Dettol apologises after ‘toxic men’ advert sparks backlash in China

British disinfectant brand withdraws advert about a man’s efforts to find a ‘clean and untouched’ woman

The British hygiene brand Dettol has apologised after an advertisement released in China , which it said was intended to criticise “toxic men”, was widely condemned on social media as offensive to women.

The five-minute advert for a multipurpose disinfectant, released across many online platforms at the end of May, features a man comparing his girlfriend with his former partner. Learning that his former girlfriend had previously lived with someone else, the man likens their relationship to a “secondhand service”. He then tells his friends that he intends to find a “clean and untouched” woman with whom he can be the first sexual partner.

“I may not be a virgin, but my future wife has to be,” he says, adding: “Luckily, I met her now, she’s clean and hasn’t been contaminated by other men.”

The micro drama ends with his new girlfriend finding out about his statements, calling out his misogyny and breaking up with him. As she throws his socks into a washing machine, a voiceover says: “A toxic man is just like these germs – you need Dettol to eliminate them completely to feel at ease.”

Dettol withdrew the advert on Sunday after widespread criticism from Chinese social media users, with many calling for a boycott of the brand owned by the British multinational Reckitt.

In a post apologising for the advert, Dettol said the promotion had intended to “challenge unequal gender attitudes and promote healthy, confident views on relationships and lifestyles”, but edited clips circulating online had distorted the original message.

Dettol said the promotion had been produced by a third-party agency, but that it took “responsibility for any negligence in creating and reviewing the content of the advert”. It said: “We are well aware that true protection also lies in safeguarding the dignity of every individual and their right to be treated equally.”

The topic had more than 80m views on Chinese social media platform Weibo as of Tuesday. “I will never use Dettol again,” one user on the site wrote.