Welcome to the world of health marketing—an ambitious brand strategy that Hollywood created and adopted by a wide range of prescribed products. This study explores the impact of health-washing in digital marketing on customer engagement, particularly addressing the mediation role of consumer behavior and the moderating influence of brand equity. Employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the results show that health-washing is a significant predictor of consumer behavior, which improves customer engagement. But the moderating analysis indicates that the interaction with brand equity does not positively change this relationship, suggesting that even well-known brands may have trouble overcoming the negative consequences from misleading health claims. While the study holds theoretical implications regarding the relationship between deceptive marketing, consumer trust and brand engagement, it also presents practical contributions that could encourage marketers to focus on ethical and transparent health-related messages. As a result of this, brands grow stronger bonds with their consumers and secure long-term engagement in the competition of the digital era throughout their health claims.