A woman is suing a cosmetics giant after claiming she caught herpes after using a sample lipstick.
Elena Davoyan, from California, US, said she never suffered from herpes or cold sores before using the tester lipstick in a Los Angeles branch of Sephora, TMZ reports.
Now she is warning other women about the dangers of using in-store testers and is suing Sephora for $25,000 for emotional distress over an ‘incurable lifelong affliction’.
The lawsuit, filed by lawyer Robert Kransey, argues that the store encourages communal lipstick use and doesn’t warn of the dangers.
‘The bottom line is that (there) are numerous simple solutions to prevent the spreading of diseases through lipstick testers, and that is Sephora’s responsibility,’ the lawsuit reads.
In response, Sephora told Daily News that customer safety is their first concern.
‘The health and safety of our clients is our foremost priority,’ a spokesperson said.
‘We take product hygiene very seriously.’