UK advertising watchdog stops Sanex ad due to racist stereotypes

8/21/2025, 6:29 PM

British advertising watchdog bans Sanex ad by Colgate-Palmolive due to racist stereotypes, despite the company's claim to want to emphasize diversity.

Eulerpool News Aug 21, 2025, 6:29 PM

The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a commercial for Sanex shower gel because it conveyed racist stereotypes according to the authority. In the TV spot by Colgate-Palmolive, a Black woman with dry, irritated skin was first shown before a white woman with smooth skin appeared. The portrayal could "be interpreted as suggesting that white skin is superior to Black skin," the ASA ruled.

Colgate-Palmolive defended itself by stating that it was a classic "before-and-after" scenario to illustrate the product's effectiveness. The company intentionally included different skin tones and ethnicities to emphasize diversity. Although the regulatory authority clarified that this was not the intended message, it saw the risk that the advertisement reinforced a negative image of black skin and appeared discriminatory.

The US consumer goods company has had to repeatedly withdraw commercials in recent years. In 2018, the ASA banned a Colgate toothpaste advertisement for misleading efficacy claims, and in 2015, another Sanex spot was stopped after complaints from competitors such as Beiersdorf and Unilever.

The decision is part of a series of similar cases.

Colgate-Palmolive left a statement on the current case open.

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