Mrs Hinch: Cleaning social media influencer under investigation by advertising watchdog

‘I'm overly cautious when it comes to these guidelines’

Social media influencer Sophie Hinchliffe is currently under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over concerns of her promotion of cleaning products.

Hinchliffe, who is commonly known by her social media moniker “Mrs Hinch”, boasts over 2.5m Instagram followers and regularly shares her cleaning advice ranging from how to unblock a sink to buying the best cloth.

However, the ASA has said that it received three complaints in April concerning the labelling of the 29-year-old’s adverts within her Instagram posts and is investigating the social media star.

The posts included the products Flash and Febreze, both owned by Procter & Gamble.

Under the ASA’s advertising rules, influencers must clearly specify posts that they have been paid or rewarded to promote, review or talk about a product in their social media feeds in keeping with consumer protection law.

It is believed Hinchliffe received advice from the ASA on two occasions prior to the investigation on how to abide by their rules.

Speaking about the investigation, an ASA spokesperson says: "I can confirm that we received three complaints in April about Mrs Hinch's Instagram posts concerning the labelling of ads (where she was posting about products including Flash and Febreze) and are currently investigating.

"We will publish our decision in due course."

In response to the investigation, Hinchliffe explains: “I take the responsibility that comes with having a large social media following very seriously, and, for me, being authentic and transparent is incredibly important.

"I'm fortunate that brands want to work with me, but I only collaborate with those that I genuinely like and would recommend to people."

The social media influencer continued, adding that she continues to learn about social media practices and believes her followers “are clear about any content that is part of a commercial partnership, and that which isn't”.

Hinchliffe concluded: "In fact, I'm overly cautious when it comes to these guidelines and will continue to be."

Last year, the ASA and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published an Influencer’s Guide to advertising rules related to social media posts.

A segment from the guide reads: “Commercial relationships must be disclosed upfront, any views expressed by the influencer should be genuine and everyone involved should ensure that there are robust compliance processes in place that accurately reflect the requirements of the law."

Failure to comply with the ASA's rules can result in legal action.

In January, influencers including Zoella, Ellie Goulding and Alexa Chung committed to clearly disclosing whether they have been paid to mention a product or service, and even whether it has been gifted to them for free.

Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said at the time: “Influencers can have a huge impact on what their fans decide to buy. People could, quite rightly, feel misled if what they thought was a recommendation from someone they admired turns out to be a marketing ploy.”

In April, Hinchliffe released her book, titled Hinch Yourself Happy: All The Best Cleaning Tips To Shine Your Sink And Soothe which promises to help you transform your home with her "sparkly ways".

The book topped Amazon’s best seller within eight hours of its release, according to The Sun.