#Ad, Gifted or Affiliate? A Clear Guide to Disclosure for Fashion and Beauty Creators

Fashion and beauty are two of the most heavily sponsored areas of the creator economy, and two of the areas regulators watch most closely. Getting disclosure wrong can damage trust with your audience and, in many countries, break advertising law.

This guide explains the principles in plain language. It draws on published guidance from regulators including the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It is general information, not legal advice; rules differ between countries and change over time, so check the current guidance where you and your audience are based.

The core principle

If a brand has given you something of value in connection with a post, whether money, free products, discounts, commission or other benefits, and that relationship might affect how your audience views the content, the relationship needs to be disclosed clearly. Your audience should be able to tell, before they engage with the content, that it is advertising or that you have a commercial connection.

The main situations

Paid partnerships

A brand pays you, or gives you something of value, and has some control over the content (for example, approving it or requiring certain messages). In the UK, the ASA treats this as advertising, and it should be labelled clearly as an ad, using a label like "Ad" or "Advert" upfront. Platform tools such as "Paid partnership" labels are helpful, but regulators have generally said they may not be sufficient on their own unless clear and prominent.

Gifted products

A brand sends you products for free. If there is no agreement about posting and the brand has no control over what you say, the UK guidance treats this differently from a paid ad, but you should still disclose that the item was gifted when you feature it, because the gift is a material connection. If the brand sent the gift on the condition that you post, or has any say in the content, it is likely to count as advertising.

Words like "gifted" or "PR product" can work for unconditional gifts, as long as they are clear and visible.

Affiliate links

You earn commission when people buy through your links or use your code. This is a commercial relationship and must be disclosed. The UK guidance treats affiliate content as advertising, typically requiring an "Ad" label. In the US, the FTC expects a clear disclosure near the link or recommendation.

Discount codes

A personal discount code usually means you benefit from sales, and should be disclosed in the same way as affiliate links.

Brand ambassadors and long-term deals

If you have an ongoing relationship with a brand, each relevant post should still be disclosed. Your audience cannot be expected to remember a disclosure from three months ago.

Your own brand

If you feature products from a brand you own or have a stake in, make that clear too.

What "clear" means

Regulators consistently emphasise a few points:

• Upfront. The disclosure should appear before the viewer engages with the content: at the start of a caption, at the beginning of a video, on the first frame of a Story. Not buried after a wall of hashtags or at the end of a long description.
• Prominent. Easy to see, in a readable size and contrasting colour, and on screen long enough to be read in videos.
• Plain language. "Ad", "Advert", "Advertisement", "Paid partnership with [brand]" are clear. Vague terms such as "sp", "collab", "thanks to [brand]", "spon" or "#partner" alone have been criticised as unclear.
• On every piece. Each post, Story frame, video or pin that features the product.
• In the format. Spoken disclosure in videos, plus on-screen text; written disclosure in captions; labels on images where the image could be shared without the caption.

Common mistakes

• Disclosing only in a bio: "All my posts may contain ads" is not specific enough.
• Hiding it: tagging #ad among thirty hashtags at the end of a caption.
• Labelling only the first Story frame in a sequence where the product appears in several.
• Using only the platform's paid partnership label when it is not prominent.
• Forgetting affiliate links in link-in-bio tools or video descriptions.
• Not disclosing gifted products because "I didn't have to post".
• Unclear wording such as "in collaboration with" with no indication of payment.

Beauty-specific rules

Beauty content comes with additional considerations because of rules about cosmetic claims and image editing.

Filters and retouching

In the UK, the ASA has ruled against ads where social media filters exaggerated the effect of beauty products, and has advised that influencers should not apply filters to promotional images if those filters are likely to exaggerate the effect the product is capable of achieving. Show the product's real effect. If you edit the image, do not edit the area the product is designed to affect.

Claims

Cosmetics can generally be promoted on their cosmetic effects, such as moisturising, smoothing the appearance of fine lines or adding radiance, but should not be claimed to treat, cure or prevent medical conditions. Be careful with phrases like "cures acne" or "removes eczema". Repeating a brand's claims does not protect you if they are misleading.

Before-and-after images

They must be genuine and representative: same lighting, angle and conditions, with no editing that exaggerates the result.

A simple disclosure template

For a paid Instagram post:

AD | I've partnered with [Brand] to try their new serum for four weeks. Honest thoughts below…

For a gifted item:

Gifted by [Brand], no obligation to post. I've been using this lip oil for two weeks and…

For affiliate links in a video description:

Ad / affiliate links: I earn a commission if you buy through some links below, at no extra cost to you.

For video, say it in the first few seconds and add on-screen text: "This video is sponsored by [Brand]."

Protecting yourself in contracts

When you agree a partnership, make sure the contract:

• Confirms you will disclose the relationship clearly.
• Does not require you to make claims you cannot verify.
• Does not require filters or edits that exaggerate results.
• Allows you to give your honest opinion.

Reputable brands expect disclosure. If a brand asks you not to disclose, that is a warning sign.

Why disclosure is good for you

It is easy to see disclosure as a burden that makes content look "less authentic". In practice, audiences generally respond well to creators who are open about partnerships, especially when the opinion is honest. Clear disclosure protects your audience's trust, and trust is the asset that makes your recommendations worth anything to brands in the first place.

Useful sources

• ASA and CAP: guidance for influencers on recognising and labelling ads.
• CMA: guidance on social media endorsements.
• FTC: "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers".

Check the current versions directly on the regulators' websites; this guide summarises principles, and the official guidance is what applies.