Google Ads Now Allows Melatonin Promotion in Germany, France, and Spain
In June 2025, Google quietly opened advertising opportunities for supplement brands by allowing melatonin promotion in Germany, France, and Spain.
New Opportunity: ~200 million potential customers across Germany (83M), France (67M), and Spain (47M) are now reachable through Google Ads for melatonin products.
What Changed
According to Google's official policy update published in June 2025, the Unapproved Substances section of the Healthcare and Medicines policy now removes the prohibition on promotion of melatonin products outside of the United States and Canada.
Before June 2025, melatonin advertising was prohibited in Germany, France, and Spain. After the update, it's allowed with local compliance requirements.
Key Requirement: "Advertisers may promote melatonin products in accordance with local laws and regulations." — Google Ads Policy
Local Compliance Requirements
Each market has specific regulatory requirements you need to meet.
Germany: Melatonin is classified as a pharmaceutical in doses above 1mg. For lower doses, it's treated as a food supplement. Your product formulation determines your compliance requirements.
France: Melatonin supplements under 2mg are generally permitted as food supplements. Above that threshold, pharmaceutical regulations apply.
Spain: Melatonin is regulated as a food supplement without the strict dose limits seen in Germany. However, you still need to comply with EFSA health claim regulations.
Formulation Alert: A product that's compliant in Spain might need reformulation for Germany due to the 1mg threshold. Verify dose requirements before launching campaigns in each market.
Setting Up Compliant Campaigns
Before launching, verify your product meets local dose requirements for each target market.
Review your ad copy against EFSA authorized health claims. You can't make claims beyond what's specifically authorized for melatonin in the EU health claims register.
Set up separate campaigns for each country so you can tailor messaging and ensure compliance with local requirements.
Consider landing pages in local languages with locally compliant product information. A single English landing page won't meet the expectations of German or French consumers.
What to Watch
Market Signal: This policy change signals Google's willingness to open supplement advertising in European markets. Melatonin is a relatively uncontroversial supplement with established safety data. Other supplements may follow as Google tests the regulatory waters.
Monitor Google's policy update pages for announcements about additional markets or additional supplement categories. Being early to new opportunities means lower competition and lower CPCs.
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