A woman is suing Sephora for emotional distress following a herpes diagnosis.
She claims she sampled a tester lipstick at the high-end cosmetics store in October 2015, resulting in the arrival of herpes on her lips. The woman says she was diagnosed with the life-long disease by medical professionals.
She says she never had herpes or cold sores prior to her Sephora visit.
According to the documents reported by TMZ, Sephora "failed to clearly warn the woman and other customers of the risk of getting herpes or other diseases from trying on the lipstick samples."
The woman says if she had known about the possibility of obtaining an infection from the makeup, she would've avoided the tester products at all costs.
The woman claims other lipstick companies have proven methods to prevent any exposure to viral diseases.
She references the use of individual samples or receiving assistance from trained professionals, but claims Sephora sidesteps these practices in order to make a "quick buck."
This is not the first time the concept of sharing makeup products have come under fire. In February 2015, the Chicago Tribute wrote on this issue, which featured dermatologist Toral Patel, owner of D&A Dermatology in Chicago. She explained how viruses are carried on cosmetics and the subsequent consequences.
Patel said she frequently sees patients with pinkeye, cold sores, bacterial infections, and boils. Often they say they've used tester products offered at makeup stores.
"It's not you," Patel said, "it's the people before you."
"Viruses, like the herpes virus that causes cold sores, need a human host to survive...but they can last long enough on lipstick to travel to someone else," she said.
Have you ever used tester products?