After five and a half years, three dismissal motions and one appeal, Beiersdorf’s prevailed on 15 April by summary judgment in a proposed class action alleging that its Nivea Skin Firming Hydration Body Lotion is an unlawfully marketed drug. Of course, the plaintiff still could appeal.

The Beiersdorf and L’Oreal cases, both pending in California federal courts, have important implications for the cosmetics industry and its use of benefit claims that test statutory boundaries between unapproved drug products and cosmetics.