Class Action Claims 'Oil-Free' Smashbox Beauty Cosmetics Skincare Products Contain Oil

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

A proposed class action alleges Smashbox Beauty Cosmetics has intentionally mislabeled its skincare products as oil-free. 

The 25-page complaint alleges more specifically that Smashbox has falsely and misleadingly touted the following products as oil-free when they in fact contain the listed oils: 

• Studio Skin 24 Hour Hydra Foundation: tocopherol acetate, dimethicone; and
• Photo Finish Minimize Pores: dimethicone, isododecane, tocopherol acetate. 

The plaintiff, a Reseda, California consumer, claims to have relied on Smashbox’s oil-free representations in purchasing the skincare products. Per the suit, the plaintiff has generally avoided buying cosmetic products whose labels do not denote that the items are oil-free, and does not like the “shiny” appearance caused by the use of oil-based cosmetics and skincare products, among other drawbacks. 

The defendant, the case claims, impaired the plaintiff and proposed class members’ ability to choose the type and quality of products to buy by “making false and misleading claims” about the items’ ingredients. 

According to the case, the plaintiff, on multiple occasions, experienced dissatisfaction with the Smashbox products due to their “oil and greasy” feeling and the “breakouts” supposedly caused by the items. The plaintiff says she was also left with an “unpleasant residue” on her skin, and experienced eye irritation when the products mixed with sweat. 

“Plaintiff would not have purchased Defendant’s products and would have instead purchased accurately labeled oil-free products from Defendant’s competitors, if she had known Defendant’s products contained oils,” the lawsuit says. 

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who purchased Smashbox’s Studio Skin 24 Hour Hydra Foundation and/or Photo Finish Minimize Pores within the four years prior to the filing of the lawsuit and through the date of class certification. 

The case, initially filed on March 1 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, has been removed to California’s Central District Court. 

Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.