KKM Ad Compliance Self-Check.
Tick what your planned clinic ad does. We'll flag the risk on each and suggest a compliant alternative — before you hit publish.
This self-check runs planned clinic ad copy against 9 rules drawn from KKM/MOH Aesthetic Medical Practice Guidelines — promotional pricing, before/after photography and guarantee claims among them — and suggests a compliant alternative phrasing for each flagged item.
It is an educational tick-box tool, not a substitute for confirming a specific ad with KKM directly.
What this checklist checks
The categories below are listed in full — the checker above just tells you which of these apply to your specific ad.
More detail on What this checklist checks
- Guarantee/outcome language — restricted under KKM/MOH Aesthetic Medical Practice Guidelines and the Medicines (Advertisement & Sale) Act 1956.
- Before/after treatment photography — restricted under KKM/MOH Aesthetic Medical Practice Guidelines.
- Price-based inducements and promos — restricted under general Malaysian advertising standards for medical/aesthetic services.
- Naming prescription products or scheduled substances — restricted under the Medicines (Advertisement & Sale) Act 1956.
- Safety-minimising claims ("no risk," "painless") — restricted under KKM/MOH guidelines.
- Cure/treat claims for medical conditions — restricted under KKM/MOH guidelines and the Act 1956.
- Patient testimonials about clinical outcomes — restricted under KKM/MOH guidelines.
- Superlative/comparative claims ("best," "#1") — discouraged under general medical advertising standards.
- Manufactured urgency (contests, "limited slots") — restricted as an inducement to medical bookings.
Methodology — where this checklist comes from
Each item on this checklist is drawn from the same compliance framework we apply when reviewing creative for managed clinic accounts through our performance marketing service — the KKM/MOH Aesthetic Medical Practice Guidelines, the Medicines (Advertisement & Sale) Act 1956, and general Malaysian advertising standards for medical services.
More detail on Methodology — where this checklist comes from
It is not a substitute for legal advice: treat a "no flags" result as a reasonable first pass, not clearance, and confirm anything borderline with the relevant authority or your own adviser before publishing.
Last reviewed: August 2026
See the regulation tracker for dated changes to Malaysian, Singaporean and Australian advertising rules.
- Cite this
- shakalakaa (Plixitt Solutions). “KKM Ad Compliance Self-Check.”
- https://shakalakaa.my/tools/kkm-ad-checker · Updated 2026-10-09
- Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- shakalakaa (Plixitt Solutions). "KKM Ad Compliance Self-Check." https://shakalakaa.my/tools/kkm-ad-checker. Updated 2026-10-09. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Why clinic ad compliance matters in Malaysia
Aesthetic and dental advertising in Malaysia sits under real regulation — principally the KKM/MOH Aesthetic Medical Practice Guidelines, the Medicines (Advertisement & Sale) Act 1956, and Malaysian Dental Council guidance for dental practices.
More detail on Why clinic ad compliance matters in Malaysia
These frameworks restrict things most clinics don't realise are a problem: before/after photography, guaranteed-outcome language, price-based inducements, testimonials about clinical results, and naming prescription products to the public.
A non-compliant ad isn't just a takedown risk on Meta or Google — it can put the practice's standing at risk.
- See what a KKLIU approval number is and when your ad needs one. Hospitals and healthcare groups apply the same checks across many departments — see how we plan healthcare marketing for hospitals.
- This self-check walks through the attributes that most often trigger a problem and, for each one you tick, explains which area of the rules it touches and how to say the same thing compliantly.
- It's the same logic we apply when we build campaigns for clinics — compliance and performance are one job, not two.
- Use it as a first pass, then confirm anything borderline with the relevant authority or your adviser — see the full step-by-step compliance-check workflow for the reasoning behind each flag.
- If you'd rather hand the whole thing over, our aesthetic clinic marketing programme builds compliant creative systems from the ground up, and the KKM & MDC advertising rules guide goes deeper on the specifics.
- Evaluating agencies for this specifically? See the guide to choosing a clinic marketing agency. Running a dental practice instead? Use the MDC version, scoped to Malaysian Dental Council guidance and dental-specific issues like specialist-title claims.
- Wondering specifically about before/after photos, or what actually happens if you breach these rules? Both get their own dedicated answer.
Related compliance checkers
The same self-check pattern, applied to other markets and verticals — all openly sourced, same as this one.
MDC Dental Ad Checker Dental clinic
MYLive-Selling Claim Checker Live commerce
MYLoan Ad Compliance Checker Licensed moneylending
MYMOH Ad Compliance Checker Healthcare (HCSA)
SGPDPA DNC Checker Do Not Call / PDPA
SGAHPRA Ad Checker Medical / allied health
AUAU Privacy & Spam Act Checker Spam Act / Privacy Act
AUHK Medical Ad Checker Undesirable Medical Ads Ord.
HKTFDA Ad Checker Pharmaceutical / Fair Trade
TWXHS Verification Checker Xiaohongshu (RedNote) platform
CNKeep exploring
Frequently Asked Questions
What words are banned in aesthetic clinic ads in Malaysia?+
There's no single official banned-word list, but certain claim types are consistently restricted: guarantees ("100% effective", "permanent"), safety-minimising language ("no risk", "painless"), cure claims, and superlatives ("best", "#1"). Our aesthetic clinic marketing team reviews creative against these categories before anything goes live.
Is 'before and after' allowed in KKM-compliant ads?+
Before/after treatment photography for aesthetic procedures is restricted under the KKM/MOH Aesthetic Medical Practice Guidelines, regardless of how the results are framed. Use educational or process visuals, practitioner credentials, or clinic environment shots instead.
Can I advertise a promo price for a clinic treatment?+
Price-based inducements ("from RMx", limited-time discounts) for medical or aesthetic services are restricted, since they can trivialise a clinical decision. Lead with consultation and suitability messaging instead, and discuss pricing privately once a patient has been assessed.
Does this replace legal review of my ad?+
No — this is an educational first-pass self-check covering the most common risk areas we see across managed clinic accounts, not legal clearance. Always confirm anything borderline with the relevant authority or your own adviser before publishing, especially for claims not covered here.
What words are banned in aesthetic clinic ads in Malaysia?
There's no single official banned-word list, but certain claim types are consistently restricted: guarantees ("100% effective", "permanent"), safety-minimising language ("no risk", "painless"), cure claims, and superlatives ("best", "#1"). Our aesthetic clinic marketing team reviews creative against these categories before anything goes live.
Is 'before and after' allowed in KKM-compliant ads?
Before/after treatment photography for aesthetic procedures is restricted under the KKM/MOH Aesthetic Medical Practice Guidelines, regardless of how the results are framed. Use educational or process visuals, practitioner credentials, or clinic environment shots instead — see the checklist above for the full list of common triggers.
More questions (2)
Can I advertise a promo price for a clinic treatment?
Price-based inducements ("from RMx", limited-time discounts) for medical or aesthetic services are restricted, since they can trivialise a clinical decision. Lead with consultation and suitability messaging instead, and discuss pricing privately once a patient has been assessed — our performance marketing service builds compliant funnels around this exact constraint.
Does this replace legal review of my ad?
No — this is an educational first-pass self-check covering the most common risk areas we see across managed clinic accounts, not legal clearance. Always confirm anything borderline with the relevant authority or your own adviser before publishing, especially for claims not covered here.
Running a dental practice instead? Use the MDC ad checker, scoped to Malaysian Dental Council guidance.