The adverts for MAC Cosmetics featured the Wrecking Ball hitmaker lying on her back in a bodysuit with her legs spread and her crotch reflected in a mirror.

A number of complaints about the provocative image prompted an investigation by executives at the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority, who have now ruled against banning the billboards.

In the ruling, ASA bosses conceded the posters are "sexually suggestive," but insisted they are "unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence".

Agency chiefs also ruled the posters should not be placed within 100 metres (328 feet) of schools, but noted that none of the adverts were displayed in these locations so there had been no potential infringement.