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Informist, Friday, Apr. 25, 2025

 

--Honasa Consumer settles suit with HUL over 'disparaging' sunscreen advt 

--HC in Honasa Consumer suit: HUL must not launch similar 'disparaging' advt 

--HC in Honasa Consumer suit: Modified sunscreen advt by HUL may continue 

 

NEW DELHI – Honasa Consumer Ltd. on Friday settled a dispute with Hindustan Unilever Ltd. after the former filed a permanent injunction suit in the Delhi High Court accusing the major fast-moving consumer goods maker of a "disparaging" advertisement targeting its "The Derma Co 1% Hyaluronic Sunscreen Aqua Gel SPF 50". The high court noted the terms of the settlement and disposed of the suit.

 

The court further said that HUL should not launch similar advertisements disparaging Honasa Consumer's products. HUL may continue with the modified advertisement for Lakme sunscreen, wherein it had replaced the "online best-seller" claim with "some other seeker", it added. The parties and their respective representatives, including the promoters of the plaintiff company, shall be bound by the undertaking, the high court said.  

 

On Apr. 16, the high court had issued summons to HUL on a permanent injunction suit filed by Honasa Consumer. The court had observed that the HUL's advertisement of Lakme sunscreen "on the face of it, is disparaging". Next day, HUL agreed to modify the advertisements and said it would also change the competitor's product shown in its advertisement to a "light yellow" shade from the current orange.

 

In the advertisement for 'Lakme Sun Expert SPF 50', which appeared in newspapers and other media outlets, HUL said products of some brands, currently on online bestseller lists, are claiming to be "In-Vivo" tested, but their in-market sunscreen product samples deliver a sun protection factor of 20, or SPF 20, against a claim of SPF 50. Lakme has been "In-Vivo" testing its sunscreens since 2015 and adhering to high standards of not only testing but delivering SPF 50 across its products, HUL said in the advertisement.

 

Honasa Consumer had said the product in the advertisement had referred to it, given that its product is the "bestselling sunscreen" on Amazon.com. The petitioner company said the "In-Vivo" testing method also pointed to its products, which have been certified as containing SPF 50 by third-party laboratories through this method. Even the colour of the competitor's product was similar to its product, Honasa Consumer had said.

 

On Friday, shares of Honasa Consumer closed 2.3% lower at INR 231.84 on the National Stock Exchange, while those of HUL ended 0.3% higher at INR 2,332.20.  End 

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

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