NPR conducted a year-long investigation into complaints from skincare retailers across multiple states, including locations in Michigan shopping malls and Hawaii hotel spas. Customers reported experiencing pressure to make large purchases totaling thousands of dollars for skincare products they had not intended to buy, with particular difficulty returning these items afterward.
The investigation, conducted by NPR reporters Monika Evstatieva and Caley Fox Shannon, involved interviews with more than 50 individuals, a review of hundreds of consumer complaints, and examination of court records and internal documents. Despite differences in store names and ownership structures, the reporters identified a common link connecting the various retail locations across the country.
The connection led to Mazal Group, a California-based company operated by a family with origins in Israel. This business enterprise controls numerous skincare brands that are distributed through independently operated stores worldwide. Historical records indicate that more than a decade ago, federal investigators documented alleged credit card overcharge schemes operating at stores that carried some of these same brands.
Prior investigations by federal agents uncovered additional criminal activity associated with these operations, including immigration-related crimes and money laundering. Those investigations resulted in more than a dozen guilty pleas. However, customers continue reporting similar sales tactics and practices at skincare stores operating in various locations throughout the country, prompting NPR’s broader examination of the relationships between the individual stores, the products they sell, and the family business structure operating behind the scenes.
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