Woman Settles With Sephora Over Herpes Infection In Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Glendale woman who claims she got herpes from using a sample lipstick at Sephora in Hollywood settled her lawsuit Tuesday against the company, which she blamed for her infection.

According to her attorney, Elena Davoyan had never had a cold sore on her lip before, but she developed one in 2015 shortly after she tested the sample lipstick, which was put out for communal use at the Sephora shop at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.

Sephora released a statement denying any wrongdoing in the matter.

“We have resolved this matter while continuing to deny all of the allegations in the complaint," it said. "Sephora’s entire retail concept is rooted in self-discovery and our goal is to enable an immersive environment that caters to clients’ desire to learn and play uninhibited in a safe and clean environment. We take product hygiene very seriously and we are dedicated to following best practices in our stores.”

Davoyan sued in October 2017, alleging the company was at fault for causing her to acquire the oral herpes virus. According to the lawsuit, Sephora's business plan is to get people into its stores so that they will sample and buy products. The company should have known the risk of offering samples of lipsticks being used by more than one customer, she claimed.

Other lipstick distribution companies have mini-samplers with only one fresh sampler per customer, the suit states.

Robert Krasney, an attorney for plaintiff Elena Davoyan, filed a notice of settlement Tuesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Christopher Lui. No terms were revealed.

City News Service and Patch Staffer contributed to this report.