The skincare sample is free. What happens next can cost thousands.

Summary

NPR investigated complaints about skincare stores where customers said free samples led to pressured sales, unexpected credit-card charges, and purchases costing thousands of dollars. Customers described products without price tags, alleged charges exceeding quoted prices, and strict no-refund policies. Some said employees used multiple cards or gave customers “gifts” before later claiming they had purchased products.

The stores operated under different names but sold brands distributed by Mazal Group, a California-based company established by the Weingarten and Oded family. Mazal says it does not own or operate the retail stores and is not responsible for what happens there. NPR’s reporting found that the family uses Mazal Group to manage activities including product development, marketing, sales, and distribution.

The investigation also examined earlier federal cases involving Israeli workers employed at cosmetics kiosks on tourist visas. A former Labor Department agent said workers in one investigation were recruited after military service, paid under the table, and coached on what to tell authorities. The kiosk operator pleaded guilty to visa-fraud conspiracy and money laundering. NPR also found recent job ads for skincare-store work and spoke with an anonymous former worker who said he had worked in the U.S. on a tourist visa and described the sales practices as deceptive.

In a Hawaii class-action case, 110 consumers sued Mazal Group, the family, and local store owners over alleged deceptive sales tactics. The parties settled for $650,000 before trial; the defendants did not admit liability.

NPR tested one sample of Voupre anti-aging cream, noting that the test was limited. The lab detected the peptide Hexapeptide-8 but found no detectable vitamin E and only a trace-level amount of vitamin A. The peptide was estimated to cost less than a dollar per product. NPR reported that the product cost stores about $20, with a suggested retail price of $1,300. Internal order forms showed other suggested markups as high as 60 to 130 times wholesale cost. A former employee said prices and claims about how long products would last could vary from customer to customer, and that staff worked on commission.

Mazal Group did not respond to NPR’s reporting questions. After NPR’s visit to its California offices, the company ended its California business license. Its lawyers reiterated that Mazal Group does not own retail locations or manufacture products. NPR found that a new company, Innovation Brands, was owned by Daphna Weingarten and her husband.

Presenters and Contributors

• Monika — NPR reporter
• Caley — NPR reporting partner
• Matt Grimm — former Labor Department special agent interviewed
• Mary Ellen Eckert — customer interviewed
• Mark — her son, interviewed
• Anonymous former Israeli store employee — interviewed by NPR