ASA Ruling on Television Advert

On 20 August 2025, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a ruling against a television advert for a shower gel seen as perpetuating negative racial stereotypes.  

The CAP code states that advertisements must not cause serious or widespread offence, with particular care to be taken to avoid causing offence on specific characteristics, including race. 

The ad featured two models with black skin and one model with white skin, with the different skin colours being used as a means of portraying a ‘before and after’ of the product use.  The portrayal of black skin being itchy, dry and cracked in the ‘before’ scenes and white skin depicted as being smoother and clean in the ‘after’ scenes could, according to the ASA, be interpreted as suggesting that white skin was superior to black skin.  

Whilst the ASA noted that this message was not the one intended, they considered the ad as likely to reinforce negative and offensive racial stereotypes and therefore likely to cause serious offence. 

The advert must not appear again in the form raised in this case.