Italy Probes LVMH for Skincare Marketing to Minors

Italy's competition authority has opened an investigation into luxury group LVMH and its subsidiaries Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics for allegedly promoting adult skincare products to minors through social media, raising concerns about potential health risks and unfair commercial practices. The probe, announced on March 27, 2026, targets marketing strategies that authorities say encourage compulsive purchases among children as young as 10 to 12 years old.

The Italian Competition Authority, known as AGCM, initiated the inquiry amid suspicions that the companies omitted or presented misleading information about warnings and precautions for products not intended or tested for use by minors. Products under scrutiny include face masks, serums, and anti-aging creams. Officials described the marketing as particularly aggressive, involving very young micro-influencers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok who promote these items to vulnerable groups, fostering behaviors linked to "cosmeticorexia," an unhealthy obsession with skincare routines among youth.

This investigation marks the first of its kind by a European regulator on this issue. AGCM officials, assisted by Italy's financial...