Sebamed loses appeal to run campaign challenging HUL

Sebamed had challenged the court's decision which ordered the brand to stop airing a campaign that claimed HUL's soaps harmed sensitive skin

Jul 13, 2022 02:42:00 PM | Article | Campaign India Team

Last month, the Bombay High Court had ordered Sebamed to stop airing a campaign it had rolled out in January last year which claimed that Hindustan Unilever's Dove, Lux and Pears had a high pH value which harmed sensitive skin.

Sebamed had appealed this decision, which has been dismissed by the Division Bench of the High Court of Bombay. The Bench upheld the 17 June 2022 High Court order, which said that the advertisements launched by USV in January 2021, denigrated and disparaged HUL’s products.

Dev Bajpai, executive director, legal and corporate affairs, HUL, said, “The court rulings reaffirm that the advertisement campaign by Sebamed denigrated HUL’s brands and misled consumers on the basis of pH, which is just one of the many parameters that go into manufacturing soap. It is also pertinent to note that Sebamed’s campaign was irresponsible, and that such misleading communication was issued during the pandemic, when the Government and health authorities had advocated handwashing with any soap.”