AHPRA Advertising Guidelines Ad Checker.
Paste your cosmetic clinic ad copy. We'll flag testimonials, banned imagery, restricted titles and TGA prescription-product mentions before you hit publish.
This checker flags testimonials, before/after imagery, restricted specialist titles and TGA prescription-product mentions in cosmetic clinic ad copy against AHPRA's cosmetic advertising guidelines, which took effect 2 September 2025 and require a 7-day cooling-off period for under-18 patients. Paste your ad copy for a rule-by-rule flag before you publish.
Educational self-check — not legal advice. This tool flags common risk areas under AHPRA's cosmetic procedure advertising guidelines (National Law s133, current since 2 September 2025) and TGA restrictions on advertising prescription-only medicines, described generally.
Final review of any cosmetic advertisement should be done against AHPRA's published guidance or with your own adviser. Everything runs client-side in your browser — your ad text is never sent anywhere or stored.
What changed in Australian cosmetic advertising in 2025
Cosmetic procedure advertising in Australia sits under real, actively-tightening regulation. AHPRA's cosmetic procedure advertising guidelines — which took effect on 2 September 2025 —
- strengthened an already-strict testimonial ban under National Law s133 to explicitly cover influencer content and re-shared patient stories,
- banned apps or tools that predict a person's post-procedure appearance,
- prohibited advertising cosmetic procedures to under-18s outright, and
- introduced a mandatory 7-day cooling-off period between a first consultation and any procedure for under-18 patients.
Separately, since 1 July 2023 the title “surgeon” (including “cosmetic surgeon”) is legally protected — only specialist-registered surgeons may use it.
On top of the AHPRA layer, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) separately prohibits advertising prescription-only medicines — including named injectable brands — to the public under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.
More detail on this section
The operative instrument is the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code (formally the Therapeutic Goods (Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code) Instrument 2021), which sits beneath the Act and governs the substance of what a consumer-facing therapeutic-goods advertisement can and cannot say — representations, mandatory statements, restricted and prohibited representations, testimonials and endorsements.
Reading the Act alone is not enough: the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code is where the specific consumer-advertising rules the checker tests actually live. Source: TGA — what can and cannot be advertised (verified 2026-09-05).
This self-check walks your actual ad copy through the risk areas that most often trip up cosmetic clinic advertising in Australia, flags the specific phrase that triggered each one, explains which rule it touches, and suggests a compliant rewrite.
It's the same discipline our Australian performance marketing team applies when building campaigns for regulated clinic accounts — see the GEO for Australian businesses page for how citable content and AHPRA/TGA compliance work together — compliance and performance are one job, not two.
Use it as a first pass, then confirm anything borderline against AHPRA's published guidance or your adviser.
What this checker looks for
Nine rule categories, drawn from the sources cited above — each one covers a specific pattern our checker scans your pasted text for:
- Testimonials (patient or influencer) — The National Law (s133) prohibits testimonials in health service advertising outright. AHPRA's 2 September 2025 cosmetic procedure guidelines specifically strengthened this to also ban re-shared patient stories and social-media-influencer testimonials, including time-limited formats like Stories. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Influencer / social media testimonials — AHPRA's September 2025 guidelines specifically strengthened the ban on testimonials sourced from social media influencers for cosmetic procedures — this applies even when the practitioner did not write the content themselves and only re-shared or boosted it. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Before/after imagery — AHPRA guidance prohibits before-and-after imagery that creates an unrealistic expectation of beneficial treatment for higher-risk cosmetic procedures. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Appearance-prediction tools — The September 2025 guidelines specifically prohibit advertising higher-risk cosmetic procedures using automated apps, websites, tools or programs that predict a person's appearance post-procedure (or predict their appearance without the procedure). Source (opens in a new tab)
- Advertising to under-18s — AHPRA's September 2025 guidelines ban advertising cosmetic procedures to individuals under 18, and impose a mandatory 7-day cooling-off period between a first consultation and any procedure for under-18 patients where a procedure is clinically appropriate at all. Source
- Discounts, gifts & time-limited inducements — Advertising a regulated health service with a gift, discount or other inducement must clearly state the offer's terms and conditions in plain language. Manufactured urgency around a clinical decision is separately discouraged as creating an unreasonable expectation or pressuring the decision. Source
- "Surgeon" / "cosmetic surgeon" title — Since 1 July 2023, the title "surgeon" (including "cosmetic surgeon") is legally protected — only a medical practitioner with specialist registration in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, or ophthalmology may use it. A cosmetic surgery endorsement alone does not permit use of the title. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Guarantees & unreasonable expectations — Advertising must not create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, and unverifiable superlative or guarantee-style claims about a clinical outcome are a recurring AHPRA enforcement trigger under s133's general standard. Source
- Naming a prescription-only product (TGA) — The Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 prohibits advertising prescription-only medicines to the public, with very limited exceptions. This includes naming a specific prescription injectable or weight-loss medication brand in consumer-facing advertising — the TGA treats this as a reference to a prescription medicine regardless of context. Source (opens in a new tab)
Methodology — where this checklist comes from
Each rule is sourced directly from AHPRA's own published cosmetic procedure advertising guidance (ahpra.gov.au) and the TGA's advertising-to-the-public restrictions (tga.gov.au), linked above per rule.
It is not a substitute for legal advice: treat a “no flags” result as a reasonable first pass, not clearance, and confirm anything borderline with AHPRA, the TGA, or your own adviser before publishing. Running a Malaysian clinic instead? Use our KKM ad checker.
Rules current as of: July 2026
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- Cite this
- shakalakaa (Plixitt Solutions). “AHPRA & TGA Ad Compliance Checker (Australia).”
- https://shakalakaa.com/au/tools/ahpra-ad-checker · Updated 2026-10-09
- Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
shakalakaa (Plixitt Solutions). "AHPRA & TGA Ad Compliance Checker (Australia)." https://shakalakaa.my/tools/ahpra-ad-checker. Updated 2026-10-09. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changed in AHPRA's cosmetic procedure advertising rules in 2025?+
AHPRA's cosmetic procedure advertising guidelines took effect 2 September 2025, strengthening the existing testimonial ban to explicitly cover influencer and re-shared patient content, banning apps/tools that predict a person's post-procedure appearance, banning advertising to under-18s, and requiring a 7-day cooling-off period for under-18 patients between consultation and any procedure.
Can I use the title "cosmetic surgeon" in my ads?+
Only if the practitioner holds specialist medical registration in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, or ophthalmology. Since 1 July 2023 the title "surgeon" (including "cosmetic surgeon") is legally protected — a general-registration doctor with a cosmetic procedures endorsement cannot lawfully use it, regardless of experience.
Can I name a specific injectable brand like Botox in my ad?+
No — the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 prohibits advertising prescription-only medicines to the public, with very limited exceptions. Refer to the treatment category generically (e.g. "anti-wrinkle injections") in public advertising rather than naming the specific prescription product.
Does this replace legal review of my ad?+
No — this is an educational first-pass self-check covering the AHPRA and TGA rules most relevant to cosmetic clinic advertising, not legal clearance. Always confirm anything borderline with AHPRA's published guidance or your adviser before publishing.
What does the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code govern that the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 alone does not?+
The Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 is the enabling statute; the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code (the Therapeutic Goods (Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code) Instrument 2021) is the subordinate instrument that spells out the operative rules for consumer-facing therapeutic-goods advertising — permitted and prohibited representations, mandatory statements, restricted representations that need TGA approval, rules on testimonials and endorsements, and price and comparative claims.
The Act tells you prescription-only medicines cannot be advertised to the public; the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code tells you what a compliant consumer advertisement for a permitted product must and must not contain.
What changed in AHPRA's cosmetic procedure advertising rules in 2025?
AHPRA's cosmetic procedure advertising guidelines took effect 2 September 2025, strengthening the existing testimonial ban to explicitly cover influencer and re-shared patient content, banning apps/tools that predict a person's post-procedure appearance, banning advertising to under-18s, and requiring a 7-day cooling-off period for under-18 patients between consultation and any procedure.
More questions (4)
Can I use the title "cosmetic surgeon" in my ads?
Only if the practitioner holds specialist medical registration in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, or ophthalmology. Since 1 July 2023 the title "surgeon" (including "cosmetic surgeon") is legally protected — a general-registration doctor with a cosmetic procedures endorsement cannot lawfully use it, regardless of experience.
Can I name a specific injectable brand like Botox in my ad?
No — the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 prohibits advertising prescription-only medicines to the public, with very limited exceptions. Refer to the treatment category generically (e.g. "anti-wrinkle injections") in public advertising rather than naming the specific prescription product.
Does this replace legal review of my ad?
No — this is an educational first-pass self-check covering the AHPRA and TGA rules most relevant to cosmetic clinic advertising, not legal clearance. Always confirm anything borderline with AHPRA's published guidance or your adviser before publishing. Running a Malaysian clinic instead? Use the KKM ad checker.
What does the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code govern that the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 alone does not?
The Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 is the enabling statute; the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code (the Therapeutic Goods (Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code) Instrument 2021) is the subordinate instrument that spells out the operative rules for consumer-facing therapeutic-goods advertising
— permitted and prohibited representations, mandatory statements, restricted representations that need TGA approval, rules on testimonials and endorsements, and requirements on price and comparative claims. The Act tells you prescription-only medicines cannot be advertised to the public; the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code tells you what a compliant consumer advertisement for a permitted product must and must not contain.