Roll-on brag not the pits, says ad body

An antiperspirant’s promise of “48-hour” protection simply stinks, a customer has told the advertising watchdog.

Isabella Bantobetse complained her armpits were smelly only 12 hours after applying the Dove roll-on.

When manufacturer Unilever explained to her that the product’s 48-hour claim had been substantiated in tests in the Philippines and the UK, she replied that South Africa had different “weather, environment, dietary intake etcetera”.

Unilever submitted a report from Anwar Jardine, a lecturer in the chemistry department at the University of Cape Town, who said the overseas tests on the antiperspirant had substantiated its claims.

The Advertising Standards Authority dismissed Bantobetse’s complaint about a Dove TV commercial’s claim that “it goes beyond 48-hour protection, giving you long-lasting dryness and soft, smooth underarms”.

It said a reasonable customer would not expect the antiperspirant to be as effective after 48 hours as it was initially, “and would understand that the extent of the efficacy would vary depending on the weather and activities of the day”.