The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) in its latest Annual Complaints Report (2023) has revealed that Mamaearth-parent Honasa Consumer had the highest number of advertising violations.
The ad industry body found Honasa Consumer, founded by Ghazal and Varun Alagh, to be the biggest violator with 187 such ads processed with its brand DermaCo range of products leading with 14, Mamaearth range of products with 10, followed by Aqualogica with 6, among other ranges of brands and products. Another brand Renee Cosmetics had a total of 79 ads processed; whereas Nykaa-owned Dot & Key’s total ads stood at 59. A total of 23 ads were processed on behalf of Pureplay Skin Sciences for many of its major brands including BodyLovin body mists, lipsticks, serums, and shampoo.
Honasa Consumer was followed by the betting apps WinDaddy and Fun88 with a total of 98 ads processed, for each. Another big violator of advertising standards was Patanjali Ayurved, with a total of 26 ads processed.
Other known brands that violated ASCI codes included dairy brand Parag Milk with 30, women’s fashion retailing platform Urbanic’s parent Maysquare Lifestyle (93), Bright Lifecare which owns MuscleBlaze, HK Vitals and HealthKart (65), Physics Wallah (17) and Digital Age Retail (FirstCry) with 36 ads.
Most of these brands are actively promoted and advertised on digital media, and especially through influencer marketing. The report noted that 85% of the ads scrutinised by ASCI appeared on digital medium. Overall, 91% of ads were in violation of the celebrity guidelines and 99% of ads violated the influencer guidelines. Under Influencer violations, the top five categories were personal care,fashion and lifestyle, F&B, edutech, and baby care.
Read More: ASCI finds healthcare and illegal betting top violative sector in FY24