The ASA ruled an ad for the shower gel brand was “likely to reinforce the negative and offensive racial stereotype that black skin was problematic”.
Shower gel brand Sanex has had an ad banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after it was found to feature “a racial stereotype […] likely to cause serious offence”.
The banned ad, which was shown in June 2025, is for the brand’s Skin Therapy range, designed to address skin concerns among users. Some of the product range is aimed at those suffering from dry, itchy or irritated skin, and is designed to help relieve those symptoms.
The banned Sanex ad seeks to promote those benefits and features a voiceover saying: “To those who might scratch day and night. To those whose skin will feel dried out even by water”. Alongside the voiceover there are images of a black woman with red scratch marks and another covered with a cracked clay-like material, designed to indicate skin dryness and irritation.
The voiceover then stated: “Try to take a shower with the new Sanex Skin Therapy and its patented amino acid complex. For 24 hour hydration feel”. Running alongside was a visual of a white woman having a shower using the product. At the end of the ad, on-screen text and the voiceover stated: “Relief could be as simple as a shower”.
The complainants believed the ad was offensive on the basis that it contained negative racial stereotypes about darker skin.
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In response, Colgate-Palmolive said the intention behind the ad was not to make comparisons based on race or ethnicity, but rather portray a “before and after” effect from using the product to show it is effective for all. On that basis, the business said the ad did not contain racial stereotyping and was not offensive.
However, the ASA found that it did indeed contain racial stereotyping. The advertising watchdog pointed to black skin being depicted as itchy and dry in the “before” scenes, while white skin was shown as “smoother and clean” in the after.
“We considered that could be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to black skin,” the watchdog wrote in its ruling.
The ASA accepted that this was not the advertiser’s intention and some viewers may not pick up on any stereotypical undertones. However, the regulator considered the campaign “likely to reinforce the negative and offensive racial stereotype that black skin was problematic and that white skin was superior”.
As a result, Colgate-Palmolive must ensure the ad does not appear in this form again, while the ASA has said the FMCG giant must avoid any advertising which may cause serious offence on the grounds of race.
