Hindustan Unilever Faces Legal Action from Mamaearth Parent Over Lakme Advertisement

Mamaearth's parent business, Honasa Consumer Ltd., a skincare brand, has filed a lawsuit against Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL), a major player in the FMCG industry, alleging that a Lakme advertisement is deceptive and derogatory. A recent Lakme campaign called "SPF Lie Detector Test" unfairly criticises rival goods, including one that closely resembles a sunscreen from The Derma Co, another Honasa brand, according to a case filed before the Delhi High Court by Honasa. With its dramatic "hit and run" visual metaphor, the commercial implies that competing sunscreens fall short in terms of SPF protection. Honasa contends that by using similar packaging and misleading inferences, the advertisement denigrates its products and misleads consumers.

High Court Agreed to Honasa’s Claims

Following a preliminary hearing, the Delhi High Court stated that the Lakme advertisement was derogatory "on the face of it" and asked HUL to respond. According to a statement from HUL, SPF in-vivo testing is the gold standard and internationally accepted technique for evaluating the effectiveness of sunscreens. Lakme has been using this technique for its sun portfolio since 2015. Regretfully, a number of brands—some of which are internet bestsellers—have been making exaggerated claims about SPF 50. In the best interests of customers, independent testing by certified laboratories shows that they fall well short of the claims made. This would be equivalent to deceiving them about sunscreen, which has effects on the skin, including pigmentation, ageing, and spots. The goal of the brand's Lakme Sun Superiority campaign is to give Indian people access to sunscreens they can rely on.

Honasa Demanding an Immediate Action by Taking Down Ad

Honasa is requesting that the commercial be taken down right away because it claims that it harms the reputation of its businesses. Both parties are set to present their arguments during the anticipated hearing of the case today. Ghazal Alagh, a co-founder of Mamaearth, had earlier welcomed Lakme to the in-vivo-tested SPF 50 club in a LinkedIn post. According to Alagh, there hasn't been much rivalry in the Indian FMCG market for a while, which has made big, established firms comfortable. Mamaearth is proud to have been breaking these conventions and bringing these brands to light repeatedly. In order to force manufacturers to use clean label ingredients, the company used the Mamaearth brand. And now once more, The Derma Co. is paving the way for truthful, proactive disclosures and scientifically supported claims. Customers have loved this so much that several competitors are envious. She went on to say that it makes them delighted to see historic businesses reappear and even outright replicate things from their names to their packaging. Mamaearth will continue to lead the way and innovate.