Sephora Sued Over ‘Clean Beauty’ Claims

A lawsuit filed in New York claims Sephora’s “clean beauty” program deceives consumers. The retailer is owned by LVMH. 

The 11-page class action complaint was filed November 11 by Lindsey Finster. The plaintiff alleges  “a significant percentage of products with the “Clean at Sephora” contain ingredients inconsistent with how consumers understand the term.

As an example, the suit points to Saie Mascara 101, which “contains numerous synthetic ingredients, several of which have been reported to cause possible harms.” These ingredients include polyglycerol esters, cetyl alcohol and glyceryl caprylate.

Finster notes “As a result of the false and misleading representations, the product is sold at a premium price, approximately no less than $26.00 for 0.31 oz (10g), excluding tax and sales, higher than similar products, represented in a non-misleading way, and higher than it would be sold for absent the misleading representations and omissions.”

According to the suit, Finster read and relied on the “Clean at Sephora” seal to believe the product’s ingredients were not synthetic nor connected to causing physical harm and irritation. In her suit, Finster noted she paid more for the product than she would have had she known the “clean” representations were false and misleading, or would not have purchased it.

The plaintiff’s representation is the Sheehan & Associates, PC, Great Neck, NY. The lawsuit looks to cover consumers in New York, Texas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, Iowa, West Virginia, North Carolina and Utah who bought any “Clean at Sephora” products during the applicable statute of limitations period.