In a significant turn in the ongoing legal battle between two major skincare brands, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has informed the Delhi High Court that it will withdraw and revise its controversial Lakme advertisement, following allegations by Honasa Consumer, the parent company of The Derma Co and Mamaearth that the campaign unfairly targeted its sunscreen product.
The advertisement, part of Lakme’s “SPF Lie Detector Test” campaign that launched on April 12, appeared across digital and outdoor platforms and questioned the effectiveness of a sunscreen product visually resembling that of The Derma Co. featuring taglines such as “Kya online bestseller pass hoga?” and “SPF 50, Truth 100,” the ad implied that the product offered only SPF 20 protection despite claiming SPF 50, warning of potential risks like skin pigmentation.
Following Honasa’s complaint, HUL assured that it would remove digital versions of the ad within 24 hours and take down outdoor hoardings within 48 hours.
It also agreed to change the colour of the sunscreen bottle in the revised version from orange to yellow — a move intended to avoid any visual association with Derma Co’s product.
In a statement issued to the media, HUL clarified, “The Honourable Delhi High Court has permitted us to continue with the campaign with some modifications. There is no injunction against the Lakme campaign. In return, Honasa has also agreed to take down their social media posts on all platforms.”
The company further added, “We respect the outcome to continue with our Sun Superiority Campaign with some modifications. This demonstrates the pivotal need for raising awareness around SPF efficacy, transparency, and accountability in the sun care category, keeping consumer interest and safety at the core. Lakme has been conducting SPF efficacy and safety tests for over a decade, grounded in globally accepted scientific protocols. Unfortunately, there are some sellers who have been falsely claiming SPF 50. Upon independent testing by accredited labs, they fall far short of stated claims; misleading consumers on sunscreen, which has skin implications like pigmentation, skin ageing and spots.”
The dispute came to light publicly on April 14, when Honasa co-founder Ghazal Alagh shared an image of the campaign on social media, criticising it as a targeted attack on digitally native brands.
Honasa argued that HUL’s campaign implied their product could cause skin damage without substantiating the claim.
During the proceedings, HUL also requested Honasa to remove its counter-campaign posts. Honasa’s legal team, including Advocates Ankit Jain, Mohit Goel, and Deepankar Mishra from Sim & San, informed the court that it had already complied.
The case is now listed for further hearing on Monday, where the Court will assess HUL’s adherence to its commitments and determine further action.
