Procter & Gamble has pulled its flagship efficacy claim for the Braun Skin-i Expert IPL hair removal device after Italy's competition authority, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), closed an investigation into the product's advertising.

At the center of the case sits a single marketing line: "hair-free for two years," or similar wording used across the device's advertising and marketing materials. AGCM first opened the probe in February, and its outcome — formalized through sanctioned commitments rather than a fine — now binds P&G to remove that claim from every form of product advertising.

The commitments go beyond simple deletion. P&G has agreed to adopt wording that "makes no specific reference to the time required to achieve the intended effects or to their duration, removing any promise to deliver results lasting two years." In practical terms, the company can no longer anchor consumer expectations to any fixed timeline of hair reduction for the device.

The third commitment touches the commercial terms of purchase directly. P&G will extend the device's "100-day money back guarantee" from its original end date of 30 June 2026 to 31 December 2026. Under the guarantee, consumers can return the hair removal device within 100 days without restrictions and receive a full refund of the purchase price.

What the case signals for device marketing

The AGCM action targets advertising claims, not the device's regulatory status, and the authority published no findings on the actual performance of the Braun Skin-i Expert. Still, the case sets a clear precedent for how at-home energy-based devices are marketed in a major European market: durability claims — the length of time a consumer can expect to remain hair-free — now face regulatory scrutiny when they cannot be substantiated to a competition authority's satisfaction.

For dermatologists, the episode is a reminder that patient expectations around intense pulsed light hair removal are often shaped by consumer advertising rather than clinical data. Claims of sustained hair reduction carry specific meaning in the literature, where long-term IPL efficacy is typically reported with defined follow-up intervals and clearance percentages. A "two years" promise on a retail box bypasses that framework entirely — and AGCM's intervention effectively says so.

The resolution also illustrates the enforcement toolkit available to European regulators short of financial penalties. AGCM chose to sanction voluntary commitments from P&G: claim removal, language restrictions, and an extended refund window. Consumers who purchased the device retain a no-questions-asked return route through the end of 2026.

Cosmetics Business has reached out to P&G for comment; the company's response, if any, had not been reported at the time of publication.

The commitments apply across all forms of advertising for the device, and the extended guarantee runs through 31 December 2026. Whether other European regulators follow AGCM's lead on durability claims for at-home IPL and laser devices will shape how the category communicates efficacy in the years ahead.