TikTok Shop's new product claims rules: what UK sellers need to change
TikTok Shop guide · November 2026
By Sweet Gen Media, TikTok Shop agency in Bournemouth
TikTok Shop has published new guidance for UK sellers on the claims you make in product listings. It sets out three golden rules, a checklist to run before any listing goes live, and extra requirements for six product categories. Here's what it says, and what to change in your shop this week.
The short version: every claim in your listing must be complete, provable and consistent. Give shoppers the full specification, keep evidence for anything measurable, put any condition right next to the claim it limits, and make sure your title, images, product page and creator content all say the same thing.
What TikTok published, and when
The guidance is a TikTok Shop Academy article called Guide to Making Accurate, Complete & Verifiable Product Claims in Your Listings, dated 18 September 2026 and marked as applying to the United Kingdom. TikTok then featured it in its September 2026 Seller Policy Pulse, the monthly roundup of seller policy updates, dated 12 October 2026.
It sits alongside TikTok's existing Guidelines for Absolute Terms & Exaggerated Product Descriptions, dated 5 December 2025. TikTok says the policies and examples in both guides are not exhaustive.
The three golden rules
TikTok wants these applied before any listing or promotional claim goes live.
1. Complete the listing
A shopper should be able to identify the product, check it suits them and fits what they own, use it safely and know exactly what's in the box. In practice that means:
- Fill in every mandatory field, plus every conditional field that applies to your product.
- Give exact specifications with units, the model or variant, the pack contents, and materials or ingredients.
- Spell out any limits: which surfaces, settings or modes it works with, how long it lasts, who it's for, and whether it needs installing.
2. Make every claim provable
Any claim about measurements, performance, results, comparisons, certification or safety needs evidence that matches your exact product and your exact wording. Keep that evidence to hand: the label, packaging, manufacturer instructions, test reports or certificates. If the evidence only holds under certain conditions, those conditions sit right next to the claim.
3. Keep everything consistent
Your title, first image, product page, specifications, packaging and promotional content must all describe the same product, variant, quantity and performance. Images, captions and anything said on camera can't suggest a feature, result or included item the listing doesn't back up. And if a claim has an important condition, repeat that condition everywhere the claim appears.
Words to avoid unless you can prove them
TikTok names absolute words like "100% effective", "best", "No. 1", "guaranteed" and "permanent". You can only use them if the claim is accurate, you can support it, and its scope is clear. Its absolute terms guidelines add "100% Natural" and "100% Organic" to the list of claims that need proof.
The same guidelines also cover:
- Awards: only mention one if it's accurate and you hold the evidence.
- Natural, organic or bio claims: show the real product packaging, including every side where the claim appears.
- Health claims: no unsupported weight loss or calorie claims, and no suggestion that a product cures or treats anything.
- Comparisons: no misleading before-and-after images, and no comparisons with products on other ecommerce platforms, such as "cheaper than" another listing.
Put the condition next to the claim
If a result depends on how, where, how much or how long a product is used, TikTok wants that condition stated next to the claim. These are the claim types it lists, with our own illustrations:
| Claim type | Add this | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life or runtime | The mode and test conditions | "Up to 6 hours on the lowest brightness setting" |
| Coverage | The room size or surface | "For rooms up to 15 m²" |
| Size or fit | Measurements and fit type | "Relaxed fit; full size guide below" |
| Material or colour | Material content and any limitations | "80% cotton, 20% elastane; dark colours may transfer when new" |
| Capacity or quantity | Exact volume, weight, serving or pack count | "250 ml bottle" or "Pack of 3" |
| Cleaning results | The surface, method and conditions | "Lifts everyday marks from sealed wood when used as directed" |
| Shaping or functional clothing | Who it's for, how it's worn, and its limits | "Light support for everyday wear; results vary by body shape" |
| Ingredients or nutrition | Amount per serving, with units | "Each capsule contains 10 mg of zinc" |
| Fitness or wellbeing | The context, using wording permitted in that market | Only claims that are permitted and supported for your product |
| Noise | A decibel figure and the mode it was measured in | "40 dB on the night setting" |
Creator videos and LIVEs count too
This isn't only about the words on your product page. TikTok says images, subtitles, voiceovers, what's said in a LIVE and creators' talking points should all be checked against your product page before they go out. For supplements, TikTok's checklist adds that the product page, the packaging and creator content should use the same permitted wording and required disclaimers.
For brands running affiliate programmes, that makes the creator brief part of compliance. TikTok says it can take action when promotional content, not just the listing, is incomplete, unverifiable, exaggerated or inconsistent. So if a creator says your serum "clears acne in a week" and your listing can't back that up, that's a risk to your shop. The guide also links to TikTok's guidance for creators, including Misleading Claims Explained: What Creators Need to Know.
Rules by category
The guide adds requirements for six categories on top of the three golden rules. In TikTok's wording, "must" is a requirement and "should" is recommended practice.
| Category | What to include | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Household appliances | Brand and model, size and weight, power, voltage and plug type, capacity, warranty and box contents. For cordless products: battery, charge time, runtime by mode, and whether a charger is included | "Runs all day" without battery and test details, "silent" for anything that makes noise, "suitable for all fabrics", or whole-house claims for a product that covers one room |
| Home supplies | Exact size, material and pack quantity, load limits and fixings. For cleaning and fragranced products: net quantity, ingredients where required, dilution, contact time, suitable surfaces and safety warnings | "Fits all kitchens" unless it truly does, "removes 100% of stains", or fragrance claims that ignore room size and ventilation. Antibacterial, disinfecting and pest-control claims must be supported and authorised where required |
| Apparel | A full size chart that separates body and garment measurements, fit and stretch, the model's height and size, fabric percentages that add up to 100%, and your authorisation status for any brand, team, film, logo or artwork used | "One size fits all", filters or AI images that change how the product looks, and unsupported sun protection, waterproof or shaping claims. |
| Car and motorbike parts | Exact fitment by make, model and year, position, part numbers and exclusions, plus connectors, voltage and installation needs | Leaving shoppers to work out compatibility, implying universal fit, or reusing a UK approval claim in an EU market without checking it applies |
| Health supplements | Full ingredients, serving size, amount per serving, daily intake, allergens, caffeine content and warnings for groups such as pregnant people | Any claim that it diagnoses, treats, cures or prevents a condition, weight-loss or body-shape promises, detox claims and guaranteed results. TikTok calls this a higher-risk category |
| Audio and video | Real ports, box contents, compatibility and the test conditions behind any figure | Calling a projector "4K" when only its input is 4K, quoting peak power as continuous output, or "professional" and "universal" without specifications |
Selling beauty, fragrance or something else not listed? The three golden rules and TikTok's pre-publication checklist apply to every category; the category sections only add to them.
What happens if a listing breaks the rules
TikTok says it can remove or suppress listings, apply account penalties or take other action when product information or promotional content is incomplete, can't be verified, is exaggerated or doesn't match.
- Violation tickets: absolute terms used without proof can lead to an "Absolute Terms" violation in your Shop Health Violation Records.
- Repeat violations: if they build up, TikTok can apply further enforcement to the account, which it calls Accumulated Violation (Milestone) Enforcement.
- Appeals: if you think a decision is wrong, check the policy for that market and submit evidence for the exact product and claim, such as packaging, labels, manufacturer instructions, test reports or certificates.
What to do this week
This is our advice for putting the guidance into practice, starting with the listings that earn the most.
- Audit your best sellers first. Open each top listing beside TikTok's pre-publication checklist and fix any gaps in specs, contents and limits.
- Search for absolute words. Look for "best", "No. 1", "100%", "guaranteed", "permanent", "natural" and "organic" in titles, descriptions and images. Prove it, add the condition, or take it out.
- Build an evidence folder per product. Keep the label, packaging photos, manufacturer instructions, test reports and certificates together. It's the same evidence TikTok asks for if you appeal.
- Line everything up. Check the title, first image, product page and packaging describe the same product, variant and quantity.
- Update your creator briefs. Add the claims creators can make about each product and the phrases they must avoid, and check videos against the product page before boosting them.
- Selling into Europe? TikTok's supplements section warns that a claim allowed in one UK or EU market isn't automatically allowed in another. Check each market before you sync listings.
Want a second pair of eyes on your listings?
Sweet Gen Media is a TikTok Shop agency and TikTok Shop Partner based in Bournemouth, working with brands across the UK, US and Europe. Our free TikTok Shop audit checks your top listings against TikTok's claims guidance and shows you what to fix first.
Get your free TikTok Shop auditSources
- Guide to Making Accurate, Complete & Verifiable Product Claims in Your Listings, TikTok Shop Academy, dated 18 September 2026
- Seller Policy Pulse (September 2026), TikTok Shop Academy, dated 12 October 2026
- Guidelines for Absolute Terms & Exaggerated Product Descriptions, TikTok Shop Academy, dated 5 December 2025
This post summarises TikTok Shop's published guidance as of 3 November 2026. TikTok updates these pages, so check Seller Center before you act. It isn't legal advice.