Dabur India: Managing Brand Image amid a PR Crisis Abroad

Following the October 2022 publication of a National Institutes of Health study of women using hair relaxers, three international subsidiaries of Ghaziabad-based Dabur India Limited (Dabur) faced lawsuits alleging that chemicals in some of their hair-relaxer products had led to cancer in American and Canadian consumers. In October 2023, Dabur revealed that these subsidiaries were involved in about 5,400 cases in a class-action lawsuit in the Unites States. In November 2023, Dabur announced that two subsidiaries, Dabur International and Dermoviva Skin Essentials Inc., had been removed from some cases, but that the third entity, Namasté Laboratories LLC, continued to face charges. In response, Dabur’s chief executive officer had to devise a comprehensive public-relations (PR) crisis strategy, considering whether to act immediately, whether to offer an apology, and how to select effective communication channels to reach stakeholders.