Sanex faces heat as ASA bans TV ad for allegedly portraying black skin as “problematic” while promoting white skin as “superior”
A television advertisement for Sanex shower gel has been taken off air after the UK’s advertising watchdog ruled it reinforced offensive racial stereotypes.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) intervened following two public complaints. At the heart of the issue? The portrayal of black women with visibly dry, irritated skin in the “before” scenes, contrasted with a white woman shown enjoying smooth, hydrated skin in the “after” segment.
The advert, aired in June, included a voiceover saying: “To those who might scratch day and night. To those whose skin will feel dried out even by water,” while viewers saw a black woman marked by red scratches, and another coated in a cracked, clay-like substance.
Later, a white woman was featured showering with the product as the voiceover added: “Try to take a shower with the new Sanex skin therapy and its patented amino acid complex. For 24-hour hydration feel.”
The spot closed with the words: “Relief could be as simple as a shower.”
Despite what may have seemed like a straightforward skincare narrative, the ASA concluded that the ad’s structure portrayed black skin as inherently uncomfortable and problematic, while white skin was positioned as the picture of health post-treatment.
“The ad was therefore structured in such a way that it was the black skin, depicted in association with itchy and dry 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.
We considered that could be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to black skin,” the ASA stated.
The watchdog acknowledged that the message may not have been intentional. Still, they ruled that the content was likely to reinforce a harmful stereotype, suggesting black skin is more troubled or flawed compared to white skin.
“Although we understood that this message was not the one intended and might appear coincidental or pass unnoticed by some viewers, we considered that the ad was likely to reinforce the negative and offensive racial stereotype that black skin was problematic and that white skin was superior.
We concluded that the ad included a racial stereotype and was therefore likely to cause serious offence,” the ASA continued.
The Sanex brand is owned by Colgate-Palmolive, which stood by the ad’s creative intention. According to the company, the visual sequence aimed to show skin discomfort followed by product relief using a variety of models to reflect diversity, not a racial comparison.
They argued that the ad was designed as a “before and after” format for different skin types and tones, emphasising the shower gel’s universal appeal.
Clearcast — the agency responsible for vetting television adverts — backed Colgate-Palmolive. It argued the darker-skinned model was shown in a “stylised and unrealistic way” to illustrate dryness, and that her skin tone wasn’t the focus.
In another scene, a second model with darker skin appeared to scratch visibly healthy skin. According to Clearcast, this suggested irritation, not a specific skin condition.
Despite those defences, the ASA concluded that the ad was inappropriate and risked serious offence. The watchdog instructed Colgate-Palmolive to “ensure they avoided causing serious offence on the grounds of race” in future campaigns.
The company has yet to issue a public comment following the ruling.
