Beauty companies face recalls, class actions over privacy, product safety

Beauty companies class action lawsuits, recall overview: 

• Who: Beauty companies, including Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, Too Faced and L’Oreal, have faced complaints within the past month. 
• Why: Consumers filed complaints over claims revolving around product safety and consumer privacy violations. 
• Where: The lawsuits are nationwide. 

Several beauty product companies have been hit with complaints this past month over claims collectively revolving around the safety of their products and alleged consumer privacy violations. 

The last month has also seen Kirk’s Natural South of France agreeing to settle a class action lawsuit and Unilever recalling many aerosol shampoos sold under several brands. 

Beauty companies accused of unlawfully collecting biometric data

Consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Smashbox and Too Faced earlier this month, claiming the companies unlawfully collected and used their biometric data. 

The consumers behind the class action lawsuit argue the companies unlawfully collect facial scans and other sensitive biometric identifiers via virtual try-on tools. 

Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Smashbox and Too Faced neither informed consumers that it would collect their biometric data nor asked for their consent before doing so, the class action alleges. 

L’Oreal accused of selling products that cause uterine cancer, mislead consumers about benefits 

Also this month, a consumer filed a lawsuit against L’Oreal USA, accusing the company of selling hair straightening products that caused her to develop uterine cancer. 

The consumer claims her uterine cancer diagnosis was “directly and proximately caused” by her use of L’Oreal hair straightening products she argues contain “phthalates and other endocrine disrupting chemicals.” 

The customer further accuses L’Oreal of targeting Black and Brown customers with its hair straightening marketing by allegedly running a “marketing scheme” to reinforce “historical Eurocentric standards of beauty.” 

Last month, a federal judge in New York declined to dismiss a separate class action lawsuit claiming L’Oreal misled consumers about the benefits of collagen in its anti-aging skincare products. 

The judge overseeing the class action lawsuit determined the plaintiffs had successfully argued that the packaging L’Oreal used for the products could be misleading to “reasonable consumers.” 

The pair of consumers behind the class action lawsuit argue that two collagen-filled products sold by L’Oreal are ineffective as anti-aging products due to their molecular structures allegedly being too large for skin absorption. 

Kirk’s Natural South of France agrees to pay $650,000 to end claims it misled consumers about product origins 

Also last month, Kirk’s Natural South of France agreed to pay $650,000 to resolve claims the company misled consumers into believing it manufactures its soaps, lotions and other products in France. 

Consumers argued that Kirk’s Natural produces products in Kentucky despite the alleged representations by the company that it manufactures them in France. 

“A reasonable consumer purchases the Product believing that they are, as marketed, advertised and labeled, made in France,” the Kirk’s Natural class action states. 

Unilever recalls certain aerosol shampoo products over elevated benzene level concerns

Unilever, meanwhile, recalled certain aerosol shampoo products sold under the brands Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI and TRESemmé over concerns they may contain an elevated level of benzene, a known human carcinogen. 

Through an internal investigation, the company determined that the propellant for the aerosol shampoo products created potentially elevated levels of benzene. However, Unilever does not expect the benzene levels to cause adverse health effects. 

Still, Unilever chose to recall the aerosol shampoo products over what it said was “an abundance of caution.” 

“Consumers should stop using the affected aerosol dry shampoo products and visit UnileverRecall.com for instructions on how to receive reimbursement for eligible products,” the recall states. 

Have you developed uterine cancer after using hair straightening products? You may qualify to join a free hair-straightening chemical and uterine cancer lawsuit investigation. 

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