💡 What is the Sexual Health & Wellness Ad Policy?
Google has special rules for ads related to sexual health, wellness, and intimacy products. These ads are allowed in many countries — but they must follow strict guidelines around content, targeting, landing pages, certifications, and how products are described. This checklist walks you through every requirement in plain language so you can fix your account and get your ads approved.
Important: Some sexual health products and services require a Google certification before advertising. Others are allowed only in certain countries. Work through this entire checklist carefully — each item directly maps to a real Google policy requirement.
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Identify exactly which product or service category you are advertising
Google treats different sexual health products very differently. For example: condoms, lubricants, and fertility supplements have different rules than erectile dysfunction medication or sexual enhancement devices. Write down exactly what you sell so you can match it to Google's specific rules for that category.
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Check whether your product requires a Google Healthcare or Pharmacy certification
Products like prescription medications for sexual health (e.g. Viagra, Cialis, or similar) require a special Google certification before you are allowed to advertise them at all. Without this certification, your ads will always be disapproved — no amount of editing will fix it. Visit Google's Healthcare and Medicines policy page to apply.
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Confirm your product is legal to sell in the countries you are targeting
Some sexual health products are legal in one country but banned or restricted in another. Before advertising, confirm that your product is legally allowed to be sold and shipped to every country in your Google Ads targeting settings.
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Verify that Google allows advertising for your specific product type in your target country
Even if your product is legal locally, Google may restrict or ban advertising for certain sexual health products in specific countries or regions. Check Google's country-specific policy restrictions for your product category before running ads.
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Make sure you are not advertising any "adult content" products through standard Google Search or Display campaigns
Purely adult or pornographic products cannot be advertised on standard Google campaigns at all. If your product is in a grey area (e.g. intimate wellness devices), make sure your ads, images, and landing page stay clinical and wellness-focused — not sexually explicit.
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Your landing page must load correctly and not show errors
A page that gives a "404 error," loads blank, or crashes immediately will cause automatic disapproval. Test your landing page URL in your browser right now and make sure it fully loads on both mobile and desktop.
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Your landing page must not show sexually explicit imagery or language
Even if your product is a legitimate sexual wellness item, your landing page must remain professional and clinical. Remove any graphic sexual images, explicit descriptions, or adult-only language from the page your ad links to. Use neutral, health-focused descriptions instead.
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Your landing page must have an age verification gate if required
For certain sexual health or wellness products, Google requires that your website restricts access to adults only. If your product is intended for adults, add an age verification step (e.g. "Are you 18 or older?") before visitors can view the full page.
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Your website must clearly display your business name and contact information
A professional and transparent business identity is required. Your site must show your brand name, a working email address or phone number, and ideally a physical or business address. Anonymous or hard-to-identify businesses are flagged by Google reviewers.
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Your website must have a clear Privacy Policy that covers how you handle customer data
For any website that collects personal or health-related data, a Privacy Policy is mandatory. Your Privacy Policy must be easy to find (linked in the footer), and must clearly explain what data you collect, how you use it, and how customers can request deletion.
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Your landing page content must match exactly what the ad promises
If your ad mentions a specific product, offer, or health benefit — that exact information must be clearly visible on the landing page. Sending people to a generic homepage or a different product page than what the ad describes is considered misleading.
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Remove all sexually suggestive, explicit, or graphic language from your ad text
Words or phrases that are overtly sexual, explicit, or designed to titillate are not permitted in Google Ads. Replace them with clinical, professional, health-focused alternatives. Example: Instead of "steamy nights," use "intimate wellness support."
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Do not make unproven medical or health claims in your ad
Saying things like "Cures erectile dysfunction" or "Guaranteed to increase libido" without clinical proof violates both Google's policy and advertising standards. Only use claims that are medically verified and that you can back up with real evidence if asked.
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Do not use before-and-after language or dramatic transformation claims
Phrases implying dramatic personal or physical transformation ("From zero to stud in 7 days" or similar) are not allowed for health and wellness products. Frame your ad around support, wellness, and quality of life — not exaggerated results.
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Avoid using urgent or fear-based language tied to sexual performance
Ad copy that exploits personal insecurities (e.g. "Struggling with performance? You are not alone — but you need to act NOW") can be flagged as exploitative. Use supportive, empowering language rather than pressure or shame-based messaging.
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Do not reference specific sexual acts or body parts in graphic terms
Ad text that directly describes sexual acts or uses graphic anatomical terms in a non-clinical way is not permitted. If anatomical terms are necessary (e.g. for a medical product), use them in a clearly clinical and educational context only.
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Headlines must clearly describe the product or health benefit — not use innuendo
Clever or suggestive headlines that hint at sexual content without stating it directly can still be flagged. Write clear, honest headlines: "Natural Testosterone Support Supplement" is far safer and more effective than vague or winking language.
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Enable age targeting — exclude anyone under 18 from seeing your ads
This is one of the most critical requirements. In your Google Ads campaign settings, go to Demographics → Age, and exclude the "18–24" segment if you want to restrict further, but at minimum exclude "Unknown" and confirm under-18 audiences are excluded. Sexual health ads must never reach minors.
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Do not use interest or affinity audiences that could include minors
Targeting broad audiences like "Entertainment enthusiasts" or "Students" may include under-18 users in their makeup. Use only clearly adult-oriented audience segments, or no audience targeting at all, for sexual health ads.
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Do not target keywords that are associated with minors, schools, or teen content
Review your keyword list carefully. Remove any keywords that could match searches made by or about minors — even if that was not your intention. For example, if a keyword broadly matches school-related queries, remove or tighten the match type.
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Restrict Display Network placements to adult-appropriate websites only
If you are running Display ads, your ads must not appear on websites aimed at children or general family audiences. In your placement settings, use placement exclusions or target only verified adult-appropriate content categories and specific websites.
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Check that your geographic targeting only includes countries where your ads are permitted
Sexual health advertising is restricted or prohibited in certain countries. Go to your campaign's Location settings and make sure you are only targeting countries and regions where Google allows this type of advertising and where your product is legally sold.
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All health and wellness claims must be backed by evidence — not just marketing language
If your product page says "clinically proven," "doctor recommended," or "scientifically formulated," you must have real studies, certifications, or endorsements to back those claims up. Unsubstantiated health claims are a top reason for policy violations in this category.
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Do not claim your product can treat, cure, or prevent a medical condition
Unless your product is a licensed pharmaceutical with regulatory approval, you cannot say it "treats" or "cures" conditions like erectile dysfunction, infertility, or hormonal imbalance. Use language like "may support," "formulated to help," or "designed for wellness" instead — and even then, only if evidence-based.
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List product ingredients accurately and completely on your landing page
For supplement and wellness products, Google and regulatory bodies expect full ingredient transparency. Your landing page should clearly list all active and inactive ingredients. Hiding ingredients or using vague "proprietary blend" language without disclosure can trigger a review.
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Include any required disclaimers for health products (e.g. "These statements have not been evaluated by...")
In many countries, supplement and wellness products must carry regulatory disclaimers on their website and sometimes in ads. If required in your country or the countries you target, add the appropriate disclaimer clearly on your landing page. Example: FDA disclaimer for US-targeted supplements.
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Ensure your product is not on Google's restricted or prohibited substances list
Certain sexual health supplements containing controlled or banned substances (e.g. products with hidden drug ingredients like sildenafil in unlicensed supplements) are completely banned from Google advertising. Verify your product does not contain any controlled or prohibited substance as classified by Google's Healthcare and Medicines policy.
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Remove any sexually explicit, nude, or semi-nude imagery from your ad creatives
Display and video ads for sexual health products must not contain nudity, overtly sexual poses, or suggestive imagery. Use clean, professional product photography or lifestyle imagery that clearly stays within wellness — not adult content.
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Do not use images that look like medical endorsements if you don't have them
Ads that show people in white lab coats, stethoscopes, or medical settings — designed to imply a doctor endorsement that doesn't exist — are deceptive. Only use medical imagery if you have a genuine, documented healthcare professional endorsement for your product.
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Ensure product images accurately represent the actual product
Showing a photoshopped, dramatically enhanced, or completely different product image than what customers actually receive is misleading. Use real product photos and make sure what is shown in the ad matches what customers receive.
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Video ads must not contain suggestive scenes, innuendo, or inappropriate audio
For video campaigns promoting sexual health products, the full video — including audio — must remain professional, informative, and non-explicit from start to finish. Google reviews the full video content, including audio tracks and background music, for compliance.
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Check that your ad thumbnail (for video or display) is not sexual or suggestive
The image Google shows as a preview of your ad (the thumbnail) is reviewed separately. Even if the full video is compliant, a suggestive thumbnail image is enough to trigger a disapproval. Choose a clean, professional thumbnail that represents the wellness focus of your product.
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Double-check your entire checklist before submitting an appeal to Google
You typically get a limited number of manual review attempts. Do not submit until every single item on this checklist is genuinely fixed. A half-fixed account that gets rejected again is harder to appeal a second time and may lead to a longer suspension.
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Submit a clear, detailed appeal explaining every change you made
In Google Ads: find the disapproved ad → click the review/appeal button → write a professional explanation. List every specific change you made — ad copy rewrites, landing page updates, age targeting changes, certification submissions, and so on. Vague appeals are frequently rejected.
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If rejected again, contact Google Ads Support or work with a certified policy expert
If your appeal is denied after making all corrections, contact Google Ads support directly (chat or phone) and ask for a detailed explanation of remaining issues. For complex sexual health policy cases, working with a specialist who handles Google policy appeals regularly is often the fastest path to resolution.
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