Mint ·
Economy, business and finance
Delhi HC orders Bombay Shaving Co to take down ad after Gillette challenge
The court order follows Gillette India’s challenge to BSC’s “Switch4” campaign, the latest clash between the two razor makers.
The Delhi High Court has ordered Bombay Shaving Co. to take down an advertisement by Wednesday evening after rival Gillette India challenged the campaign, arguing that it indirectly harmed the company.
"Make sure that this goes down…it should not be there in the morning,” Justice Jyoti Singh said, ordering the advertisement to be taken down without prejudice.
At a hearing on Tuesday, lawyers for Gillette India said the company has a 97% market share, arguing that any advertisement targeting a rival would effectively target Gillette.
Bombay Shaving Co. (BSC) sought time to return with an amended version of the advertisement, and the court listed the matter for another hearing on Wednesday at the request of its lawyers.
At Wednesday’s hearing, the court ordered BSC to take down the advertisement from its official channels by late evening. Justice Singh also directed the company to share the amended advertisement with Gillette.
“You are entitled to advertise. Its your right, its his right. However that right must have some limitations,” Singh said.
Gillette was represented by senior counsel C.M. Lal, along with Ankur Sangal, Pragya Mishra, Saumya Bajpayee and Yashodhra Raina of Aerion Legal. Bombay Shaving Co. was represented by Prathvi Singh of Fidus Law Chambers.
The dispute centres on BSC’s “Switch4” campaign, launched earlier this month. The ads pitch a four-blade BSC cartridge as a replacement for popular three-blade handles without explicitly naming Gillette. One advertisement features a court setting in which an “American company” takes BSC to court, along with founder Shantanu Deshpande.
Gillette India said that although it is not named in the advertisement, the campaign targets its products and portrays them as outdated or inferior. The advertisement portrayed the rival brand as “Uncle Razor”.
The campaign is the latest legal dispute between the two razor makers. Gillette sued BSC in 2024 over an advertisement for its Sensi Smart 3 razor. The commercial showed a man catching fire while shaving, with a fire brigade officer declaring, "A razor that burns is non-sensi".
Gillette argued that the advertisement went beyond puffery and portrayed its Gillette Guard razor as hazardous and life-threatening. BSC agreed to take down the challenged advertisements without admitting fault. The case went to mediation and was settled in February 2026.
Gillette has now returned to the Delhi High Court over the “Switch4” campaign.
"As a company, we remain committed to upholding the law and protecting the rights and interests of Indian consumers, who remain at the heart of everything we do. We have the utmost respect for our courts and its judicial processes," said the Gillette India spokesperson to Mint. "We would not be able to comment on the specifics of the case, as the matter is sub judice," they said.
Queries sent to Bombay Shaving Company did not elicit a response till press time.
Bombay Shaving Co. is an Indian direct-to-consumer grooming and personal-care brand that began with premium men’s shaving systems and has since expanded into a multi-category, omnichannel personal-care business.
The decade-old company has raised multiple rounds from institutional and strategic investors, including Colgate-Palmolive (India), Sixth Sense Ventures, Fireside Ventures and Alteria Capital, among others.
The company reported revenue of ₹640 crore in FY26, up 136% from a year earlier, while its losses fell 85% to ₹9 crore, according to market intelligence platform Tracxn.
Gillette India, the listed Indian arm of the US company, reported revenue of ₹3,100 crore, up 8% year-on-year, and net profit of ₹654 crore, up 23%, in fiscal year 2026.
Neethi Lisa Rojan is a senior correspondent focusing on the consumer goods and retail sector working from Mumbai for Mint since 2026. She has been a journalist for a little over two years with Moneycontrol and The Morning Context. She has covered the consumer and healthcare sectors in earlier roles. She was a double gold medallist during her bachelor’s from Mahatma Gandhi University Kerala and post-graduation from Pondicherry University. With a background in commerce and journalism, she brings a sharp analytical lens to stories on India’s fast-evolving consumer goods and retail sector.<br><br>With an academic background in business administration and a keen eye for financial statement analysis, she bridges the gap between corporate data and compelling narrative journalism. Her reporting is characterized by a focus on how evolving consumer behaviours and regulatory changes impact India's largest mass-market brands. She is a keen learner with diplomas in international business, human rights and journalism. She specialized in business journalism at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. When she is not looking into shopping carts, you can find her explaining the latest conspiracy theory.