BERLIN (AP) 鈥� The European Union's top court said Thursday that products such as disinfectants can't be advertised as 鈥渟kin friendly.鈥�
The European Court of Justice issued its ruling after a German federal court sought its opinion in a case against a drugstore chain that sold a hand, skin and surface disinfectant with a label that, among other things, declared it 鈥渟kin friendly.鈥�
In that case, the German Association for Protection against Unfair Competition argued that drugstore chain dm failed to comply with an EU regulation on biocidal products. The court said the regulation prohibits promoting such products by calling them a 鈥渓ow-risk biocidal product,鈥� 鈥渘ontoxic,鈥� 鈥渉armless,鈥� 鈥渘atural,鈥� 鈥渆nvironmentally friendly" or 鈥渁nimal friendly鈥� 鈥� 鈥渙r any similar indication.鈥�
The EU court found that 鈥渟kin friendly鈥� has positive connotations that avoid suggesting any risk, and may imply that the product could be beneficial for the skin.
鈥淪uch an indication is of a misleading nature which justifies the prohibition of its use in the advertising of the biocidal product at issue,鈥� the court said in a statement.
The Associated Press
