Sanex joins 2025’s controversial ad club after UK ban for racial bias

Ad-makers have faced their share of controversies in 2025. First, Prada came under fire for cultural appropriation with its Kolhapuri 'Sandals'. Then, Sydney Sweeney received both support and backlash for her "genes" in the new American Eagle ad. And let's not forget the "unhealthily thin" models in the Zara and Marks & Spencer ads that were taken down.  

Adding to the list of controversial ads is the Sanex shower gel commercial, owned by Colgate-Palmolive. Broadcast in June, the ad shows people “who might scratch day and night” and “whose skin will feel dried out even by water”, juxtaposed with imagery of two Black individuals showering, one displaying red scratch marks and the other covered in cracking clay.

The ad subsequently contrasts the dry and itchy skin of the Black individuals with the smooth skin of a White woman using Sanex Skin Therapy shower gel, which contains their patented amino acid complex. The comparison ultimately concludes with the statement, “Relief could be as simple as a shower.”

The product displayed in the ad claims to be certified by the British Skin Foundation, but the ad itself has been banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for promoting negative racial stereotypes.  

Colgate-Palmolive defended the use of models with varying skin tones in its commercial as a component of its diversity initiative, according to the BBC,

However, the ASA upheld two complaints, which claimed that attributing skin problems only to Black people "could be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to Black skin".

While acknowledging that the negative stereotyping of Black skin was not intentional, the ASA ruled that the ad breached its broadcasting code and banned it from the UK to "ensure it avoided causing serious offence on the grounds of race".

The brand in question told BBC News: "We take note of the ASA Council's ruling. 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 brand added.

Speaking of tone-deaf ads by Sanex, another one was uncovered during the research process for this article. 15 years ago, a commercial was made to advertise the Sanex Dermo Active 3 Deodorant with what appears to be a sea of people in their birthday suits sniffing each other’s armpits. 

Sanex is a Spanish personal-care brand known for its shower gels, moisturisers, deodorants and soaps. While not as mass-market as a Dove or Palmolive, its products are imported to India in the price range of Rs 500 to Rs 5,000.