Hindustan Unilever Limited and Honasa Consumer Limited have reached an interim understanding to take down allegedly disparaging sunscreen advertisements, following a dispute that reached both the Delhi and Bombay High Courts.
During a Delhi High Court hearing on Thursday, HUL assured it would remove references in its Lakmé sunscreen campaign that HCL, which owns The Derma Co, claimed were misleading, the Press Trust of India reported. Justice Amit Bansal instructed HUL to discontinue the adverts promptly, stating, “You discontinue the ad from today. You show that it is in the spirit of settlement… Online (ads) can go within 24 hours.”
HCL alleged that HUL’s advertisement misrepresented The Derma Co’s SPF 50 sunscreen as offering only SPF 20 protection, based on a test report summary. In response, HUL denied making disparaging claims and said it had lab evidence to support its assertions, India Retailing reported.
As part of the settlement, both companies agreed to withdraw contentious ads and hoardings within 24 to 48 hours. A related suit filed by HUL in Bombay High Court, where it had sought Rs 105 crore in damages over a Derma Co billboard, will not be pressed for now.
HUL stated it would continue its campaign with modifications, while Honasa confirmed the ad changes would include removing the term ‘online bestseller’ and altering packaging visuals. The Delhi High Court will hear the matter again on April 21.
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