Google is updating its Unapproved Pharmaceuticals and Supplement policy in November 2025 to allow merchants to promote legal melatonin dietary supplements in Germany, France, and Spain through Google Shopping ads and local inventory ads. This significant policy shift opens new advertising opportunities for supplement retailers in three major European markets where melatonin promotions were previously prohibited.
What Changed in the Policy
The updated policy creates a clear distinction between dietary supplement formulations and prescription melatonin products. Merchants can now advertise melatonin-containing dietary supplements that comply with local laws and regulations in Germany, France, and Spain. However, prescription melatonin products remain strictly prohibited from advertising across all three markets.
Google used to prohibit all melatonin product advertisements throughout these European countries because it enforced rules against unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements. The November 2025 update marks a major change in Google’s method for overseeing supplement promotions throughout European territories.
Geographic Coverage and Implementation
The policy change impacts three European nations which had previously banned melatonin advertising:
- Germany: Legal melatonin dietary supplements now permitted for advertising
- France: Melatonin supplement promotions allowed with regulatory compliance
- Spain: Dietary supplements containing melatonin eligible for Google Shopping ads
Advertising Platform Eligibility
The melatonin policy expansion now applies to all Google advertising products:
- Shopping Ads: Product listings displayed in search results when users conduct relevant searches for melatonin supplements
- Local Inventory Ads: Enable retailers with physical locations to showcase in-store melatonin product availability to nearby consumers
- Free Listings: Organic product listings that appear in Google Shopping results without advertising costs
The three new European markets now accept melatonin dietary supplement listings for both paid and organic product placements.
Compliance Requirements for Merchants
The updated policy requires supplement retailers to fulfill particular conditions before they can advertise melatonin products:
- Ensure melatonin products are classified as dietary supplements, not prescription medications
- Verify products comply with local laws and regulations in Germany, France, and Spain
- Include accurate product categorization in Google Merchant Center data feeds
- Prepare landing pages that meet Google’s policy requirements
- Maintain current certifications and regulatory documentation
Shopping ads and local inventory ads will reject products which have incorrect categories or missing proper regulatory compliance documentation.
Prohibited Melatonin Products
While dietary supplements are now permitted, certain melatonin-related products remain strictly prohibited:
- Prescription melatonin medications
- Products making false or misleading health claims
- Products subject to government or regulatory action or warnings
- Supplements with active pharmaceutical or dangerous ingredients
- Products with names confusingly similar to controlled substances
Google maintains its Healthcare and Medicines policy framework which sets strict rules for advertising healthcare information.
Understanding Google’s Unapproved Pharmaceuticals Policy
The Unapproved Pharmaceuticals and Supplements policy extends to Shopping ads which cannot advertise specific product categories even when manufacturers claim their products are legal:
- Products identified on Google’s non-exhaustive list of prohibited pharmaceuticals
- Products containing ephedra
- DHEA and melatonin products (unless specifically mentioned as allowed in individual countries)
- Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) related to weight loss or promoted with anabolic steroids
- Herbal supplements with active pharmaceutical ingredients
- Products making claims of being as effective as prescription drugs
The melatonin policy update includes particular exceptions for specific countries which override the worldwide restrictions.
Feed Setup and Product Data Requirements
Merchants need to verify their product data feeds contain correct information because this data must pass through Google’s automated approval system:
| Feed Attribute | Requirement |
| Product Category | Correctly categorize as dietary supplement |
| Product Title | Include “melatonin supplement” or similar terminology |
| Product Description | Clearly identify as dietary supplement, not prescription |
| Target Country | Specify Germany, France, or Spain |
| Compliance Documentation | Have regulatory certifications ready for verification |
Enforcement and Violation Consequences
Google uses automated systems together with human intervention to monitor policy compliance through its enforcement process:
- Automated Detection: Systems scan advertisements and landing pages for restricted content
- Human Review: Reviewers evaluate cases requiring contextual interpretation
- Educational Approach: Emphasis on compliance assistance rather than punitive measures for inadvertent violations
The new policy includes progressive penalties for merchants who fail to comply with its requirements.
- The Shopping ads program removes products from eligibility when merchants fail to meet policy requirements.
- The first instance of policy non-compliance leads to a 7-28 day correction period which serves as an account warning.
- The complete suspension of an account becomes possible when merchants continue to violate policy terms or when serious problems occur.
Google sends warning notices to merchants before they suspend their accounts which allows them to fix policy non-compliances.
Broader Healthcare Advertising Context
The new melatonin policy at Google demonstrates how the company adjusts its healthcare advertising rules to achieve equilibrium between business access and customer safety. The platform continues to block dangerous products but allows businesses selling compliant products to access consumer markets.
Recent healthcare policy updates include:
- July 2025: Restricted drug term certification launched for healthcare advertisers
- August 2025: Simplified healthcare ad enforcement by removing content labels
- September 2025: Global restrictions on pill press equipment advertising
- October 2025: Revised prescription drug advertising policies for multiple markets
The melatonin expansion shows how Google uses market-specific calibration to adjust its policies according to different country regulatory requirements.
Action Steps for Supplement Retailers
Merchants who want to advertise melatonin dietary supplements in Germany, France or Spain need to start their advertising efforts right away:
- Review product formulations against regulatory requirements in each target country
- Update product data feeds with appropriate dietary supplement categorization
- Verify landing pages comply with Google Merchant Center policy requirements
- Ensure all regulatory certifications and documentation are current and accessible
- Test product submissions in Google Merchant Center before the November implementation
- Monitor account diagnostics for any product disapprovals or policy violations
Retailers need to take immediate action because the short time span between October’s announcement and November’s implementation makes it difficult to prepare for these new advertising opportunities.
Market Opportunity Assessment
The policy expansion creates new opportunities for advertising access to supplement retailers:
- Germany: Major European market with established supplement consumer base
- France: Growing health and wellness product market
- Spain: Expanding dietary supplement market with increasing consumer awareness
The ability to advertise melatonin products in these countries through Google Shopping now enables merchants who were previously restricted to compete for search results which could lead to higher sales and expanded market reach.
Monitoring and Compliance Verification
Supplement retailers need to create permanent monitoring systems which will help them stay compliant with their policies:
- Regularly check the Products section in Google Merchant Center for disapprovals
- Monitor the Diagnostics page under the Products section for account-level issues
- Review the “Needs attention” tab for products requiring corrections
- Watch for email notifications regarding policy violations or account warnings
- Check the “Account issues” tab in Diagnostics for suspension alerts
The Google Merchant Center homepage shows account-level issues through prominent banners which display compliance problems at the top of the page.
Bhavesh Patel 
Verified Technical SEO & GMC Specialist
Bhavesh Patel is a Google Merchant Center specialist at Trusted Web Eservices who has successfully recovered 200+ suspended merchant accounts. As a technical SEO expert specializing in Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager, Bhavesh helps eCommerce businesses optimize product feeds, ensure policy compliance, and implement advanced tracking solutions for improved conversion rates and Shopping campaign performance.