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PARIS, France — L'Oreal SA and Unilever were among 11 companies fined a total of 951.2 million euros ($1.17 billion) by France's antitrust regulator over allegations of a conspiracy to rig the prices of products including shampoo and toothpaste.
The fines were issued in separate cases, one involving cleaning products and the other personal hygiene items. L’Oreal will have to pay 189.5 million euros, the largest fine, while Unilever received a 172.5 million-euro penalty, the Autorite de la Concurrence said in an e-mailed statement.
The combined 606 million-euro fine in the personal-care industry is the highest penalty handed down by France’s antitrust arm. The agreement covered products such as shower gel, shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants and razors and brand names such as Sanex, Signal and Head & Shoulders, the regulator said.
“The punished agreements are of a particular gravity due to their secret character as well as their nature: they enabled competing companies to coordinate on the main parameters of commercial negotiation and in particular on price evolutions,” the regulator said in the statement.
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L’Oreal and Unilever both plan to appeal the decision.
“L’Oreal refutes accusations of anticompetitive activity with its competitors,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. The producer of the Elseve shampoo brand said the amount of the fine is “totally out of proportion.”
‘Totally Unjustified’
Unilever “considers the sanction imposed to be totally unjustified, given Unilever’s comparatively limited level of involvement in any exchanges and the absence of effects for the consumer,” the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc was fined 121 million euros, Henkel AG 109.2 million euros, Procter & Gamble Co. 78.9 million euros, Beiersdorf AG 72.1 million euros, Colgate-Palmolive Co. 46.7 million euros, and SCA Tissue France SAS 45 million euros.
Reckitt Benckiser and Henkel said in separate statements that they cooperated with the probe. Beiersdorf said it’s assessing the antitrust decision. P&G and Colgate weren’t immediately available to comment.
Hillshire Brands Co. will have to pay 25.3 million euros, of which Colgate-Palmolive is jointly liable for 20.7 million euros. Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France received an 8.13 million-euro penalty and Bolton Manitoba SpA was fined 7.9 million euros.
By Gaspard Sebag, with assistance from Tom Beardsworth, Matthew Boyle and Paul Jarvis. Editor: Anthony Aarons.
