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HWG ad check: which phrases in your text risk a warning

Paste the text of your website, an Instagram post or a flyer. The check marks every phrase from its list that the HWG, Germany's health advertising law, treats as risky. It names the law section, says why in plain words and suggests a safer wording. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.

A list of phrasings, not legal advice. It catches what is on the list and nothing else; a lawyer reads the whole text.

Rules and law texts checked on 19 October 2026.

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Notes, not legal advice

The list

What the check looks for

Every phrasing the check knows, grouped by law. A phrase missing here is not checked, which does not make it allowed.

41 phrasings

Misleading claims (§ 3 HWG)

§ 3 HWG

  • Promise of a cure § 3 sentence 2 nos. 1 and 2a HWG
  • Success is guaranteed § 3 sentence 2 no. 2a HWG
  • No side effects claimed § 3 sentence 2 no. 2b HWG
  • Presented as completely harmless § 3 sentence 2 no. 2b HWG
  • Certain success promised § 3 sentence 2 no. 2a HWG
  • Instant effect promised § 3 sentence 2 no. 2a HWG
  • Free of complaints thanks to the treatment § 3 sentence 2 no. 2a HWG (Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf, I-20 U 292/20)
  • Lasting result promised § 3 sentence 2 no. 2a HWG
  • Success rate named § 3 sentence 2 nos. 2a and 3b HWG
  • Scientific proof claimed § 3 sentence 2 no. 1 HWG
  • Replaces a doctor or medicine § 3 sentence 2 no. 1 HWG
  • Help where medicine could not § 3 sentence 2 nos. 1 and 2a HWG
  • Miracle cure § 3 sentence 2 no. 1 HWG
  • Claim to be the only or the best § 3 sentence 2 no. 3 HWG; § 5 UWG
  • Title or training misleading § 3 sentence 2 no. 3b HWG
  • Root cause removed § 3 sentence 2 no. 1 HWG
  • Diagnosis of everything promised § 3 sentence 2 no. 1 HWG
  • Works like a medicine § 3 sentence 2 no. 1 HWG; for foods Art. 7(3) LMIV

Public advertising bans (§§ 5, 7, 9, 11 HWG)

§§ 5, 7, 9, 11 HWG

  • Recommended by experts or celebrities § 11 (1) sentence 1 no. 2 HWG; for supplements also Art. 12(c) HCVO
  • Case history or case example § 11 (1) sentence 1 no. 3 HWG
  • Prompt to self-diagnose § 11 (1) sentence 1 no. 3 HWG
  • Statements by third parties § 11 (1) sentence 1 no. 11 HWG
  • Before and after comparison § 11 (1) sentence 1 no. 5 and sentence 3 no. 1 HWG
  • Fear of what happens without treatment § 11 (1) sentence 1 no. 7 HWG
  • Prize draw or raffle § 11 (1) sentence 1 no. 13 HWG; § 7 HWG
  • Samples § 11 (1) sentence 1 nos. 14 and 15 HWG
  • Gift, discount or voucher § 7 (1) HWG
  • Loyalty or bonus scheme § 7 (1) HWG
  • Remote treatment § 9 HWG (BGH, I ZR 146/20)
  • Homeopathic medicine with an area of use § 5 HWG

Diseases in the annex to § 12 HWG

§ 12 HWG

  • Malignant growths (cancer) § 12 (2) HWG, annex A no. 2
  • Addiction § 12 (2) HWG, annex A no. 3
  • Notifiable infectious disease § 12 (2) HWG, annex A no. 1 (§§ 6, 7 IfSG)
  • Complications of pregnancy and birth § 12 (2) HWG, annex A no. 4

Health claims for supplements (Reg. 1924/2006, LMIV Art. 7)

Art. 10, 12, 14 HCVO

  • Prevents disease Art. 7(3) LMIV; Art. 14 HCVO
  • Reduces a disease risk Art. 14 HCVO
  • Works against a disease Art. 7(3) LMIV; for treatments § 3 sentence 2 no. 1 HWG
  • Supplement for a complaint Art. 7(3) LMIV; Art. 10(1) HCVO
  • Vague health benefit Art. 10(1) and (3) HCVO
  • Speed or amount of weight loss Art. 12(b) HCVO
  • Fear of deficiency without the product Art. 12(a) HCVO

Good to know

Questions about the HWG

Short answers to what colleagues ask most. Notes, not legal advice.

May I name indications on my website?

In general yes, as long as the sentence describes what you do and promises no result. The HWG bans giving a treatment an effect it does not have and suggesting that success is certain (§ 3 HWG). Treating the diseases in the annex to § 12 HWG, such as cancer or notifiable infections, may not be advertised to the public at all.

May I advertise with patient testimonials?

Since the 2012 reform, statements by third parties are banned only when used in an abusive, repellent or misleading way (§ 11 HWG). A testimonial that says your method worked can still credit it with an effect it does not have, which § 3 HWG bans. Case histories are also banned when their detail could lead a reader to a false self-diagnosis.

What happens after a warning letter (Abmahnung)?

Competitors and qualified associations can demand that you stop, and they are expected to send a warning letter before they go to court (§§ 8, 13 UWG). The letter usually asks you to sign a promise to stop, backed by a contractual penalty. Many breaches of the HWG are also administrative offences with fines of up to 50,000 euros (§ 15 HWG), so have a lawyer read the letter before you sign anything.

Does the HWG apply to Instagram?

Yes. The HWG covers advertising as soon as it relates to illness, whatever the channel (§ 1 HWG). A post, a story or a reel about a treatment for a complaint follows the same rules as your website, and a public profile can be read by anyone, so the rules for advertising to the public apply (§§ 11, 12 HWG).

May I recommend supplements?

Yes, but a post or a page that promotes a supplement is advertising, and for food supplements the EU health claims regulation (HCVO) applies on top of the HWG. Only health claims the EU has authorised are allowed, in their authorised wording, and no food may be said to prevent, treat or cure a disease (Art. 10 HCVO, Art. 7(3) LMIV).

Sources

Related guides

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