Kanebo Cosmetics Inc. and 17 women, who were seeking a total of around ¥370 million ($3.2 million) in damages for developing blotches after using the company's skin-whitening products, reached a settlement Wednesday at the Yokohama District Court.
Kanebo will pay all of the plaintiffs an amount of money in accordance with their symptoms, the plaintiffs' lawyers said, while not disclosing the actual amount of the settlement.
The women filed the damages suit in June 2015 based on the product liability law, claiming their skin broke out in white blotches after using products containing Rhododenol, a chemical brightening ingredient.
A series of lawsuits have been filed across Japan over skin damage caused by the skin-whitening products sold between 2008 and 2013, and Kanebo announced the recall of the products in July 2013.