Man Urges Consumer Forum To Send Emami's 'Fair & Handsome' For Scientific Testing To Prove Efficacy

A district consumer forum has issued a notice to fairness cream maker Emami Limited on a plea for sending a sample of its product 'Fair and Handsome,' a fairness cream for men, for scientific testing to appropriate laboratory to ascertain the claim of the company that the efficacy of the cream was clinically proven and scientifically tested.

The District Consumer Forum, Central, issued a notice to the company on an application moved by Nikhil Jain through his counsel Paras Jain.

Nikhil had moved the forum in the year 2013 after he did not get any results despite using the cream quite contrary to the company's claim that the cream lightens skin tone in just four weeks. He had then moved the consumer forum saying he had suffered psychological harm due to company's false claims that the cream has been clinically proven to lighten complexion in four weeks.

While the district forum had in October 2015 awarded Nikhil a compensation of Rs 10,000 besides imposing punitive damage of Rs 15 lakh on the company, the order was challenged by the company before the State Commission which remanded the matter back to the district forum for considering it afresh after looking into all material before it. The state commission had also said that the complainant had not filed any evidence before the commission to show that Emami's claim about its fairness cream was bogus.

"No evidence is filed before the District Forum by the respondent/complainant about his condition of the skin prior and subsequent to the use of the said product," the state commission had said.

With the matter now back before the district forum, Nikhil's counsel Paras Jain said, "Considering the scientific reports & clinically proven results as claimed by the Opposite Party on its website, and observation of State Commission, the Complainant requests this Hon'ble District Forum to send the sample of the disputed product for scientific testing through the Appropriate Laboratory, recognised under Section 2(1)(a) of the Act, to meet the ends of justice.

"That the Complainant has no other evidence to prove his case. If the present application is not allowed by sending the sample of the product for scientific testing through Appropriate Laboratory, it shall cause miscarriage of justice in the present case," he submitted.

A notice has been issued to Emami on the said application.