Documented by Meta. The steps and rules on this page come from Meta’s own documentation.
How do Meta ads work for health and wellness brands?
Health and wellness brands can advertise on Meta, but the rules depend on what you sell. Meta's policy exempts general fitness, general food, non-permanent beauty and dental products from age targeting, while dietary, weight-loss, cosmetic procedure and sexual and reproductive health ads such as contraception must reach people 18 or older. Cure claims for listed diseases are banned.
Health is not one rule on Meta. It is a short list of product types, and each one is treated differently. A gym, a protein brand and a skin clinic can all call themselves wellness businesses, yet Meta’s policy gives them different age rules and different claim limits. Read the linked pages and ask a qualified adviser what applies where you sell.
Which kind of health business are you?
Meta’s Health and Wellness policy has two parts: health and wellbeing, and adult products and reproductive health. Here is where common businesses land, using the policy’s own wording.
| If you sell | What Meta’s policy says |
|---|---|
| Fitness services, equipment or health clubs | Listed as general wellbeing: exempt from the age rule |
| General food products, including protein products | Exempt from the age rule |
| Creams, make-up, hair products, digital editing apps | Non-permanent cosmetic and beauty: exempt |
| Dental products, such as teeth whitening | Exempt |
| Dietary, health, weight-loss or weight-gain products and services | Must target people 18 or older |
| Cosmetic procedures and surgeries, such as dermal fillers or chemical peels | Allowed when targeting people 18 or older |
| Contraception, fertility services, ovulation and pregnancy trackers | Allowed when targeting 18 or older, with a focus on health |
Meta’s list of 18-plus cosmetic procedures includes injectable treatments, micro-needling, laser or light treatments and hair restoration surgery. Check your own service against the full list on the policy page.
What if your offer sits between two rows?
A fitness studio that sells a weight-loss programme is a good example. The exemption covers products and services marketed for general wellbeing, while the 18-plus rule covers weight-loss and weight-gain products and services. The policy text does not say which one wins for a mixed offer.
Setting the minimum age to 18 satisfies both readings, and it costs you little if your buyers are adults anyway. If the ad is rejected, Meta says you can request a review in Business Support Home.
Which claim limits apply beyond the age rule?
Some limits do not depend on the age rule. Meta says advertisers cannot run ads that:
- show a close-up of a body area with pinched fat, or claim results come solely from wearable products, when promoting weight-loss or weight-gain offers;
- use statements of inferiority about physical appearance, body parts or hygiene for weight, cosmetic or procedure offers;
- claim to cure, heal or eliminate the diseases Meta lists, which it calls an exhaustive list, even when the claim comes from a health professional;
- use clickbait in a health or weight context, such as exaggerated claims or specific outcomes in a set timeframe without disclaimers or qualifiers.
For the full wording and the diseases on the list, read the health rules page on this site. The practical step is to audit every headline, caption and image for those four patterns before you submit.
Where does a medicine or supplement fit?
Meta treats unsafe substances under a separate Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy. It says it does not allow ads promoting the sale or use of illicit or recreational drugs, or other unsafe substances, products or supplements, as determined by Meta technologies. Its examples include anabolic steroids, chitosan, comfrey, dehydroepiandrosterone, ephedra and human growth hormones, and the list is not exhaustive.
If your product includes one of those substances, read the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy before you plan your targeting.
What does Meta say about sexual and reproductive health?
Meta does not allow ads promoting adult sexual arousal products or services, such as sex toys, or genital procedures focused on pleasure. It allows ads for sexual and reproductive health products and services when they target people 18 or older and focus on health and medical efficacy, not pleasure.
Its examples include contraception, condoms, ovulation and pregnancy trackers, family planning clinics and IVF. Meta lists women’s reproductive health products such as menstruation tracking apps, women’s hygiene products and educational family planning information as exempt from the age rule.
What should you check before launch?
- Find your product or service in the table above and note its age rule.
- If it is not clearly exempt, set the minimum age to 18.
- Scan creative for pinched-fat close-ups, appearance-shaming words and timeframe promises.
- Remove any cure claim for a listed disease.
- Ask a qualified adviser what health advertising law requires where you sell.
FAQ
Does a gym or fitness studio need 18+ targeting?
Meta’s policy lists fitness services and equipment and health clubs as general wellbeing products and services that are exempt from the age rule. If the ad promotes a weight-loss product or service, the 18-plus rule applies to that ad, so check each offer.
Can a cosmetic clinic show before-and-after photos?
Meta’s help article says general cosmetic products, procedures or surgeries that depict before and after transformations can run when people 18 or older are targeted. It shows a skin whitening or bleaching before-and-after image as non-compliant, so check your image against that example.
Can a fertility clinic advertise on Meta?
Meta lists IVF, other artificial insemination procedures, family planning clinics and fertility awareness among allowed services when you target people 18 or older and focus on health and medical efficacy. Meta also lists abortion medical consultation and related services in the same allowed list.
Sources
- Health and Wellness (Advertising Standards) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About Meta's Health and Wellness advertising policy (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About Meta's Drugs and Pharmaceuticals advertising policy (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.