Emami threatens to sue HUL over name game

Last week it was out in the news that HUL will change the mane of fairness cream Fair & Lovely to Glow & Handsome. Fairness beauty cream competitor Emami, the creator of men’s grooming cream Fair Handsome has hit out at HUL for this as the name spells similar to the former’s product.

Earlier, Hindustan Unilever announced its decision to rename its flagship skin care brand 'Fair and Lovely' as 'Glow and Lovely', with the men's range being rechristened to 'Glow and Handsome'. The decision, announced on July 2, was in response to a global backlash against racial prejudice.

In a strongly-worded statement, Emami said, “Although shocked, we are not surprised to note HUL’s unfair business practice, which has been prevalent time and again to damage our brand image.”

Claiming to be a market leader in the men’s fairness cream with legal ownership of the trademarks, Emami said, “We have already launched a week back our brand ‘Emami Glow & Handsome’ digitally and necessary application has already been made to the relevant authorities.”

"We will be consulting our legal experts to address this further," the company stated further.

Skin lightening cosmetics have a growing consumer base in India. However, the promotion of these products had come under heavy fire recently, especially in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Last month, Johnson & Johnson said it would stop selling skin-whitening creams in Asia and the Middle East.