Fabricated image used to falsely claim Ulta Beauty CEO being 'sued for millions' | Fact check

Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Image shows Ulta Beauty CEO who is being sued for millions

A May 10 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a picture of a woman in an orange jumpsuit with a police officer standing behind her.

“FORGET about Diddy and the Eclipse,” the on-screen text reads. “The CEO of Ulta Beauty is being sued for MILLIONS.”

The image was also posted in a video on Facebook, which was shared more than 5,000 times in two weeks. Similar versions of the claim circulated on TikTok.

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Our rating: Altered

The image is fabricated. The CEO of Ulta Beauty is a man, not a woman. There are no credible reports of a recent multimillion-dollar lawsuit against him.

Several parts of the image are consistent with AI generation

The nature and content of the picture both indicate this claim is off the mark.

The CEO of Ulta is a man named Dave Kimbell. There are no credible media reports of a recent lawsuit against him for millions of dollars. Ulta Beauty did not respond to a request for comment.

Even if Kimbell were being sued, it would have nothing to do with anyone in a prison jumpsuit as the image shows, since lawsuits are civil court actions. It would take criminal charges to land someone behind bars and in a jumpsuit.

The picture has several elements consistent with AI generation – the officer’s eyes, badge and emblem on his hat are all blurred. The Facebook video includes a wider version of the image, which shows part of his pants leg is blurred as well.

The video version of the claim adds that Ulta Beauty’s CEO is being sued because the company is selling toxic chemicals. However, there’s no evidence from credible sources that such a lawsuit exists.

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The video version of the claim also warns about the toxicity of common beauty products while directing viewers to use bovine colostrum supplements for supposed skin, gut and mood benefits. Bovine colostrum is the first milk produced after a cow gives birth.

Dr. Pieter Cohen, a physician at Cambridge Health Alliance and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, told USA TODAY that there’s no way to know the exact benefits of such supplements.

“Bovine colostrum is a complex mixture of biologic chemicals, and it's impossible to know what you're getting when you purchase colostrum supplements because no one is checking to make sure the supplement is accurately manufactured,” Cohen said.

USA TODAY reached out to the users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Image used to falsely claim Ulta Beauty CEO being sued | Fact check