*Barbara Ciereszko and her 'hexagonal water'

Barbara Ciereszko is back with another advert in Nexus magazine (more carefully worded than the last one).

UPDATE, 31 May: ASA write to say they've asked the advertisers to remove the claim "Would you like to transform your tap water into hexagonal water?" and to advertise the product on an "availability only" platform in the future.

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If you didn't know, "hexagonal water" is a stable hexagonal crystalline cluster of water molecules that - errr, doesn't exist. This article thoroughly debunks the idea.

Barbara's sparsely-worded new advert isn't good enough to persuade me not to complain to the ASA. Again.

"I write to complain about an advert in "Nexus" magazine (April-May 2010, Vol 17, No 3, p10).

The advert, for Barbara Ciereszko, promotes a method of turning tap water into "hexagonal water".

I suspect that the advert may be in breach of one section of the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP) code. I can provide an original copy of the advert by post, if required.

1. Water molecules have a tendency to form small groups, called "clusters", due to the hydrogen bonds between them. These clusters exist for just picoseconds.

2. Proponents of "hexagonal water" claim that water can form stable hexagonal crystal structures with special properties. Numerous companies (mainly in America) sell products that claim to utilise these special properties.

3. The CAP Code, Section 3.1, states "Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation."

4. Under Sections 3.1, I challenge whether the advertiser holds documentary evidence to prove any of the following claims:

(i) "Hexagonal water" actually exists
(ii) The advertiser's product(s) can "transform your tap water into hexagonal water"

5. I confirm that I have no connections with the advertiser, the magazine or with the alternative medicine industry in general. I confirm that I am not involved in legal proceedings with the advertiser or the magazine."