New Delhi, May 28 -- A drinkable sunscreen and a roll-on pen claiming to "balance cortisol". Offshore betting ads woven into cricket reels and influencer pages, vanishing during takedowns only to resurface under new aliases. In FY26, India's advertising landscape felt less like a regulated market and more like a moving target.

regulatory ad body Advertising Standards Council of India's (ASCI's) Annual Complaints Report 2025-26, accessed exclusively by Mint, misleading ads have become more complex and digital, and harder to contain. While health, wellness, and personal care claims grew increasingly sophisticated and hard to challenge in real time, offshore betting and gaming emerged as the year's greatest enforcement hurdle.

Four-year tr...