The Clicks Group apologised after receiving numerous complaints from upset customers over an advert that classified natural black hair as "dry, damaged, frizzy and dull".

The backlash started on Friday when a Clicks advert which classified different types of hair started trending.

In the advert were pictures of four women: two black and two white.

The advert classified the two black women's hair as, "dry and damaged" and "frizzy and dull", while the two white women's hair were classified as "fine and flat hair" as well as "normal hair".

Miss Universe Zozi Tunzi and other Twitter users felt it was disrespectful to the black community.

Clicks had since taken down the images and made a public apology.

"We sincerely apologise for offending our customers and letting you down," Clicks' chief commercial officer Rachel Wrigglesworth said.

"We acted swiftly and immediately removed the offending images which were provided by a supplier as part of their marketing campaign.

"As a brand we recognise that we have a responsibility to use whatever influence we have to remove implicit and explicit prejudice from society, the workplace and our advertising."

Wrigglesworth said they recognised that they had a role to play in how they represented a diverse customer base in their own and supplier advertising and that they sincerely apologised for failing their customers.