Beauty business accused of hard selling; nearly $1m in complaints filed with Case

Sales staff of a beauty chain in Singapore have been accused of misleading and hard selling packages or products, amounting to nearly $1 million, to customers.

Fifty-three complaints against DNA Brands Co were made to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) from August 2024 to Oct 14, 2025, with at least 20 elderly consumers submitting complaints to the watchdog.

Case said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 15) that the complaints involved a total value of over $980,000 and pertain to two beauty brands run by DNA Brands Co. 

The businesses involved are beauty salons operating under the Beautique name and wellness retail outlets under The Mineral Boutique label. 

High-pressure sales tactics 

Complainants alleged that they had been misled or pressured by sales assistants into purchasing excessive beauty packages or products.

25 cases were lodged in the last five months of 2024, and 28 in 2025.

Half of the complaints involved purchases exceeding $10,000, according to Case. One consumer was charged at least $370,000 for products and packages.

The Beautique outlets in Ang Mo Kio, Orchard Plaza, The Centrepoint and Toa Payoh are involved, as well as The Mineral Boutique outlets in Nex, Jewel Changi Airport and Wheelock Place.

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Case president Melvin Yong said that DNA Brands Co was invited to sign a Voluntary Compliance Agreement to stop unfair trade practices and compensate the affected consumers, but it declined.

"Case has referred the matter to the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore for investigation under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act," he said, adding that the company has been placed on the watchdog's alert list.

Consumers who have disputes with DNA Brands Co can approach Case for assistance by calling 6277 5100 or visiting www.case.org.sg.

Earlier in August, Case said it had received 558 complaints in the beauty sector from January to June 2025, with feedback on aggressive or misleading sales tactics comprising about 28 per cent.

In the same time period, it recorded a loss of over $108,000 in prepayments to beauty service providers.

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Yong said in the statement on Oct 15 that unfair practices remain a "persistent problem" in the beauty industry.

Consumers are encouraged to patronise CaseTrust-accredited spas and beauty salons which offer a five-day cooling-off period, prepayment protection and have a "no selling" policy.

"At the same time, we continue to call on the Government to introduce a mandatory cooling-off period for prepaid beauty packages, so that consumers have recourse when faced with unfair practices," added Yong.

Complaints to Case make up less than 1% of all customers: Beautique and DNA Brands Co

In a media statement on Oct 15, Beautique and DNA Brands Co said the 53 complaints received by Case make up less than one per cent of their total customer base. 

According to them, the one consumer who had purchased at least $370,000 of packages and products had used the majority of the beauty packages over three years.

"The matter was initially headed for resolution through Singapore’s legal system; however, at the invitation of Case, we agreed in good faith to have the issue resolved through mediation," said a spokesperson.

Beautique said Case had not yet set a mediation date, and it will fully cooperate with the process to reach a fair outcome.

The spokesperson said that the company takes all allegations seriously and regularly reviews its processes, reinforces staff training, and improves communication with clients.

They added that they have duly documented written correspondence with Case on the draft Voluntary Compliance Agreement.

"We are currently awaiting their formal reply and will respond accordingly once received," said the spokesperson.

lim.kewei@asiaone.com