The folks at L’Oréal are a pretty unhappy bunch at the moment. The world’s largest cosmetics and beauty company has just been slapped with a lawsuit with claims that it knowingly sold products with potentially carcinogenic chemicals and false advertising in South America and Europe. To top the cherry off, the charges come from one of their own! Jerome Chevallier is the former regulatory affairs director for L’Oréal, who says he was fired after expressing his concerns to his superiors. As expected, L’Oréal refuses to comment on the details of the case.
According to New York, the detailed allegations are as follows:
- Maybelline products that went to South America contained dibutyl phthalate, a potential carcinogen.
- L’Oréal sold products in Europe that contained a refrigerant.
- The company sold a deodorant containing Tricolsan (also banned for being an anti-microbial agent), even though they released statements saying they would no longer use the chemical.
- Products in Europe contained unlawful levels of Kathon CG, a preservative linked to dermatitis, and information about this was removed from the company computer system.
- The company marketed PureOlogy products as “100 percent vegan,” when they contained animal-derived ingredients.
- The chemicals used in these claims are not banned in the U.S.
Investors hopped off the “Because you’re worth it” train, as L’Oréal saw their stocks drop. Additionally, L’Oréal has cut its sales-growth outlook from 6-8 percent, to just 6 percent. I’m sure we’re all crying for the evil corporation.
