In 2021, L’Oréal USA’s Corporate Security and Brand Protection team reached out to Amazon with evidence that counterfeit beauty products were in Amazon’s store. Rather than treating this as an isolated enforcement matter, both organizations committed to a deeper collaboration.
Amazon gathered suspected products from fulfillment centers and sent them directly to L’Oréal’s authentication experts. When counterfeits were confirmed, Amazon removed bad actor sellers and created new safeguards informed by L’Oréal’s product expertise. The collaboration combined L’Oréal’s deep knowledge of formulations, packaging, and supply chain patterns with Amazon’s detection technology and investigative capabilities. Teams now work together on investigations, focusing on the organized networks behind them.
“As the world’s leading beauty company, our consumers should feel confident that when they purchase a L’Oréal product, it will always meet the highest standards of quality and safety. Counterfeit products erode that confidence, and more importantly, they put consumers at risk,” said Thomas Barden, senior vice president, head of corporate security and brand protection, L’Oréal USA. “Following an extensive investigation, we joined forces with Amazon to identify and dismantle a group responsible for selling counterfeit CeraVe products to unsuspecting shoppers. We value Amazon’s partnership and remain relentless in our efforts to protect consumers and eliminate counterfeit products wherever they emerge.”
In August 2025, this collaboration led to a major breakthrough: Michigan authorities announced felony charges against four individuals running a widespread counterfeit perfume operation, seizing over 100,000 boxes of suspected counterfeit fragrances.