High court tells P&G to modify Tide Naturals ad

Mumbai: The Madras high court has asked Procter and Gamble Home Products Ltd (P&G) to modify its Tide Natural advertisement as it is misleading consumers with the claim that the detergent contains natural ingredients.

The court has given P&G 72 hours to modify its advertisement saying this “does not contain lemon and ‘chandan’”.

A P&G spokeswoman said: “Tide Naturals promises great cleaning while keeping your hands soft, because it has the goodness and freshness like that of lemon and sandalwood. This claim does not in anyway lead the consumers to believe that any natural ingredients are present in the detergent.”

“Tide Naturals is not off air. We have actioned modifications,” added the spokeswoman.

HUL, the maker of Rin, Surf and Wheel detergents, is battling P&G on three fronts.

In January, HUL reduced the prices of its Rin and Surf brands by 10-30%.

On 25 February, it moved the Madras high court against P&G’s “natural” pitch and followed it up by launching an advertisement that took on the Tide brand’s claim on better whiteness, a key selling point in India and also used by HUL to sell its products.