Can Advertising Be Diverse Without Being Discriminatory?

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decision to uphold two complaints against Colgate-Palmolive's TV ad for Sanex Skin Therapy (20^th August 2025) would suggest that even when advertisers try to be inclusive, with diverse casting, they often end up being found to have caused serious or widespread offence.

For those who missed the lather-splattered headlines, the ad opened on two black women, their skin depicted as cracked or clawed by invisible fingernails. Cue the solemn voice-over: "To those who scratch day and night...". Thirty seconds and one patented amino-acid complex later, we cut to a white woman luxuriating under a steamy shower while the voice-over promises "24-hour hydration feel" and on-screen text reassures us that "RELIEF COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS A SHOWER".