L’Oréal is reportedly set to face a class action lawsuit over claims it misled customers on the anti-ageing effects of two of its collagen products.
The cosmetics giant failed to persuade US District Judge, Andrew Carter Jr., to throw out the case, after he deemed that the grounds for the lawsuit were “substantial", Law360 reports.
Plaintiffs Rocio Lopez and Rachel Lumbra originally filed the complaint in August 2021, after purchasing L’Oréal’s Collagen Moisture Filler Day/Night Cream and Fragrance-Free Collagen Moisture Filler Daily Moisturizer.
The pair claimed they were deceived into overpaying on the products based on its anti-ageing properties and that it would help smooth wrinkles, citing New York and California consumer protection laws.
They argued that the collagen found in the topical product is too large to be absorbed into the skin, countering the anti-ageing claims.
"It is wholly plausible that a reasonable consumer, shopping for cosmetics, saw a product named 'Collagen Moisture Filler,' promising to 'smooth wrinkles' and 'restore skin's cushion,' and associated this product with the cosmetic benefits of the collagen molecule," Carter said at the time.
L’Oréal sought to dismiss the claims on the basis that it did not specify that collagen could enter the skin and stimulate collagen production, according to Reuters.
Cosmetics Business has contacted L’Oréal for comment.