Superdrug drops Ahava products over West Bank settlement concerns
Retailer blocks future sales of Israeli Dead Sea skincare brand following claims about activity at disputed site
Superdrug has removed Israeli skincare brand Ahava from its online marketplace and blocked future sales after questions were raised about the company’s alleged links to a West Bank settlement.
Ahava, which produces Dead Sea-based beauty products, has long been criticised by pro-Palestinian campaign groups over its historic connection to Mitzpe Shalem, an Israeli settlement near the Dead Sea.
The latest controversy follows the publication of photographs from the site, obtained by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and first reported by Sky News. The images appear to show chemical containers carrying 2025 and 2026 dates, alongside large piles of earth that researchers believe may be Dead Sea mud used in cosmetic products.
After being alerted to the images, Superdrug removed Ahava products from sale.
A spokesperson told Sky News: “We have now removed the SKU (stock keeping unit) and implemented additional system actions that will block and prevent any future listings of this brand from all sellers.”
The products had been sold through a third-party seller on Superdrug’s marketplace rather than directly by the retailer.
Ahava products remain available through a number of other UK and international online retailers.
The company denied that it operates a production facility at the Mitzpe Shalem site and said all manufacturing activities were moved into internationally recognised Israeli territory several years ago.
Chief executive Ron Michael told Sky News: “As previously communicated publicly, by 2022, all production activities were consolidated within internationally recognised Israeli territory.”
The company also said the site is owned by a local kibbutz and that the mud, salts and botanicals used in its products are sourced from what it describes as “undisputed Israeli territory”.
The move comes during continuing debate over trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The UK government considers the settlements illegal under international law and says they undermine efforts to achieve a two-state solution. Israel disputes that position and argues the settlements are lawful.
Earlier this year, MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee called for a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, while the Business and Trade Committee pressed ministers on what action they were taking over settlement trade.
Ahava has previously been the focus of protests in the UK. Its Covent Garden store closed in 2011 after years of demonstrations, and its products were also removed from John Lewis stores that year.
In September 2025, Ahava and its parent company, Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, were added to a United Nations database of companies linked to activities connected with Israeli settlements.
Responding to the move, Ahava said: “The inclusion of Ahava in the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ database in September 2025 does not accurately reflect the current factual or legal situation of our operations. We have engaged constructively with the relevant UN bodies and provided extensive clarification and supporting documentation. We are actively working to rectify this classification.”
Michael added: “We remain committed to transparency, compliance, environmental responsibility, and respectful dialogue.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
