Summer’s here, and so is the sunscreen drama you didn’t know you needed. The skincare industry recently witnessed a heated showdown between two giants: Lakme, owned by Hindustan Unilever, and Honasa Consumer, makers of The Derma Co. and Mamaearth. What started as an ad campaign soon escalated into a courtroom drama, making it one of the most talked-about rivalries in the beauty world. Here’s a breakdown of what happened.
How did it begin?
The conflict ignited when Lakme launched a bold ad campaign targeting certain online bestseller sunscreens claiming to offer SPF 50 protection, saying that some of these sunscreens only offer SPF 20. To hammer this point home, the campaign featured a dramatic “SPF Lie Detector Test.” While the ad didn’t name names, the visuals unmistakably resembled The Derma Co.’s top-selling sunscreen, a product that had been making waves in the market.
Honasa Strikes Back
Not one to back down, Honasa Consumer fired back. The company accused Lakme of misleading consumers and specifically targeting their product. To make their point, The Derma Co. placed a cheeky billboard right next to Lakme’s, with a bold message:
“Hey Lakme, congratulations on finally getting SPF 50 in-vivo tested. Welcome to The Derma Co. Standard.”
The Legal Battle
What started as a war of words on billboards and social media quickly escalated into a full-fledged legal battle. Honasa filed a lawsuit against Hindustan Unilever (HUL), claiming that Lakme's ads were false and disparaging to their product. In response, HUL defended their claims, presenting lab reports to back up their SPF 50 assertion. They also filed their own lawsuit, seeking damages and demanding the removal of The Derma Co.’s ads.
The Courtroom Drama
As the legal tug-of-war continued and moved to court. The Delhi High Court weighed in, labeling Lakme's advertisement as “prima facie disparaging.” Both companies agreed to remove their controversial ads and social media posts, and the court issued a gag order, barring both sides from discussing the case publicly.
