Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Kerala cosmetic store fined Rs 15,000 for selling expired product
A woman in Kerala bought a cosmetic product from a store.
When she opened it at home, she saw it had expired many months earlier.
She went back to the store to complain, but the staff were rude and told her to go to court if she wanted.
So she did exactly that.
A consumer court in Kerala heard her complaint.
The court looked at the product and agreed it was already expired when it was sold.
The court said stores should not sell expired cosmetics because they can be unsafe for people.
It told the store to give back the Rs 175 she paid and also pay Rs 15,000 as a penalty.
The court also said stores must give receipts that are clear and do not fade away.
A Kerala consumer commission held a cosmetic store guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice for selling an expired product.
The Yardley London English Blossom product had expired on December 12, 2022, more than three months before it was sold on March 19, 2023, for Rs 175.
The woman complainant said store staff behaved rudely and told her to 'go and file a case' when she pointed out the defect.
The commission ordered the store to refund Rs 175, pay Rs 10,000 as compensation for mental agony, and Rs 5,000 towards the costs of proceedings.
The commission rejected the woman's claim for Rs 1 lakh as excessive but warned that selling expired cosmetics violates consumer rights and poses health hazards.
- Who
- A woman consumer in Kerala and a cosmetic store, with the case heard by Kerala consumer commission President C T Sabu and members Sreeja S and Ram Mohan.
- What
- The consumer commission held the store guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice for selling an expired cosmetic product.
- When
- The product was purchased on March 19, 2023, and the commission's order was dated July 27.
- Where
- Kerala, India.
- Why
- The Yardley London English Blossom product had expired on December 12, 2022, more than three months before the date of sale, violating consumer rights and posing a possible health hazard.
- Product
- Yardley London English Blossom cosmetic
- Purchase date
- March 19, 2023
- Expiry date
- December 12, 2022
- Purchase price
- Rs 175
- Compensation ordered
- Rs 10,000 for mental agony plus Rs 5,000 towards costs
- Refund ordered
- Rs 175
- Original claim
- Rs 1 lakh (rejected as excessive)
- Order date
- July 27