UK regulators have banned a TV commercial for Sanex shower gel after ruling that it “could be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to black skin.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) acted after receiving complaints about the ad from two people “who believed the ad perpetuated negative stereotypes about people with darker skin tones,” it said in a statement Wednesday.
The spot, which aired in June, featured a Black model whose skin is covered with red scratch marks and another covered with a cracked material that looks like clay.
“Try to take a shower with the new Sanex skin therapy and its patented amino acid complex. For 24-hour hydration feel,” a voice-over said, accompanying video of a White woman showering.
“Relief could be as simple as a shower,” it added.
US consumer products company Colgate-Palmolive, which owns the Sanex brand, said the fact that the ad featured models with different skin tones demonstrated its commitment to diversity, according to the ASA’s statement.
The regulator said Colgate-Palmolive believed “the depiction of diverse models in the ad, either experiencing skin discomfort or post-product relief, was utilised in a ‘before and after’ scenario to show their product was suitable and effective for all, rather than as a comparison based on race or ethnicity.”
Clearcast, a company that checks whether TV commercials follow the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising before they can be aired, also said the ad demonstrated the inclusivity of Sanex.
While the ASA accepted the argument that the ad showed “before and after” scenarios to demonstrate the effectiveness of the product, it ruled that its structure was problematic.
“It was the black skin, depicted in association with itchy and dry skin, which was shown to be problematic and uncomfortable, whereas the white skin, depicted as smoother and clean after using the product, was shown successfully changed and resolved,” the statement said.
“That could be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to black skin,” it added, while acknowledging that “we understood that this message was not the one intended and might appear coincidental or pass unnoticed by some viewers.”
The ASA added that it had concluded the ad had breached the broadcast advertising code and was likely to cause serious offense.
CNN has contacted Colgate-Palmolive for comment.