Honasa Consumer Ltd (HCL), the parent company of MamaEarth, and Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), which owns Lakme, have filed defamation lawsuits against each other. The dispute led to a Delhi High Court hearing, where the court ordered HUL to withdraw its recent Lakme ads.
The conflict stems from Lakme’s new sunscreen campaign titled “SPF Lie Detector Test,” which HCL claims unfairly targets rival products—particularly one that resembles a sunscreen from its brand, The Derma Co. HCL argued that the campaign is misleading and damaging, prompting it to take legal action in the Delhi High Court. In response, HUL filed its own case against Honasa in the Bombay High Court.
The issue gained further attention after HCL co-founder Ghazal Alagh posted on LinkedIn, criticizing long-standing complacency in the FMCG industry and indirectly referring to Lakme’s ad. The campaign suggests that some bestselling online sunscreens claiming SPF 50 actually offer far less protection—closer to SPF 20—based on in-vivo testing (a testing method conducted on living organisms).
Although HUL did not name any competitors in its ad, it visually compared generic yellow bottles to Lakme’s packaging and highlighted its decade-long use of in-vivo SPF testing to substantiate its claims.
The Indian sunscreen market, valued at approximately USD 832.32 million, is rapidly expanding, with an expected annual growth rate of 6% through 2030. Major players in the market include HUL, Honasa, Nykaa, and L’Oréal, reflecting the growing demand for sun protection products in India’s hot and humid climate.
