Retailer Caught Selling Used Cosmetic and Beauty Products

A class action lawsuit alleges that some Ulta Beauty stores have been selling used cosmetic, beauty and hair products as if they were new.  This is the second class action lawsuit brought against Ulta Beauty Inc this year, which has over 1,000 stores in 48 states. This deceptive practice could expose Ulta consumers to a number of diseases.

The lawsuit accuses the retailer of pressuring managers and employees to take cosmetics that have been returned, make them "look new" and place them back on the shelves for sale at regular retail prices - all without sanitizing them before reselling them.

While some Ulta Beauty employees claim they never witnessed this practice, other former managers and employees have come forward to admit that they either witnessed or participated in this deception, due to pressure from "higher ups" to increase profits. CBS News did a story on this and even interviewed a former employee who was an operations manager; she admitted to being pressured to participate in this practice. See the CBS story and interview here.

Inspect your beauty product purchases carefully.