Influencer Poupette Kenza says she's been fined 50,000 euros for 'deceptive marketing practices'

Rouen influencer Poupette Kenza, real name Kenza Benchrif, was fined 50,000 euros for misleading commercial practices, she announced in a Snapchat story on Wednesday August 16. “I’m too nervous, 50,000 euros fine like that, but it’s a shame! “, reacted the most followed Frenchwoman on Snapchat with 1.6 million subscribers.

The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) accuses him on the one hand of “not having indicated the true commercial intention of the content for which [his] company received consideration”. This department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance condemns, on the other hand, Ms. Benchrif “for having given the impression that the sale of a Crest 3D white brand teeth whitener is lawful when it is prohibited to sale on French territory,” reads the letter the 23-year-old woman received.

Consequently, the content creator must also issue a press release about her sanction on her social networks, Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat, instructs the DGCCRF. Kenza Benchrif expressed the wish to appeal the sanction.

Regulation of practices

The influencer, who films her daily life for her million subscribers, assured that she ignored the ban on the sale of Crest 3D white products in France. “I went to find out from the brand,” she explains after being alerted by subscribers to the ban. “The brand says to me, ‘no it’s not forbidden’, I kept posting [promotions of] the brand, they don’t have to put me at risk,” she continues, adding that the company itself “did not know” that its product was illegal for sale.

Since the beginning of June, the DGCCRF has issued several injunctions against influencers, in parallel with the adoption by Parliament of a text regulating their practices. The latter also prohibits the promotion of certain practices, such as cosmetic surgery or “therapeutic abstention”. It prohibits or severely regulates the promotion of several medical devices. The penalties provided for in the event of a breach are up to two years in prison and a fine of 300,000 euros.