This guide walks you through what you can and cannot do so your account stays compliant while still attracting the right buyers.

1. Don’t Promise Results Your Product Can’t Deliver

When selling on TikTok Shop, it’s tempting to make strong claims to attract attention. But overpromising doesn’t just disappoint buyers, it can also hurt your credibility and even lead to penalties. TikTok Shop is very strict about misleading claims, especially for beauty, skincare, and wellness products.

What You Should Avoid

• Exaggerated claims such as:

  • “Cures acne”

  • “Eliminates wrinkles completely”

  • “Clears scars in 3 days”

These statements are considered unrealistic, unverified, and misleading.

• Medical claims

You cannot say or imply that your product can treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose any disease or serious condition. These claims are regulated and must be made only by certified medical products, not by typical skincare, beauty, or wellness items.

• Diagnosing buyers during livestreams or videos

Statements like “You have eczema”, “This is for people with diabetes”, or “This will treat your infection” are strictly not allowed. Sellers should never act like medical professionals.

• Misleading filters or heavy editing

Using filters to “enhance” results can make the product look far more effective than it really is. TikTok Shop sees this as deceptive advertising.

• Incorrect details and inconsistency

Wrong prices, inaccurate effects, outdated packaging, or any mismatch with the actual product can cause complaints and refunds.

What You Should Do Instead

• Use softer, truthful phrasing such as:

  • “Helps reduce the appearance of…”

  • “Supports healthier-looking skin…”

  • “Soothes irritation…”

These terms show what the product can assist with without guaranteeing unrealistic outcomes.

• Support your claims with real proof

  • Show the actual product packaging.

  • Include certifications or government approvals when available.

  • Display ingredient lists clearly.

• Show real, unedited results

Even simple before-and-after images are fine as long as they’re genuine, clearly lit, and not filtered.

• Be consistent across your content

Everything you say and show should match the exact item the buyer will receive.

2. Keep It Real: Minimise the Use of Filters

Shoppers today want authenticity. When your videos look overly edited or filtered, people may feel misled and TikTok Shop may consider it deceptive advertising.

Over-editing is especially sensitive for categories like skincare, haircare, or makeup, because filters can hide flaws, change colours, or create unrealistic results that the product cannot deliver.

Best Practices

• Use natural, clear lighting

This helps buyers see the true texture, colour, and finish of the product.

• Keep your visuals authentic

Your listing images and promotional videos should look close to real-life results. This builds strong trust with shoppers.

• Show true product performance

Demonstrations should reflect what customers can realistically expect after using the product.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Filters that change appearance dramatically

For example:

• Smoother skin

• Brighter or lighter skin tone

• Thicker hair

These effects give a false impression and are considered misleading.

• Editing that “boosts” product results artificially

For example, making a serum look like it instantly erases pores or a hair product magically adds thickness.

• Fake perfection

Overly flawless, unrealistic results can make customers feel cheated once they receive the product.

3. Show Correct and Updated Product Packaging

One of the most common reasons shoppers file complaints is because the product they receive looks different from the images shown in the listing. Even small packaging updates, new colours, new labels, or an added QR code can confuse customers if you don’t update your product page immediately.

When buyers think they received the wrong, fake, or old product, this often leads to:

• Refund requests

• Bad reviews

• Disputes

• Lower shop ratings

To avoid unnecessary issues, always make sure your product listing matches the exact item customers will receive.

Product Image Guidelines

• Update your main image right away whenever the brand changes its packaging design. Customers rely heavily on the first image to confirm they’re buying the right product.

• Add a comparison image showing the old vs. new packaging. This helps shoppers recognise both versions and understand that the product itself is still authentic.

Product Title Guidelines

Include short, clear notes in your product title, such as:

• “New Packaging”

• “Updated Label Design”

This makes it easier for customers to spot the latest version instantly.

Product Description Guidelines

If the updated packaging includes new verification or safety features such as:

• QR codes

• Hologram stickers

• Security labels

…mention them in the product description. Buyers appreciate knowing how to verify authenticity.

Avoid Misleading Statements

Never claim or imply that older packaging versions are fake. Avoid statements like:

• “Old packaging is fake.”

• “Only the new packaging is authentic.”

These kinds of claims confuse buyers, create unnecessary panic, and may violate TikTok Shop’s anti-misinformation rules.

4. Don’t List or Promote Weight-Management Products

TikTok Shop is very strict about health, safety, and body-related claims. Weight-loss and muscle-gain content is considered high-risk, often due to false promises, harmful ingredients, or unrealistic expectations. Because of this, the platform outright prohibits selling or promoting many weight-management products.

Do Not List These Products

You cannot sell or promote:

• Slimming or fat-loss items

Such as pills, “detox” drinks, fat-burning patches, slimming creams, and weight-loss oils.

• High-risk muscle-gain products

Such as anabolic precursors, prohormones, or growth hormone peptides.

These products are often unregulated and can be unsafe which is why they’re banned.

Do Not Make These Claims

Even if you sell general wellness products, you must avoid any weight-loss or muscle-gain messaging.

No weight-loss claims such as:

• “Lose fat easily”

• “Detox drink to reduce obesity”

• “Burns fat fast”

• Before/after weight transformation photos

No exaggerated muscle-building claims such as:

• “Gain 10kg of muscle in 10 days”

• “Bulk up quickly”

• Before/after muscle growth comparisons

This type of content is considered misleading, unsafe, and harmful to users.

What You CAN Promote Safely

You can still sell wellness, nutrition, and general fitness-related products, as long as your messaging stays non-medical and non-body-shaming.

Allowed product types:

• Regular food items like milk, honey, oats

• Basic nutritional supplements

• Fitness-friendly products like protein powder, collagen drinks, weighing scales

Safe messaging includes:

• “Supports energy”

• “Helps maintain overall wellness”

• “Supports daily nutrition”

Avoid:

• “Burns fat”

• “Suppresses appetite”

• Any language that pressures or shames users based on body size

Always keep your tone encouraging, inclusive, and empowering. You want your buyers to feel supported, never judged.

Stay Compliant, Build Trust, and Sell More Efficiently

By keeping your claims honest, reducing filters, and updating packaging visuals, you not only follow TikTok Shop’s rules but also create a more trustworthy shopping experience. This leads to fewer complaints, smoother operations, and happier customers.

To maintain this consistency across multiple platforms, sellers need a system that keeps listings accurate and workflows efficient. BigSeller supports this with bulk product management, automated order processing, real-time inventory sync, marketing tools, and clear data reports, all in one place.

Want to manage your store more efficiently? Try BigSeller for free today!