Aesthetic clinic marketing means getting the clinic found by people searching for a procedure and getting them to trust it, within the rules that apply to the professional performing the treatment. What can appear in an ad changes by professional: doctors follow CFM Resolution 2.336/2023 (from Brazil’s Federal Council of Medicine), biomedical professionals follow the CFBM Code of Ethics, and estheticians follow Law 13.643/2018. The channels that bring in the most clients are Google, in search and Google Maps, one page per procedure, and an Instagram that explains before it sells.
This guide does not replace reading the rules or consulting the council for your profession.
Whoever performs the procedure defines what you can advertise
There is no single advertising rule for aesthetics, because aesthetic treatments are performed by different professions, each with its own rules. Before writing any piece, find out who performs the procedure you want to promote.
| Who performs it | Applicable rule | What changes in the ad |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor | CFM Resolution 2.336/2023 | Can advertise consultation prices, campaign discounts and educational before and after photos. Cannot promise results. |
| Aesthetic biomedical professional | CFBM Code of Ethics | Before and after photos with consent and a mandatory caption. Promotions, packages and offers are treated as commercialization of the service. |
| Esthetician and aesthetics technician | Law 13.643/2018 | The law defines what the profession does, and the ad cannot promote what the profession does not do. |
The same clinic can have all three professionals. In that case, each promotional piece must follow the rules of whoever performs that procedure, and the most restrictive content usually sets the floor for the whole profile.
Doctors: what CFM Resolution 2.336/2023 allows
The resolution has been in force since March 2024 and covers advertising by doctors and medical establishments. It allows you to state the consultation price and payment methods, announce discounts in promotional campaigns, show the office and Anvisa-approved equipment (Anvisa is Brazil’s health regulator), and publish selfies, videos and audio, as long as they are not sensationalist. You can read the full text in the resolution published by the CFM.
What remains prohibited is what shows up most in aesthetic clinics. The resolution forbids guaranteeing, promising or implying good treatment results, attributing superior capability to devices, advertising equipment not registered with Anvisa, and presenting a technique as having superior capability, even if the doctor is the only one who performs it.
Two requirements apply to every piece. The ad includes the doctor’s name, the CRM number (the doctor’s medical council registration) with the word “doctor”, and the specialty followed by the RQE (specialist registration number), when there is one. On social media, this information goes on the profile’s main page. For a clinic, the ad must also include the establishment’s name with its CRM registration and the name of the medical technical director.
Another point for those with an esthetician on the team: the resolution allows the doctor to advertise the clinic’s services performed by a professional in a related field, as long as the doctor supervises and records the prescription in the patient’s chart.
Aesthetic biomedical professionals: the CFBM Code of Ethics
The Code of Ethics published on the Federal Council of Biomedicine website devotes a chapter to advertising, and it is stricter than the CFM’s on pricing and promotions.
What the code requires:
- the name of the biomedical professional and of the legal entity, with council registration numbers, registered qualifications, titles, address and hours;
- client authorization through a consent form to publish an image, selfie or result;
- on result images, a caption stating that the image does not guarantee a result, because each person has unique anatomical and physiological characteristics;
- on before and after photos, a caption stating that publication was authorized by the client.
What the code prohibits: expressions such as “the best”, “the most effective” or “guaranteed result”, images that suggest a misleading result, and videos that teach the procedure technique to laypeople. The paragraph on commercialization mentions advertising service packages, promotions and offers. The technical manager is also responsible for what the company advertises.
In other words, a “facial harmonization Black Friday” campaign that works for a medical clinic can be a violation at a biomedical clinic.
Estheticians: what Law 13.643/2018 establishes
Law 13.643/2018 regulates the professions of esthetician and aesthetics technician. It has no advertising chapter. What it gives your ad is the limit of what the profession does.
The aesthetics technician performs facial, body and hair aesthetic procedures using cosmetics, techniques and equipment registered with Anvisa. The esthetician and cosmetologist can also take on technical responsibility for the aesthetics center. The sole paragraph of article 1 says the law does not cover medical aesthetics, and refers to Law 12.842/2013, which lists invasive procedures as an activity exclusive to doctors.
In practice, an aesthetics center’s ad should not mention invasive procedures or use unregistered products. Google Ads also blocks unapproved products, as you will see further on. The law also asks estheticians to be transparent with clients about techniques, products used and quotes, which fits well with a well-explained procedure page.
Aesthetic clinic marketing: the channels that bring in clients
When promoting an aesthetic clinic, remember that people looking for aesthetic treatments search for the procedure and the city, look at photos and reviews, and only then message on WhatsApp. That is why the channels that bring in the most clients follow this order.
1. Google Business Profile
It is the first place the search “aesthetic clinic near me” lands. Get the right primary category, list each procedure as a service, and add hours, real photos of the room and team, and replies to reviews. The step-by-step is in how to optimize Google Business Profile. On photos, it is also worth reading what helps and what doesn’t in Google Business Profile photos.
2. One page per procedure
Someone searching “deep skin cleansing” or “lip filler” wants a page that explains that procedure. One page per procedure, covering who performs it, what the assessment is like, what to expect, how many sessions are usually recommended and the contraindications, answers the search better than a single “services” page. It is also the ad’s landing page, which counts toward Quality Score.
Put on the page the information required by the professional’s rules, such as the doctor’s CRM or the biomedical professional’s registration.
3. Instagram that explains
Instagram is where people check whether the clinic is serious. Content that answers real questions works: what the first assessment is like, what happens after the procedure, what not to do the following week. To organize what to post, see the content funnel.
4. Google Ads for people who are already searching
The ad reaches people who typed the procedure and the city and want to book now. It is the fastest channel, and the one that demands the most care with the copy. See the next section.
Before and after: only if the professional’s rules allow it
Before and after photos are the most sought-after piece and the most penalized. The rule changes by professional, and the right question is which rule applies to whoever performed the procedure.
- Physician. The resolution allows showing results for educational purposes. The image comes with educational text, indications, factors that influence the result and complications described in the scientific literature. The set must show both satisfactory and unsatisfactory outcomes, any editing or enhancement of the image is prohibited, and the patient cannot be identified.
- Biomedical professional. The code allows the image with a consent form and the required captions. It prohibits images that suggest a misleading result.
- Esthetician. The law has no specific rule. Without a specific norm, the prudent path is to copy the strictest standard from the councils: written consent, unedited image, same lighting and same angle, no identifiable face and no promise in the caption.
A nice photo with the caption “incredible transformation” meets none of the three.
Google Ads for an aesthetics clinic
Ads for an aesthetics clinic work when the campaign answers what the client is searching for: the procedure, the city and the option to book an evaluation. Google Ads management for this sector starts with three decisions.
- Procedure and city keywords. “Laser hair removal in Campinas” is a search with intent. “Aesthetics” alone brings in browsers and burns budget.
- Copy without promises. “Evaluation with the clinic team, service by appointment” gets approved. “Guaranteed results” and “the best treatment in town” fail both the councils’ rules and ad review.
- Procedure landing page. Every ad leads to the page for that procedure, with the WhatsApp button visible.
Google’s policy also limits targeting in sensitive categories. The page on restricted targeting in personalized advertising lists Health among the sensitive interest categories, and advertisers promoting in them cannot use advertiser-selected audiences, such as customer lists and segments built from their own data. If your campaign falls into this category, list-based remarketing is out, and what remains is a well-built search campaign.
For physicians, the ad copy must also include the CRM (medical license number) and the RQE (specialist registration), and the full breakdown of what Google Ads allows is in Google Ads for doctors and clinics.
Without tracking bookings, you don’t know which procedure and which keyword brought in a client. The WhatsApp click and the form must become conversions, as the guide to Google Ads conversions with Google Tag Manager shows.
What usually goes wrong
- Advertising an invasive procedure on an esthetician’s profile, or a product not registered with Anvisa, Brazil’s health regulator.
- Promoting packages and deals on a biomedical professional’s profile without checking the code.
- Putting “guaranteed results”, “permanent” or “the best” in any post or ad.
- Before and afters without consent, with a filter or with a recognizable patient.
- A Google Business Profile with the wrong category and no replies to reviews. For that, see how to reply to reviews on Google.
- Every ad sending people to the homepage.
Marketing for aesthetics clinics has neighboring fields with similar rules, and it’s worth comparing with medical marketing and marketing for dentists.
Frequently asked questions
Can an aesthetics clinic advertise on Google Ads? Yes, with procedure and city keywords, copy without promised results and the professional’s registration details when the rule requires them. Google’s health policy does not accept promotion of experimental treatments or of unapproved products sold as safe or effective.
Can you post before and after photos on Instagram? It depends on who performed the procedure. In Brazil, physicians can, for educational purposes and under the rules of Resolution 2.336/2023. Biomedical professionals can, with consent and the code’s captions. For estheticians, Law 13.643 has no specific rule, and the prudent path is to follow the councils’ standard.
Can estheticians advertise prices and promotions? Law 13.643 does not forbid it and asks for transparency about techniques, products and quotes. For physicians and biomedical professionals the rule changes: the CFM allows discounts in campaigns and the CFBM treats promotions and packages as commercialization.
How do you promote an aesthetics clinic without spending on ads? Start with a well-filled Google Business Profile, one page per procedure and an Instagram that answers questions. That is what puts the clinic in local search without paying per click.
Who is accountable for what the clinic advertises? At a medical clinic, the medical technical director is responsible for the establishment’s advertising. In biomedicine, the technical manager is also responsible for what the legal entity advertises.
Where to start
In the free Google Ads audit you see what the clinic’s account is doing today: where the budget goes, which searches generate leads and what is wasting clicks. If the clinic doesn’t advertise yet, marketing for aesthetics clinics starts with Google Ads management within your profession’s rules.