BECO’s New Campaign Asks Consumers to Look Beyond Cleaning Claims
CE DESK 
Sustainable home-care brand BECO has launched #WarOnWhatsHidden, a campaign focused on ingredient transparency in household cleaning products. The initiative encourages consumers to look beyond front-of-pack claims and understand the formulations of products used on dishes, clothes and other surfaces at home.
The campaign features two films that draw attention to chemicals identified through independent laboratory testing of specific variants of competing products. According to BECO, testing by an independent NABL-accredited laboratory found Benzisothiazolinone, or BIT, in Surf Excel Matic Liquid Top Load, along with Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate, commonly known as LAS. The campaign states that the sample recorded 277 mg/kg of BIT, while LAS was measured above 10%.
The second film highlights LAS in Vim Dishwash Gel Lemon. BECO said independent testing of the specified product variant recorded LAS above 8%. The brand has clarified that the figures cited in the campaign relate to the exact products and variants tested, rather than every product within the respective brands’ portfolios.
BECO’s communication also refers to published scientific and regulatory material linking BIT with skin irritation and allergic reactions in susceptible individuals, while LAS has been associated with skin and eye irritation. The company said its own laundry and dishwashing liquids are formulated without BIT and LAS.
Through the campaign, BECO is attempting to shift the home-cleaning conversation from fragrance, foam and performance claims towards greater awareness of product ingredients. The brand believes consumers are becoming more careful about food labels and personal-care formulations, but household cleaners often receive less scrutiny.
Aditya Ruia, Co-founder of BECO said For decades, we have been taught to associate ‘clean’ with fragrance, foam and powerful advertising claims, without ever being encouraged to question what lies beneath the surface. We have become far more conscious of what we eat and put on our skin, yet the products we use to clean our homes rarely receive the same level of attention. At BECO, we make our home-care range without BIT and LAS, and we believe consumers are entitled to know what is in the products they clean their homes with, and to make their own choices about it. With our #WarOnWhatsHidden campaign, we want to change that by replacing fear with transparency, awareness and information, empowering consumers to make more informed choices about the products they bring into their homes. We hope this campaign is an eye-opener for consumers around the country, and that it encourages them to ask the right questions and to seek clarity about what they bring into their homes.
