Court Rules
All enforcement actions
SettlementLow Risk

Connecticut AG Settles with Sephora Over Marketing Anti-Aging Skincare to Children

SephoraApril 20, 2026Connecticut Attorney General

Summary

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a settlement with beauty retailer Sephora resolving an investigation into the company’s marketing of anti-aging skincare products containing active ingredients like retinol to children under 13. Sephora agreed to adopt enforceable safeguards including requiring suppliers to provide age suitability warnings, disclosing those warnings on product pages, training employees to advise young customers, and maintaining a public resource on age-appropriate products. No monetary penalty was imposed.

Remedy

Sephora must (1) require all skincare product suppliers to provide warnings and disclaimers about the suitability of their products for children under 13; (2) clearly and conspicuously disclose these warnings on all relevant product pages on its website; (3) train all customer-facing employees to identify products unsuitable for children under 13 and communicate manufacturer warnings; and (4) maintain a clearly and conspicuously linked website resource listing products unsuitable for children under 13.

Compliance Program

Contract Impact

In-house legal teams at retail companies should review vendor supply agreements to ensure they require suppliers to provide all warnings and disclaimers regarding product suitability for children under 13, including details on potentially harmful active ingredients like retinol. Website terms and product listing agreements should be updated to include clauses mandating clear and conspicuous disclosure of age suitability warnings on all relevant product pages. Employment agreements and staff training policies for customer-facing employees should include clauses requiring training on identifying products unsuitable for minors and properly communicating manufacturer warnings. Additionally, website governance policies should include clauses requiring maintenance of a publicly accessible, clearly linked resource page listing products not suitable for children under 13.

Contract Search Terms

age suitability disclaimerchildren under 13 warningsupplier product warning requirementemployee training skincare safetyage-appropriate product disclosureminor marketing restrictionchildren's product safety warningwebsite resource age suitability

Violation Types

Entity Details

Entity

Sephora

Industry

Retail

Official Sources

Source Evidence

Entity Name
"beauty retailer Sephora"
Event Date
"04/20/2026"
Event Type
"Today’s settlement with Sephora"
Violation Types
"marketing and promotion of anti-aging products to children"
Remedy Summary
"Requiring all brands that supply it with skincare products to provide Sephora with all warnings and disclaimers about the suitability of their products for children under the age of 13;"
Remedy Summary
"Clearly and conspicuously disclose these warnings and disclaimers on all pages where such products are sold on its website;"

Related Enforcement Actions

CT

Sephora

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to Sephora regarding the marketing of anti-aging skincare products with harmful ingredients like retinol and acids to children and teens on social media. The AG seeks information on product placements in searches for kids and warning practices, cautioning parents about potential skin harm from these products.

CT

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

On May 11, 2026, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong led a bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to abandon draft guidance that would ease approvals for flavored e-cigarette products. The coalition argues the guidance ignores evidence that flavored e-cigarettes disproportionately drive youth addiction and that FDA has failed to enforce existing authorization requirements for e-cigarette products. The letter references past tobacco and e-cigarette enforcement actions, including the 1998 tobacco master settlement agreement and the 2022 $438.5 million settlement with JUUL Labs.

CT

Bad actor platforms

Connecticut’s legislature passed House Bill 5312, creating new civil enforcement mechanisms for deepfake digital sexual assault, including unauthorized dissemination of synthetically created intimate images and AI-generated child pornography. The bill establishes a private right of action for victims and empowers the Connecticut Attorney General to pursue civil injunctions and penalties against abusers and platforms hosting illegal content. This builds on prior Connecticut laws criminalizing unauthorized intimate image dissemination.

CT

None

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong praised final passage of House Bill 5312, which creates new civil enforcement mechanisms for deepfake digital sexual assault. The legislation allows the AG to pursue civil injunctions and penalties against platforms that disseminate illegal synthetic intimate images, including AI-generated child pornography, and establishes a private right of action for victims. The bill builds on prior Connecticut laws criminalizing unauthorized dissemination of intimate images.

CT

Made-in-China

$300K

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a settlement with international trade platform Made-in-China to cease all U.S. sales of unlawful 'research grade' GLP-1 weight loss drugs following an investigation into direct sales to consumers without prescriptions or medical oversight. The settlement prohibits the platform from hosting GLP-1 sales to U.S. customers, requires a monitoring system to remove non-compliant listings, and imposes a $300,000 penalty suspended after an initial $30,000 payment. Additional settlements were announced with Radiance Medspa and Advanced Medical Weight Loss over compounded non-FDA approved GLP-1 drugs.

CT

social media companies

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued a statement on May 1, 2026, announcing the final passage of bipartisan legislation targeting youth social media addiction and artificial intelligence harms. The legislation imposes new obligations on social media companies regarding minor account settings, parental consent, and reporting, as well as requirements for AI chatbot operators and employers using automated decision tools. The statement also references ongoing enforcement actions against Meta and TikTok for allegedly designing addictive platform features for youth.