not publish as public promotion. “Guaranteed flawless skin” → Remove the guarantee; do not replace it with an unsupported softer claim. “Explore consultation information at Le Petit Saint” → A possible service-led starting point; check the surrounding content. A consented patient story about a permissible service → Review authenticity, claims, privacy and commercial disclosure; the Australian testimonial rule is not automatically the UK rule.
Indirect medicine references
“Anti-wrinkle treatments”, “tox”, prescription medicine brand names, and priced packages or descriptions that effectively identify a prescription-only treatment can constitute or contribute to prohibited promotion. Assess the complete context: indirect wording does not make otherwise prohibited advertising compliant. [U2 U3]
Devices, wellness and supplier claims
Keep device/product claims within the intended purpose. Objective efficacy and health claims need appropriate substantiation. Scrutinise “detox”, increased “energy”, reduced fatigue, improved mood and similar physiological/wellness claims. Require adequate evidence for the actual product/device, intended purpose, protocol and claimed outcome. Do not use unsupported medical or physiological claims. Manufacturer, distributor and supplier copy is not automatically compliant: independently check reused claims against evidence and UK advertising requirements. The clinic remains responsible for its own published claims. [U4 U11]
Promotions without pressure
Review time-limited treatment discounts, countdown/urgency messages, competitions linked to treatment uptake, and finance/payment messaging used to encourage “book now”. Do not trivialise treatment or pressure people into an ill-considered decision. Assess the service, audience, terms and presentation under UK advertising and professional requirements; legitimate promotions are not categorically banned. Doctors must not offer services as prizes, and public prescription-only medicine promotion remains prohibited. [U1 U5 U7]
03 / A simple review routine — continued
Press / PR / editorial — assess control
Earned / independent editorial: where the journalist or publication retains editorial control, do not automatically treat coverage as clinic advertising. No Medical Director pre-publication approval or mandatory journalist submission applies. Independent statements are not automatically the clinic’s claims. Paid / sponsored / controlled advertorial: a commercial or reciprocal arrangement plus sufficient clinic control triggers the advertising review process and clear disclosure where required. Contractual editorial control counts; disclosure duties may still apply to paid content without clinic control. Clinic-owned use: review the excerpts, captions, claims, framing and presentation we control when reusing coverage on our website, social media, email or advertising. Apply the risk framework where appropriate. Faithful, full, attributed reproduction of independent editorial on our website may fall outside CAP remit; assess context rather than treating every republication as advertising. [U6 U12 U13]
Privacy and direct contact
Keep image/publication permission separate from consent to treatment. Where marketing uses health information, confirm the lawful basis and special-category condition; explicit consent will generally be needed. Email and SMS marketing to individuals usually need consent unless a valid exception applies. Provide a clear opt-out and do not assume a treatment enquiry permits all future marketing. [U8]
The short record
Save the asset, market and channel, reviewer and date, evidence/permission references, audience settings, final decision and published link. Re-review substantive edits. Before posting ask: Is it accurate? Is the claim supported? Are medicine restrictions respected? Is the audience appropriate? Are permissions and disclosures in place? Is the next step clear?
04 / Reference desk
Who to consult
ASA / CAP: advertising content and presentation. MHRA: medicine advertising. GMC: professional expectations for doctors offering cosmetic interventions. ICO: privacy and direct marketing. Other professional or service-specific requirements may apply; this short guide does not replace them.
A lighter document, not lighter obligations
The UK guide uses a short review routine rather than the Australian governance detail. Legal requirements still apply. Outcome imagery, patient stories and promotions need context-specific review; they are neither universally approved nor subject to a copied Australian blanket ban.
Official references
Existing references checked on 22 September 2026; targeted UK additions checked on 25 September 2026. Sources support the medicines, claims, promotions and editorial distinctions. Medical Director appointment and qualifications are supplied by the clinic; U10 links to the GMC register. Review categories and approval routes are internal working practices.
U1 / ASA / CAP — Cosmetic intervention advertising guidancewww.asa.org.uk
U2 / MHRA — Advertise your medicineswww.gov.uk
U3 / ASA / CAP — Botulinum toxin productswww.asa.org.uk
U4 / ASA / CAP — Code section 12: health and beautywww.asa.org.uk
U5 / ASA / CAP — Social responsibilitywww.asa.org.uk
U6 / ASA / CAP — Recognising influencer advertisingwww.asa.org.uk
U7 / GMC — Cosmetic interventions: maintaining trustwww.gmc-uk.org
U8 / ICO — Plan direct marketingico.org.uk
U9 / ASA / CAP — Beauty and cosmetics: generalwww.asa.org.uk
U10 / GMC — Dr Raul Cetto / reference 6116517www.gmc-uk.org
U11 / ASA / CAP — Intravenous nutritional therapywww.asa.org.uk
U12 / ASA / CAP — Advertisement featureswww.asa.org.uk
U13 / ASA / CAP — Own websites / editorial reusewww.asa.org.uk