HUL counters Sebamed ph commercial as ad war heats up
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has rebutted the claims of rival Sebamed India that say it is the ph value of a soap that determines whether it is good for the skin or not. HUL is the largest maker of soaps in India, counting brands such as Lux, Liril, Lifebuoy, Pears and cleansing bar Dove in its portfolio. Sebamed had said in its advertising campaign for its cleansing bar, released earlier this month, that the ph value of Lux, Dove, Pears, and detergent bar Rin were above 5.5. This proved the soaps unsafe for sensitive skin, Sebamed indicated.
HUL had dragged Sebamed to court, but the German personal care company had got a relief from the Bombay High Court last week, prompting it to restart the campaign with modifications.
Speaking to Business Standard, Vibhav Sanzgiri, global vice-president, research & development, skin cleansing for Unilever, and site leader, R&D India as well as executive director, HUL, said that companies were now focusing on a single attribute — ph — ignoring that it was the composition of the ingredients going into soaps and cleansing bars that mattered.
“This is an unhealthy precedent that is being set where companies are ignoring the benefits of the ingredients that are good for skin. They are ignoring the fact that products they are comparing conform to the Bureau of Indian Standards,” he said, referring to the Sebamed campaign. ph or potential Hydrogen is defined as the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution. “If ph 5.5 is sacrosanct for the skin then people should not be bathing with water, which has a ph value of 7. They should be bathing instead with dilute vineager, black coffee or dilute acid, which have a ph value of 5.5,” Sanzgiri said. In response to HUL, Shashi Ranjan, country head, Sebamed India, said that consumers had a right to know the ph value of products. “While ph is not the only criterion, it an important indicator of how safe it is for the skin. It helps set the standard for skin types, much like you have a standard for body temperature. This is a new vocabulary in personal care advertising and will take time for people to understand, “he said.