Delhi HC restrains Beco’s campaign against HUL’s Surf Excel, Vim
As per reports, the judge said that 'comparative advertising can place a rival’s product in an unfavourable light, but crosses the legal line'
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Published: Sep 10, 2026 4:21 PM | 1 min read
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- The Delhi High Court has prohibited Kwick Living, the company behind the Beco brand, from continuing its 'War on What's Hidden' advertising campaign.
- The judge stated that while comparative advertising is permissible, it becomes illegal if the overall message is false, misleading, or deceptive.
- The court found that Beco had not sufficiently proven the truth of the claims made in the campaign.
- The case is part of a broader dispute initiated by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) regarding Beco's advertising, which criticized HUL's products Surf Excel and Vim for containing potentially harmful chemicals.
The Delhi High Court has restrained Kwick Living, company behind Beco brand, from continuing with its ‘War on What’s Hidden’ advertising campaign.
As per media reports, the judge said that “comparative advertising can place a rival’s product in an unfavourable light, but crosses the legal line when the overall message conveyed is false, misleading or deceptive”.
The court found Beco had prima facie failed to establish the truth of the campaign’s message.
The court also said that an ad “must be assessed as a whole and from the perspective of an average consumer, rather than by examining individual claims in isolation”.
The Delhi High Court earlier reserved its decision on the issue of territorial jurisdiction in the disparagement case filed by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) against Kwick Living (I) Private Limited, the company behind home-cleaning brand Beco.
The court had said it would first determine whether it has jurisdiction to hear the matter.
HUL has approached the Delhi High Court over a comparative advertising campaign run by D2C homecare brand Beco, which named Surf Excel and Vim in an ingredient-transparency push. The campaign links the products to chemicals it says are associated with skin irritation and allergic reactions.
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