Physician and medical content creator Alvin Francisco, popularly known as “Doc Alvin” on social media, does not endorse an unregistered brand of collagen gummies that allegedly help “rejuvenate skin, fade dark spots and eliminate causes of acne.”
“Glutathione Collagen Gummies,” the brand supposedly being promoted by Francisco, is not listed by the Food and Drug Administration's online verification portal as among the products that have a license to operate and certificate of product registration.
The Facebook page Glutathione Collagen Gummies - Doc Alvin Health Tips on Dec. 5 posted a website link with a thumbnail featuring a photo of Francisco holding a bottle of collagen gummies.
The image has been altered to make it seem as if Francisco is endorsing the beauty product. The original version of his photo posted on Instagram on May 24 shows him promoting his own yogurt drink business.
Another altered photo posted by the page on Nov. 1 shows Francisco with the collagen product in a different flavor. The original photo was from his Facebook post on April 18, where he is also promoting his business.
The profile picture of the Facebook page used the same original photo. A blue check icon was added to make it seem as if it is Francisco’s official page
In a YouTube video posted on Sept. 29, Francisco debunked product endorsements falsely associated with him, including those of another collagen gummy product, a “beauty milk” and a barley grass powder brand. He also reminded the public to follow only his official Facebook page and be wary of fake products and phishing sites.
As of writing, the fake Facebook page collectively garnered over 7,000 reactions, 1,600 comments and 400 shares from their posts with altered photos and videos of Francisco. The page has more than 3,700 likes and 4,000 followers. (AV)