United Kingdom: Consumer Law

Recent guidance from the Advertising Standards Authority clarifies when accessibility features like audio description, closed captions, and signing must include material information in advertisements. Marketing teams face new considerations around campaign planning and compliance to ensure visually and hearing-impaired audiences receive the same essential information as other consumers.

The government has moved the start date for the UK’s new consumer subscription rules. The regime in Part 4, Chapter 2 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) will now take effect in January 2027 rather than the spring 2027 date announced earlier this year.

The UK Government has accelerated the implementation timeline for new subscription contract laws under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, moving the enforcement date from Spring 2027 to January 2027. This change significantly reduces the preparation window for businesses offering subscription services, requiring urgent review of sign-up processes, renewal notifications, and cancellation systems to ensure compliance with the new consumer protection regime.

Millions apply cosmetics daily without considering potential asbestos contamination in talc-based products like face powder and eyeshadow. This examination reveals how asbestos fibres can infiltrate makeup during the mining process, the devastating health risks posed by contaminated cosmetics, and the legal rights available to consumers who have suffered harm from exposure to these dangerous products.

A groundbreaking peer-reviewed study has revealed that 98% of personal care and cleaning products contain unlabelled chemicals, with 85% harboring substances linked to serious health hazards including cancer, infertility, and neurological disease. Major brands making claims like "phthalate-free" and "100% natural" were found to contain the very chemicals they claimed to exclude, raising urgent questions about product safety, regulatory oversight, and the massive insurance implications spanning product liabi

The UK government has accelerated plans to tackle subscription traps, bringing sweeping consumer protection reforms into force by January 2027. These changes will require businesses to overhaul their subscription services, making cancellations easier and ensuring transparent pricing, with potential savings of £400 million annually for consumers.

The UK government is set to launch a consultation on prohibiting misleading discount practices, marking another significant step in the ongoing transformation of consumer protection law. This initiative aims to address deceptive pricing strategies that have long undermined consumer trust and fair competition in the retail sector.

Hull City Council's seizure of over 1,000 counterfeit "Squeezy Dumplings" toys containing the carcinogen benzene highlights the critical intellectual property and product safety challenges facing brand owners and retailers. This incident demonstrates how counterfeit goods can damage both consumer safety and brand reputation, while exploring the legal remedies and proactive measures available to combat the growing threat of unsafe imitations in the novelty toy market.

The UK government has announced a renewed focus on consumer protection, targeting misleading pricing practices and subscription contract friction. Businesses may need to review their marketing strategies, discount claims, and subscription models as new regulations under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 take effect in January 2027.