Your commercial news round-up: LED face masks, land reform, UK AI, John Lewis

Reading time: four minutes

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a number of LED face mask adverts, and a new land law is set to cause reforms in Scotland. Meanwhile, the King Charles III has warned Nvidia CEO about the dangers of AI innovation in a letter and John Lewis has released its Christmas advert earlier this year, following the trend of businesses pushing earlier festive spending.

• The ASA has banned several adverts for LED face masks that make unauthorised claims about treating acne and rosacea. The beauty product has risen in popularity in recent years, in part driven by influencer support. However, dermatologists have provided mixed feedback over whether the masks can make the same impact as medical-grade devices used in clinics. Previously, dermatologists told the BBC that there haven’t been large enough clinical trials to fully assess the benefits. The ASA used AI to find products that made false medical claims. It ruled: “No medical claims could be made for the product, whether or not such claims appeared in customer testimonials."
   
• From skin care to land law, the Scottish parliament has passed the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill – legislation aimed at diversifying rural land ownership, which could lead to the break-up of some large estates. The bill’s approval follows more than three days of debate. These reforms aim to give communities greater say in what happens on privately owned land. The bill introduces a new 'transfer test', requiring landowners to seek ministerial approval when selling or transferring land over 1,000 hectares, to determine whether it should be divided into smaller lots. Additionally, when land is sold, ministers must be notified so that community groups can be given the opportunity to purchase it. Large landowners also must publish a land management plan to detail what happens on their land. Owners that fail to comply with new regulations could be fined up to £40,000.
  
  The proposed reforms have sparked a mixed response from legal experts and political figures. Head of land and property at law firm Turcan Connell, Don Macleod, said that the ambiguous definition of large landholding could make the law "unworkable and impossible". Meanwhile, Scottish Labour rural affairs spokeswoman, Rhoda Grant, commented: “We support any improvements to Scotland's land management, but this weak bill is largely tinkering around the edges.” Responding to criticism that the bill lacks ambition, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon described the reforms as “balanced and proportionate”, adding that they’re designed to benefit “the many, not the few”.
   
• On Wednesday 5 November, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was awarded the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for engineering, alongside six other pioneers in AI. During the ceremony, the King reportedly expressed concerns about the risks of AI, handing Huang a copy of the speech he delivered at the world’s first AI summit at Bletchley Park in 2023. The speech warned of AI’s potential dangers, while also describing its development as “no less important than the discovery of electricity”. Huang responded by saying the UK is well positioned to lead in what he called “an industrial revolution that's happening right now”. Nvidia, which reached a $5 trillion valuation this week, is investing billions into building 'AI factories' across the UK.
   
• John Lewis has unveiled its new Christmas advert 10 days earlier than last year, aligning with a wider retail trend of encouraging earlier festive spending. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, the ad once again focuses on family connections – this time featuring a middle-aged father rediscovering his clubbing days after receiving a vinyl from his son. John Lewis brand director, Rosie Hanley, commented that people are beginning Christmas shopping early to “spread the cost of gifting across several paydays”. According to the Advertising Association and the World Advertising Research Centre, festive spending is forecast to increase by 7.3% to £12 billion this year. Sainsburys released its advert on Sunday 2 November and Morrisons is set to release its advert shortly.

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