Italy investigates Sephora, Benefit over skincare marketing to kids

Italian regulators want to put an end to tweens’ skin-care obsession and are investigating. LVMHCosmetics brands owned by Sephora and Benefit are running a “sneaky” marketing campaign aimed at children.

Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) said on Friday that it had launched an investigation into two cosmetic brands that focused on “unfair commercial practices” in which children and teenagers, even those under 10, were encouraged to buy serums, masks and anti-aging creams.

The regulator said the marketing fueled behavior known as “cosmeticorexia”, which refers to an unhealthy obsession with skin care among minors.

He highlighted that both Sephora and Benefit either fail to properly label products or occasionally neglect important precautions regarding products not intended for minors to use both in-store and on social media, which can cause serious harm to their health.

Additionally, AGCM said popular cosmetics brands were using a “sneaky marketing strategy” involving young micro-influencers encouraging other young people to buy their products.

AGCM officials and Italian financial police conducted inspections of Sephora Italia, LVMH Profumi e Cosmetici Italia and LVMH Italia facilities on Thursday.

LVMH said Sephora, Benefit and LVMH P&C Italy were informed of the investigation.

“As the investigation is ongoing, Sephora, Benefit and LVMH P&C Italy cannot share further comment at this stage, expressing their willingness to fully cooperate with the authorities,” LVMH said in a statement to CNBC. he said. “All companies confirm that they strictly comply with the applicable Italian regulations.”

Sephora has nearly 23 million followers on Instagram and over 2 million followers on TikTok, and the beauty brand is at the center of tween beauty trends.

“Sephora kids” social media trend It has started to attract attention in the last few years viral videos TikTok and Instagram show stores bursting with young girls filling their baskets with brightly colored and fun-looking skincare products.

Young girls show off in some videos skin care routines With products containing anti-aging ingredients like retinol.

A. CBS News analysis It found that of all 240 skincare posts by teen influencers on TikTok, the majority of videos were not properly labeled as promotional content, with only 15 videos, or just 6% of posts, doing so. This means that many creators may unknowingly advertise products to unsuspecting children.

Embreigh Courtlyn, a young skincare influencer, told CBS that some brands have asked her not to tag videos with the hashtag “#ad,” which could be off-putting to viewers, and instead to be credited as partners, which will make the content perform better.

A peer-reviewed study published by Northwestern University in June Last year, we reviewed 100 popular skincare videos posted by influencers ages 7 to 18. It found that only a quarter of the videos contained sunscreen, while the 25 most viewed videos contained an average of 11 and a maximum of 21 potentially irritating active ingredients.

MetaThe parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads faced two stinging defeats this week in lawsuits focusing on the harms of social media. Meta was found liable for nearly $400 million in damages by a New Mexico jury on Tuesday after concluding that it failed to protect children from predators on its platforms.