A content creator who labeled a beauty salon a “scam” on Instagram after disputes over prepaid treatment packages has been ordered to pay $15,000 in damages for defamation. The ruling was issued by District Judge Sim Mei Ling on October 15.
The case involved Mok Wai Kwan, known online as @vivianmok_, and Beautu Institut, located at Far East Shopping Centre. Mok had been a customer of the salon from 2020 until early 2025, purchasing multiple treatment packages and memberships during that period. In January 2020, she bought a six-session “Silk Peel” facial package for $488. At her first consultation, salon director Cheang Norita advised that the treatment was unsuitable for her sensitive skin, leading Mok to purchase other memberships and packages, including a $1,000 trial membership and a $5,000 Gold membership offering thousands of discounted treatment credits.
Mok’s grievances primarily arose from occasions when she felt pressured into buying additional packages or products and from billing disagreements. Notably, in December 2022, she underwent a treatment costing $757 despite having only 537 credits remaining, necessitating an additional payment of $220. The salon charged the full price rather than the discounted member rate due to insufficient credits, and Cheang admitted in court that the treatment cost had not been clearly communicated beforehand. The judge remarked that transparency about pricing is important to allow customers to make informed decisions and reduce disputes.
Further dissatisfaction occurred in November 2023 when Mok was informed that some remaining credits could not be redeemed without undergoing the “Silk Peel” treatment, although she had only one such credit left. After a continued dispute over her credits in February 2025, Mok ceased using the salon’s services and forfeited her unused credits, having received treatments there 26 times over five years.
Following these events, Mok posted a series of Instagram stories detailing her experiences, describing the salon as “HELL” and suggesting it should be reported to the Consumers Association of Singapore. She accused the salon of operating an “unethical business model” and initially pinned these posts as a highlight titled “SCAM !!” on her profile, later renaming it “BEWARE!!” before removing it several months afterwards.
Beautu Institut filed a defamation suit, claiming the posts portrayed the business as engaging in fraudulent and deceptive practices. Mok contended her statements were justified by her experiences and defended her posts as fair comment.
Judge Sim distinguished between Mok’s detailed accounts and the overarching “SCAM !!” label. The court found that the posts implied the salon was a fraudulent enterprise, which was not supported by evidence. While the judge accepted Mok’s belief that she had genuine misgivings and felt trapped by certain sales tactics, she found that the salon’s treatment recommendations were consistent with professional assessments and not unethical. There was no proof that Cheang knowingly made false statements.
The judge concluded that Mok did not sincerely believe her public allegations and noted Mok had benefited from the memberships she purchased, continued to visit the salon over several years, made few formal complaints, and had even promoted the salon on Instagram in exchange for sponsored treatments. Despite ordering damages, the court declined to award additional compensation for lost sales or to issue an injunction preventing Mok from repeating similar claims.