Chinese beauty blogger Hao Yu sues Estée Lauder for false advertising over La Mer product claims
‘Doctor Big Mouth’ has accused the beauty giant of deceiving Chinese consumers over the ability of its Crème de la Mer to heal burn scars, adding global brands still treat the Chinese as ‘gullible sheep waiting to be killed’
A well-known Chinese beauty blogger has revealed he is suing global conglomerate Estée Lauder for false advertising about the properties of a La Mer luxury beauty product.
In a blog post on Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, Hao Yu said he filed a civil lawsuit in Shanghai on September 27 accusing Estée Lauder of misleading and deceiving Chinese consumers by claiming that its Crème de la Mer can heal burn scars.
Hao, who has 1.1 million Weibo followers, wrote that he spent 1,450 yuan (US$211) on a pot of the cream because he believed this claim, but his skin did not see any improvement after using it.
According to La Mer’s official English-language website, the brand was founded by a Dr Max Huber who “suffered burns in an experiment gone awry”. He subsequently created Miracle Broth, an elixir containing fermented kelp that “soothed his skin” and is present in all La Mer’s products today.
However, Hao pointed out that La Mer’s official Chinese website states that Miracle Broth restored his physical appearance. He said he compared this wording with that on La Mer websites in other languages and found none of them make such a claim for Miracle Broth.
Hao’s blog post, which went viral, caused a stir on the Chinese social media platform, with many internet users expressing anger at La Mer.