Shower gel ad banned for racist skin stereotype

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) upheld two complaints which said the depiction of dark skin as dry, cracked and itchy “could be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to black skin”. The watchdog said the ad was “structured in such a way that it was the black skin … which was shown to be problematic and uncomfortable, whereas the white skin, depicted as smoother and clean after using the product, was shown successfully changed and resolved”.

The advert, broadcast in June, shows two models with dark skin — one scratching their body making bright orange paint-like stripes, and another covered in cracked, clay-like material. A voiceover says: “To those who might scratch day and night. To those whose skin will feel dried out even by water.”

It then cuts to a white woman showering with water and foam moving over her skin, with the voiceover saying: “Try to take a shower with the new Sanex skin therapy and its patented amino acid complex. For 24-hour hydration feel.” The tagline added: “Relief could be as simple as a shower.”

In its ruling, the ASA said: “We considered that could be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to black skin. We concluded that the ad included a racial stereotype and was therefore likely to cause serious offence.” It warned Colgate-Palmolive, which owns Sanex, to “ensure they avoided causing serious offence on the grounds of race” in future.

Colgate-Palmolive argued that the ad did not perpetuate negative racial stereotypes and was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence. It said the use of different models was to show a “before and after” scenario, not to compare different skin colours or ethnicities. “Our advert was intended to highlight how our Skin Therapy range supports healthy skin across a variety of skin types. At Sanex, our mission is to champion skin health for all, which is portrayed across our brand communications,” the company told BBC News.

Clearcast, which approves ads for broadcast on television, also defended the commercial, saying it did not perpetuate negative racial stereotypes. It said one darker-skinned model was shown in a “stylised and unrealistic way” to demonstrate dryness, and another was depicted scratching visibly healthy skin, so “skin tone was otherwise not a focal point”.

The ASA said it accepted that the message was not intentional and may have passed unnoticed by some viewers, but concluded that “the ad was likely to reinforce the negative and offensive racial stereotype that black skin was problematic and that white skin was superior.”

The regulator told Colgate-Palmolive that the ad must not be shown again in its current form.