TL;DR
- Meta publishes no list of banned words; its mostly automated system reviews images, video, text, targeting and the landing page, typically within 24 hours.
- The Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes policy bars ads that assert or imply a viewer's personal attributes, such as age, religion, health or vulnerable financial status.
- The Health and Wellness page, last updated 22 July 2026, allows before and after images for general cosmetic products and procedures with 18+ targeting, but bans appearance insults.
- Ads for loans, credit cards and insurance must target people aged 18 and over, and loans requiring full repayment within 90 days or less cannot be advertised.
- Passing Meta's review does not make an ad legal in Thailand; some health products still need advertising approval from the Thai FDA before publication.
Facebook's banned ad words are not a fixed vocabulary list. Meta does not publish a list of forbidden words; it reviews the whole ad, including images, video, text, targeting and the landing page, against the Meta Advertising Standards. The wording that gets ads rejected is therefore a pattern rather than a word: referring to the viewer's personal attributes, insulting someone's appearance, claiming to cure a disease, or promising a result within a set time.
Most people searching for Facebook's banned ad words, known in Thai as คำต้องห้าม Facebook, have just had an ad rejected and want to know what to change. This guide goes through the policies that affect wording one at a time, explains what the review system checks, shows how to fix an ad and request another review, and ends with how Meta's rules differ from Thai advertising law overseen by the Thai FDA (อย.) and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (สคบ.). These are separate systems, and an ad has to clear both.
Which words are banned in Facebook ads
Grouped by the policies Meta publishes in its Transparency Center, high-risk wording falls into a few main groups. The table summarises the patterns that get ads rejected, with a fix that still communicates the same offer.
| Risky wording pattern | Relevant Meta policy | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Asking or stating that the viewer has a personal attribute, such as "Do you have diabetes?" or "Drowning in debt?" | Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes | Talk about the service instead of the viewer, such as "Diabetes consultation service" |
| Insulting appearance, such as "So fat nobody looks at you" | Health and Wellness | Describe the product's benefit without attacking anyone's appearance |
| Cure claims, or results within a set time without qualifiers, such as "Slim in 7 days" | Health and Wellness | Remove disease cure claims, state results with qualifiers, and drop sensational time frames |
| Asking for bank account or card details in the ad, or promoting short-term loans | Financial and Insurance Products and Services | Send people to a page with the legally required information, and check the product is not in a prohibited group |
The table does not cover every policy. Meta also restricts or prohibits other categories, such as alcohol, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, cryptocurrency, online gambling and Dating Ads. For most Thai businesses, though, wording problems come from the three groups in this table.
What is Meta's personal attributes policy
The official name of this policy is "Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes". It has two parts. First, ads must not share or ask for private information about users. Second, ads must not assert or imply that the viewer has certain personal attributes.
The personal attributes Meta lists are race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation or practices, gender identity, disability, physical or mental health (including medical conditions), vulnerable financial status, voting status, membership in a trade union, criminal record, and name.
The test is whether the ad talks about the product or about the viewer. The examples on Meta's policy page make this clear. Allowed copy says what the service is, such as depression counselling. Copy that is not allowed turns to the viewer directly, such as asking whether they have diabetes or what religion they follow.
In Thai, the problem usually comes from opening with "you" followed by an attribute. Examples of rewrites:
- "Are you suffering from depression?" becomes "Mental health counselling with psychologists".
- "People in their 40s like you should start caring for their skin" becomes "Skincare for skin aged 40 and over".
- "Blacklisted by the credit bureau?" becomes "Debt repayment planning advice".
Notice that the rewritten copy still speaks to the same audience, but no longer claims to know who the viewer is. Meta makes an exception for public service announcements about health that inform people about a condition, as long as they do not say the viewer or their family has that condition.
Why before and after ads get rejected
Many older guides say Meta bans before and after images in every case. The wording on the current Health and Wellness page, whose change log shows a latest update on 22 July 2026, is narrower. The policy places "general cosmetic products, procedures or surgeries depicting before and after transformation" in the group that can be advertised when the ad targets people aged 18 and over.
Before and after ads can still be rejected for several reasons:
- No 18+ age targeting. Ads for dietary, health, weight loss or weight gain products, and for cosmetic products, procedures or surgeries, must target people at least 18 years old.
- Insulting appearance. Ads for weight loss or weight gain products, and for cosmetic products or procedures, must not contain statements of inferiority about physical appearance, or negative questions that attack a person's appearance.
- Close-ups of pinched fat. Weight loss or weight gain ads must not show close-ups of pinching fat on a body area, and must not claim results come solely from wearing a product.
- Health clickbait. Ads must not use exaggerated claims or promise outcomes within a set time frame without qualifiers.
One more point needs care. The current policy page lists before and after transformations under general cosmetic products, procedures and surgeries. For dietary weight loss or weight gain products, ads targeted at people 18 and over may show people using the product and its effects, but must clearly indicate the time taken to achieve noticeable results. Thai law has its own conditions that must be checked separately, covered further down.
Health, beauty and finance categories Meta restricts
Health and beauty (Health and Wellness)
Beyond the before and after rules above, the Health and Wellness page says ads must not promote skin whitening or bleaching products that change skin colour permanently. Ads also must not claim to cure, heal or eliminate the incurable or terminal illnesses the policy lists, even if the claim comes from health professionals or health organisations. Talking about managing symptoms is allowed.
Some products need no age targeting, such as general wellbeing products like fitness equipment or health clubs, general food products including protein, non-permanent cosmetic and beauty products such as make-up or hair products, and dental products such as teeth whitening.
Finance and insurance (Financial and Insurance Products and Services)
Ads for credit cards, loans and insurance must target people aged 18 and over, must include legally required disclosures, and must not ask for personal or financial information such as bank account numbers or card details. Advertisers must verify their business or individual identity and, in countries where it is required, show authorisation from the relevant regulator, which Meta may review.
Products this page prohibits include payday loans, paycheck advances, bail bonds, and loans that require full repayment within 90 days or less, as well as instruments Meta treats as deceptive or misleading, such as binary options, CFDs and ICOs. Brand ads for banks or insurance companies, and educational content about applying for or managing loans, can run without the authorisation described above.
How to fix a rejected ad and whether you can request a review
Yes, you can request another review. Meta explains that its ad review system relies mainly on automated tools. Review starts automatically before an ad runs and is typically completed within 24 hours, with the status shown as "In review" in the meantime. Review covers images, video, text, targeting information and the landing page, and the products in the ad must match the products on the landing page. Ads that have already been approved can be reviewed again later.
When an ad is rejected, there are two routes:
- Edit the ad. Read the reason the system gives, find the policy it cites, and fix every related element. The headline is rarely the only problem, because the system checks images, text on images, targeting and the landing page too. An edited or newly created ad is treated as a new ad and reviewed again.
- Request a review in Account Quality. If you believe the decision was wrong, you can request a review of it in Account Quality. Choose this route when you are confident the creative does not break the policy.
Do not keep resubmitting the same creative unchanged. Meta states that when it finds a violation, the ad is rejected and the Business Account or its assets may be restricted, so repeated rejections cost more than time.
A checklist before resubmitting:
- Every line of copy is about the product or service, not about the viewer.
- There is no appearance insult, no "cured for good" claim and no unqualified time frame.
- 18+ age targeting is set for the categories the policy requires.
- Text on images and in video meets the same standard as the ad copy.
- The landing page sells the same product as the ad and makes no claims the ad itself avoids.
How this differs from Thai legal ad-wording rules (อย. and สคบ.)
Meta's policies are platform rules; Thai law is state regulation. The two apply separately. An ad that passes Meta's review is not necessarily legal in Thailand, and an ad approved under Thai law can still fail Meta's policies. Meta itself has a Locally Illegal Content, Products or Services policy, which means advertisers must also follow the laws of the country where the ad is shown.
| Issue | Meta ad policy | Thai advertising law |
|---|---|---|
| Who enforces it | Meta, through automated review and appeals | Government agencies, such as the Thai FDA for health products and the OCPB for general goods and services |
| Main focus | User experience, privacy and targeting | The truth of claims and consumer protection |
| Consequence of breaking it | Rejected ads or restricted accounts | Legal liability, which is a matter for legal advice |
The Food and Drug Administration (อย.) oversees health products such as food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and herbal products. Some product groups, such as drugs, need advertising approval from the Thai FDA before publication. The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (สคบ.) oversees advertising of general goods and services so that it does not use wording that is unfair to consumers, such as false or exaggerated statements.
In practice, Thai law tends to be strict about the substance of a claim, such as what a supplement or cosmetic does, while Meta is strict about how the ad addresses the viewer and how it is targeted. Copy like "Is your skin dark?" can fail Meta immediately because it refers to a viewer attribute, while copy like "permanently whiter" carries risk at both levels. This article is general information only. For products regulated by the Thai FDA, check the conditions with the agency directly or consult a legal professional before running ads.
What businesses in Thailand should do
The Thai market has many beauty clinics, supplement brands and lenders, which are the three categories both Meta and Thai law watch closely. A practical approach is to check ad copy in two layers. The first layer checks the claim against Thai law, including whether the product needs Thai FDA advertising approval. The second checks against Meta's policies that the wording does not turn to the viewer, does not insult appearance, and has the right age targeting.
Thai ad copy often uses "คุณ" (you) to feel personal, and that habit needs extra care, because "you" plus a word about illness, weight, skin, debt or age is exactly the pattern the personal attributes policy prohibits. Make the product or service the subject of the sentence, and most copy will pass without losing its meaning.
Questions about Facebook's banned ad words
Does Meta publish a list of banned words for Facebook ads?
No, Meta does not publish a list of banned words; it reviews the whole ad against the Meta Advertising Standards. The same word can pass in one sentence and fail in another, depending on whether it describes the product or the viewer.
Can I use before and after images in Facebook ads?
Yes, in some cases: the current Health and Wellness page allows before and after images for general cosmetic products and procedures when the ad targets people aged 18 and over. The ad must not contain appearance insults, and weight loss ads must not use close-ups of pinched fat.
Should I edit a rejected ad or request a review?
Edit the ad if it genuinely breaks a policy, and request a review in Account Quality if you are confident the decision was wrong. An edited ad is reviewed again as a new ad.
If Meta approves my ad, is it legal in Thailand?
No, Meta approval only means the ad meets platform rules. Some health products still need advertising approval from the Thai FDA, and every ad must avoid false or exaggerated wording under consumer protection rules.
Have a team that knows the policies check ads before launch
Repeated rejections waste campaign time and can affect the business account. If you want help planning campaigns and checking creative before submission, see Relevant Audience's Facebook Ads management service and Instagram ads service. Clinics and health businesses that need to work within both platform policy and industry rules can look at marketing for health businesses, and brands planning ads across several platforms can look at Relevant Social Ads.
