Delhi HC reserves order on HUL's objection to Beco's skin irritation ads

Mumbai: The Delhi High Court on Monday ruled on Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s (HUL) plea seeking to prevent home care startup Beco from running ads claiming that products like Vim and Surf Excel can cause skin irritation and allergies.

The order passed by the division bench on September 2 dismissed Beco’s Mumbai-based objection to the plea, which was heard in Delhi. They argued that HUL and Beco have their registered offices in Mumbai and the hoarding was located there. The bench noted that Beco has also put up billboards in Delhi and that its Goods and Services Tax (GST) office is registered in Delhi.

At the center of the dispute is Beco’s marketing campaign ‘#WarOnWhatsHidden’, which names HUL products and highlights synthetic compounds such as Benzisothiazolinone and Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate. HUL told the court that while companies are free to advertise their own goods, saying that a competitor’s goods are physically harmful crosses the line of illegal defamation.

The case highlights the growing tension between legacy consumer goods firms and eco-focused direct-to-consumer brands in India. in April, HUL itself recently settled a separate dispute with rival Honasa Consumer (parent of Mamaearth and The Derma Co) over sunscreen claims, highlighting how aggressive ingredient and safety claims have become a primary battleground for market share.

The bench also made its findings final and remanded the case back to a single judge, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, with an order that it be heard on merits. They also ordered that the issue of local jurisdiction “shall not be allowed to be agitated again”, as stated in a copy of the order which he saw Mint.

Senior counsel Amit Sibal, representing HUL, argued before a single judge on Monday that Beco exceeded the limits of permissible comparative advertising by portraying HUL’s products as harmful and inciting consumers switch to its products.

Founded in 2019 by Aditya Ruia, Akshay Varma and Anuj Ruia, Beco is a Mumbai-based manufacturer of eco-friendly consumer products. The company has investors like Titan Capital Winners Fund, Asian Paints promoter Manish Choksi, Rukam Capital and Synergy Capital among others.

Has home care products and personal care segments such as dishwashing detergent, floor cleaner, laundry detergent, facial tissue and bamboo toothbrush.

Beco also says its own laundry and detergents are made without BIT and LAS. The startup reported sales of ₹111 crore in FY25 at a loss ₹21.7 million, according to market research platform Tracxn.