The Drama Don’t Stop: Woman Sues After Contracting Herpes From RiRi Woo Lipstick

In today's Rihanna drama, the New York Daily News has reported that a woman is suing MAC after she allegedly contracted herpes after trying a sample of one of the RiRi Woo lipsticks that the brand developed with the singer. The woman, Starkeena Greenridge, claims that a sales rep applied the lipstick on Greenridge straight from the tube at a Rihanna concert, without cleaning the lipstick first or using a fresh sample. Two days later, when Greenridge developed a cold sore, she assumed that she had incurred the infection through that tube of Rihanna-inspired red.

While we think it's a little ridiculous that Greenridge is suing MAC when it's very possible that she contracted the virus elsewhere (according to the University of Maryland, more than 90% of Americans have been exposed to the virus at some point), we do think that cosmetic companies can learn an important lesson as a result of this brouhaha. It's certainly not sanitary in any way for lipstick (or mascara, or eyeliner) samples to be used by multiple customers while shopping, and it's surprising that companies and retailers have not yet developed solutions to this problem.