Dettol vs. social media influencers: What is happening
What's the story
Reckitt Benckiser India, parent of Dettol, has moved a plea against dermatologist Dr. Manjot Marwah and social media influencers Raj Shamani and Ritik Chaturvedi.
According to Reckitt, they had allegedly made false, misleading, disparaging, and defamatory statements about Dettol Antiseptic Liquid (DAL) in a podcast.
The matter was listed before Justice Saurabh Banerjee in the Delhi High Court on Monday, but the court listed the case for hearing at 12:30pm on Tuesday.
Defamation claims
Allegations of false and misleading statements
The legal action stems from a podcast episode titled "Skin Mistakes You Didn't Know! Tanning & Sunburn EXPOSED," released on April 1, 2025, followed by an Instagram reel titled "Never Use Dettol in your Skin," posted on April 5.
Reckitt alleged that Dr. Marwah had claimed that Dettol is just a floor cleaning liquid unsuitable for use on human skin and that it "burns wounds and delays healing."
Legal defense
Reckitt's response to allegations
Dr. Marwah, a dermatologist with 783,000 Instagram followers, allegedly cited a Philippines FDA report to back her claims.
However, Reckitt countered that it was irrelevant as its affiliate in the Philippines doesn't sell Dettol there.
Senior Advocate Chander M Lall, representing Reckitt, vehemently denied all podcast claims, saying Dettol is an approved antiseptic for use on human skin.
Product classification
Dettol's long-standing reputation and definition
Lall stated Dettol has been sold as antiseptic liquid since 1936 and thus comes under the definition of "drugs" under Section 3(b)(i) of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940.
He called it blatantly false and slanderous to say Dettol is a disinfectant for mopping floors.
He added that as per Indian Pharmacopoeia, an antiseptic is "an agent that inhibits or destroys microorganisms on living tissue including skin, oral cavities, and open wounds."
Traffic increase
Social media posts boost influencers' visibility
Lall also argued that the contentious social media posts were generating traffic to Marwah's dermatology practice and increasing visibility for the influencers involved.
The podcast had allegedly received over 236,000 views and 5,700 likes, and the Instagram Reel has 2.4 million views.
Lall worried about irreparable damage from such posts if they stayed online even an hour longer.
"If she posts this on various fora, it will be difficult to control. Even the court order can't stop," Lall contended.
Court
She is a qualified dermatologist: Judge
However, Justice Bannerjee expressed dissatisfaction with the disparagement argument.
"It's an interpretation given by her, she is a qualified dermatologist," the judge said.
He then proceeded to adjourn the case till Tuesday while also assuring that he would pass an order one way or the other on Tuesday.