Watchdog says television advert for Sanex fed negative stereotypes and was likely to cause serious offence
A television advert for Sanex shower gel has been banned in the UK for appearing to suggest that black skin is “problematic” and white skin is “superior”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) acted after investigating two complaints that the Sanex fed negative stereotypes about people with darker skin tones.
The ad, broadcast in June, included a voiceover that said: “To those who might scratch day and night. To those whose skin will feel dried out even by water,” alongside scenes of a black woman with red scratch marks and another covered with a cracked clay-like material.
The ad then showed a white woman taking a shower with the product, and stated: “Try to take a shower with the new Sanex skin therapy and its patented amino acid complex. For 24-hour hydration feel.” It ended with text and the voiceover stating: “Relief could be as simple as a shower.”
