A US judge has denied a request to dismiss three class action lawsuits accusing leading fragrance manufacturers—IFF, Firmenich, Symrise, and Givaudan—of conspiring to inflate prices of cosmetics ingredients.
The lawsuits, which mirror investigations into similar allegations by the European Union’s antitrust authority, argue that the companies engaged in price-fixing. The fragrance manufacturers, however, maintain that the plaintiffs have failed to present sufficient evidence of such practices and deny any wrongdoing. US District Judge William Martini rejected their motion to dismiss the cases.
Representatives from Givaudan, Symrise, and IFF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. DSM-Firmenich stated that it is cooperating with ongoing investigations by competition regulators in both the EU and the US.
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