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.
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.
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.
Entity
Sephora
Industry
Retail"beauty retailer Sephora"
"04/20/2026"
"Today’s settlement with Sephora"
"marketing and promotion of anti-aging products to children"
"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;"
"Clearly and conspicuously disclose these warnings and disclaimers on all pages where such products are sold on its website;"
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.
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.
$300K
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a settlement with international trade platform Made-in-China to cease all sales of unlawful 'research grade' GLP-1 weight loss drugs into the United States. The settlement prohibits manufacturers from advertising or selling GLP-1s to U.S. customers via the platform, requires a monitoring system to detect and remove non-compliant listings, and imposes a $300,000 penalty suspended after an initial $30,000 payment. Additional settlements with entities including Triggered Brand, Radiance Medspa of Avon, and Advanced Medical Weight Loss of East Hartford were also announced for similar violations of Connecticut's Unfair Trade Practices Act.
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.
On April 28, 2026, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of 24 other state attorneys general and New York City in sending letters to major credit card companies and payment processors urging them to block transactions facilitating illegal vaping product sales. The coalition highlighted that most vapor products lack required FDA authorization and many online sellers violate the federal Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, including failing to implement youth access safeguards. The coalition requested a meeting to discuss prohibiting noncompliant merchants from using payment networks, building on existing state enforcement actions against illegal vape sellers.
On April 17, 2026, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in sending a comment letter to CFPB Acting Director Russell Vought opposing the CFPB’s proposed strategic plan, which would drastically reduce agency staffing, weaken supervision of financial institutions, and curtail enforcement capacity. The coalition argues the plan would abdicate the CFPB’s statutory obligations, leave consumers vulnerable to fraud and scams, and shift enforcement burden to state agencies. The letter urges the CFPB to reverse course and maintain robust consumer protection efforts.