Style and Focus News Bites: L'Oreal's Problems

** Two problems currently affecting L'Oreal (Both issues sourced from The London Guardian):

1) L'Oréal's French Division was found guilty of racial discrimination after it sought to exclude non-white women from promoting its shampoos in France. The Garnier division of L'Oreal, along with a recruitment agency it employed, were fined €30,000 (£20,300) each after they recruited women on the basis of race. The historic ruling - the first time a major company has been found guilty of systematic race discrimination in France - saw a senior figure at the agency given a three-month suspended prison sentence.

The French campaign group SOS Racisme brought the case against L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics firm, over the campaign in 2000. Garnier France sought saleswomen to demonstrate the shampoo line Fructis Style in supermarkets outside Paris. They sought young women to hand out samples and discuss hairstyling with shoppers. In July 2000, a fax detailing the profile of hostesses sought by L'Oréal stipulated women should be 18 to 22, size 38-42 (UK size 10-14) and "BBR", the initials for bleu, blanc, rouge, the colours of the French flag. Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used, which is also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, Indian, African and Asian backgrounds

Please Note that L'Oreal USA has not been included in this lawsuit.

2) An advertising campaign for the L'Oréal Telescopic mascara starring Penelope Cruz is in hot water because in the ads, Cruz is wearing false eyelashes to make her lashes appear fuller, according to the advertising watchdog.

Viewers were told that L'Oréal's new "telescopic" mascara made lashes up to 60% longer, but the cosmetics giant was forced to admit that Cruz, was wearing a "few" cosmetic lashes inserted into her natural ones to fill in gaps. The Advertising Standards Authority said press and TV ads exaggerated the effect the mascara had on natural eyelashes. After an investigation, the watchdog found L'Oréal's ads in breach of advertising rules.

The cosmetics giant provided a signed affidavit from Cruz and her make-up artist saying the actress had only been wearing a few individual fake lashes. But the ASA told L'Oréal to include a clarification in future adverts making clear when models were wearing false eyelashes. L'Oréal must also make clear its "up to 60% longer" claim refers to the appearance of eyelashes and not to their actual length, the watchdog said.

In response, L'Oréal said: "It is common industry practice to make use of some artificial lashes in order to ensure a consistent lash line under filming or shooting conditions. The ASA had previously accepted on more than one occasion that this industry practice was not misleading."
But it said it would comply with the ruling in future. L'Oréal last clashed with the ASA in 2005 over advertising for a wrinkle cream featuring Claudia Schiffer.