Layer'r Shot's deodorant ad drew a government takedown order and an ASCI suspension

In June 2022 the Indian government asked Twitter and YouTube to immediately pull down all instances of a deodorant advertisement by Layer'r Shot, with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting calling the videos 'detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency and morality' and in violation of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics) Code.

The Advertising Standards Council of India had already found the videos in violation of its guidelines and notified the advertiser to suspend the advertisement on an immediate basis, pending investigation. The videos had sparked outrage among large sections of social media users, who said the advertising sought to promote sexual violence against women.

Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal issued a notice to Delhi Police and wrote to the I&B minister seeking an FIR and 'strong action', saying the company's owners 'must be held accountable'. Actors Farhan Akhtar, Richa Chadha and Swara Bhasker publicly condemned the brand; Chadha noted the ad was 'not an accident' — a brand ad passes through several layers of decision-making from creative to client.

The advertisement cleared every internal approval layer of brand and agency before airing, showing the offence was systemic rather than one person's error.

The regulator response was unusually severe: not just an ASCI suspension but a ministry takedown order to platforms and a police complaint demanding an FIR.

Public condemnation came from across culture and civil society, making the brand's name synonymous with the controversy within days.

Ad approval is a chain of decisions — creative, script, agency, client — and when the end product offends on decency, every link shares the blame.

The advertisement was ordered pulled down from Twitter and YouTube, ASCI's investigation continued with the ad suspended, and the Delhi police notice seeking an FIR remained outstanding as of the June 2022 reporting.