ASCI dismisses complaint against ‘Emami 7 Oils in One’ hair oil

The Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) has dismissed a complaint against FMCG major Emami Limited’s advertisement for its product ‘7 Oils in One Damage Control Hair Oil’. The regulatory body has affirmed the soundness of product claims of making hair 20 times stronger and reducing hair fall by 96 per cent.
ASCI had received a complaint on the above claims being made by the brand, which was dismissed by the regulatory body.
To substantiate its claims, Emami had submitted detailed response along with clinical trial reports done at a prominent International Laboratory in USA, which established that there was upto 96 per cent reduction in hair fibre breakage for ‘damaged Indian black hair’ treated with single application of Emami 7 Oils in One vis-à-vis untreated hair of similar origin. The company also shared instrumental studies conducted at IIT Mumbai to validate the product’s efficacy in terms of hair fiber smoothness and its thickness.
The Consumer Complaint Council (CCC) of ASCI concluded that both the claims of “Upto 20X Stronger Hair” and “Upto 96 per cent Less Hair Fall” have been duly substantiated and do not mislead consumers.
As per the company, the hair oil has been designed by leading international hair trichologist and the research and innovation (R&I) team of Emami with the unique combination of vegetable oils, mineral oils, omega fatty acids, vitamins and hair beneficial seven herbal aushad complex.
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Set up in 1985, ASCI, a self–regulatory organisation, is committed to sensitising advertisers about “Responsible Advertising” and persuade them to ensure compliance to the ASCI Code of Self-Regulation in case of any misleading ads featuring false claims, thereby ensuring the protection of the interests of consumers.
The company backgrounder
Established in 1974, Emami Limited is one of the leading and fastest growing personal and healthcare businesses in India, with an enviable portfolio of household brand names such as BoroPlus, Navratna, Fair and Handsome, Zandu Balm, Mentho Plus Balm and Fast Relief. It has portfolio of 300 plus products based on ayurvedic formulations. Its current operations span more than 60 countries including GCC, Europe, Africa, CIS countries and the SAARC. More than 120 Emami products are sold every second somewhere around the globe.
In FY 2015-16, Emami Limited, the flagship company of the Group, registered a turnover of Rs 2624 crore. During 2015, the company had also acquired the ‘Kesh King’ brand of hair and scalp care products from SBS Biotech.