Dettinger's Toxic Men commercial has sparked an international controversy, causing British hygiene brand Dettol to issue a formal apology and withdraw the advert from circulation in China. The five-minute video, designed to critique 'toxic masculinity', backfired spectacularly on social media platforms, prompting accusations of misogyny and fuelling calls for a boycott of the brand.
The advertisement's problematic content is nothing short of staggering: it features a man making disparaging remarks about his previous partners, drawing flippant comparisons between relationships to second-hand services. He even goes so far as to express a preference for a 'clean and untouched' woman, implying that any woman with a history of intimate relationships is somehow tainted. This tone-deaf commentary culminates in the new girlfriend discovering his remarks and ending their relationship – only for Dettol's voiceover to opaquely equate misogynistic attitudes with germs that can be eradicated using their products.
The advert's release at the end of May sparked an online maelstrom, garnering over 80 million views on Chinese social media platform Weibo by Tuesday. Public sentiment was overwhelmingly negative, with users decrying Dettol's insensitivity and vowing to boycott their products in protest. One user succinctly encapsulated the widespread disapproval: 'I will never use Dettol again.'
Dettol, owned by British multinational Reckitt, withdrew the advertisement on Sunday, following a public outcry that put the company firmly in the global spotlight. In their apology, they acknowledged that while the advert was intended to challenge unequal gender attitudes, edited clips circulating online had distorted its original message.