{"id":1288402,"date":"2024-12-15T11:17:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T05:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1288402"},"modified":"2024-12-15T11:19:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T05:49:09","slug":"rs-15-lakh-penalty-on-fair-handsome-over-10-year-old-misleading-ad-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/rs-15-lakh-penalty-on-fair-handsome-over-10-year-old-misleading-ad-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Rs 15 Lakh Penalty On Fair & Handsome Over 10-Year Old Misleading Ad Case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A fine of Rs 15 lakh by been imposed on Emami Ltd by the Central Delhi District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission on the grounds of unfair trade practices with its Fair and Handsome fairness cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rs<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emami Faces Decade-Long Legal Battle Over Deceptive Fairness Cream Ads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was in 2013 that the complaint was filed alleging that the product\u2019s advertisement was deceptive and failed to deliver promised results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After facing several delays, including a 2015 ruling in the complainant\u2019s favour, which was later returned for re-evaluation<\/a> by the Delhi State Consumer Commission. The latest ruling marks the conclusion of the decade-long legal battle. This comes at a time when courts and forums have intensified their scrutiny on misleading advertisements in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company said that it was possible to get a fairer cream upon application of their cream within a period of 3 weeks. However, the complainant said that despite the regular use of the product, he did not see any results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also said that he was drawn to purchase the product after watching ads featuring actor Shah Rukh Khan that promised \u201clooking fair would mean looking handsome\u201d. However, after using the product for three weeks, as mentioned on the package, no results appeared, leading to the complaint in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a response, the company Emami argued that the complainant could not conclusively prove adherence to the instructions and emphasised factors like diet, exercise, and lifestyle, which were not mentioned on the product label, as influencing outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emami Fined for Misleading Advertisements and Unfair Trade Practices by Consumer Forum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The forum, led by President Inder Jeet Singh and member Rashmi Bansal, found the company\u2019s advertisements and packaging misleading. It noted the below things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n