If you ran a Neutrogena Skin360 or NeoStrata Skin360 skin assessment while you were in Illinois between December 9, 2019 and May 5, 2023, you can claim a cash payment from a $4.7 million class action settlement. Claims are open now, the filing deadline is November 25, 2026, and no receipt, screenshot or notice ID is required to file — only a sworn statement that you used the tool in Illinois during that window.
The case is Melzer v. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., No. 3:22-cv-03149-MAS-RLS, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Plaintiffs allege the company behind Neutrogena — now known as Kenvue Brands LLC — collected scans of face geometry during Skin360 skin assessments without the written disclosures and written consent the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) requires. Kenvue denies the allegations and the court has not decided who is right; the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.
Legal information disclaimer: This article is general consumer information about a public court settlement and is not legal advice. Deadlines and terms come from the court-approved notice and can change. Confirm any detail on the official settlement website before you act.
Table of Contents
- What Skin360 Was, and Why It Matters on a Skincare Site
- Who Qualifies for a Payment
- How Much Money You Could Get
- What Proof You Need (Almost None)
- The Deadlines That Actually Matter
- How to File a Claim
- What Happens to Your Face Scans
- What Happens Next
- Other Skin-Tech and Privacy Claims Worth Checking
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Skin360 Was, and Why It Matters on a Skincare Site
Skin360 was a selfie-based skin analysis tool. You pointed a phone camera at your face, the app scored things like fine lines, dark spots, wrinkles and texture, and it returned a readout plus product suggestions. Plenty of people with acne-prone skin used it the same way they use any at-home skin scanner: to track whether a routine was working, or to get a number attached to something they could already see in the mirror.
Illinois is the reason this became a lawsuit. BIPA is a state statute that treats a scan of face geometry as biometric data, and it requires a company to tell you in writing what it is collecting, why, and how long it will keep it, and to get your written consent first. It also requires a published retention and destruction schedule. The complaint alleges Skin360 did none of that. That is a paperwork-and-consent claim, not a claim that the skin analysis itself hurt anyone’s skin.
The practical takeaway for anyone who scans their face into an app: the photo is the least interesting thing being stored. The measurements derived from it are what the law is fighting over.
Who Qualifies for a Payment
The settlement class is every person who, while in Illinois, performed a Skin360 skin assessment using any version of Skin360 — Neutrogena Skin360, NeoStrata Skin360, or any Skin360 collaboration with another brand — through either the mobile app or the web app, between December 9, 2019 and May 5, 2023.
Two details settle most eligibility questions:
- Location beats residency. What matters is that you were physically in Illinois when you used Skin360 — not where you live today. If you have since moved out of state, you are still a class member.
- BIPA is an Illinois statute. A Skin360 scan you ran anywhere else falls outside this class, even if you are an Illinois resident.
Excluded are Kenvue and its affiliates and their employees, the judges and their immediate families and staff, counsel for either side, anyone who files a timely exclusion request, and the successors or assigns of anyone excluded.
How Much Money You Could Get
There is no per-person figure yet, and there cannot be one until claims close. Everyone who files a valid, timely claim gets an equal pro rata share of whatever remains in the $4.7 million fund, so the payment depends entirely on how many valid claims arrive.
Four things come out of the fund before class members are paid, in this order: administration expenses, the attorneys’ fee award, service payments to the class representatives, and then the class payments. Class counsel may ask for up to one-third of the fund plus reasonable costs, and up to $5,000 for each of the four class representatives. Both requests need court approval, and anything the court declines to award goes back into the class payments — not back to Kenvue.
The fund is non-reversionary. Uncashed checks return to the fund and get redistributed to the class. If a second distribution is not workable, or if money still remains after it, the residue goes to the Electronic Privacy Information Center as the court-approved cy pres recipient.
What Proof You Need (Almost None)
No documentation is required to file, and no administrator-issued code is required either. The portal’s first screen asks whether you have a Settlement Claim ID; choosing no leads to the same online claim form. The ID field is labeled “If Available” wherever it appears. If you never got the emailed notice, or deleted it, you can still file online — nothing has to be printed or mailed to work around a missing ID.
What the claim form does require is a sworn statement. You affirm under penalty of perjury that you are 18 or older, that you used Skin360 within Illinois between December 9, 2019 and May 5, 2023, and that this is the only claim you have filed or will file in this settlement. The form also asks for the dates you used Skin360, and, if you no longer live in Illinois, the dates you were in Illinois while using it.
One caveat for out-of-state claimants. The Settlement Agreement lets the administrator ask a class member who lives outside Illinois to prove they were in Illinois at the time — travel records, or statements showing other purchases in the state. The claim form also notes identity documentation may be requested. That is a case-by-case verification step, not a filing requirement, but expect it to be possible. Duplicate claims are rejected, and a deficient claim gets a written notice and 21 days to fix it.
The Deadlines That Actually Matter
- November 10, 2026 — last day to opt out of the class, and the day an objection must be received by the court. You cannot do both; anyone who tries is treated as having opted out.
- November 25, 2026 — claim deadline. Online claims must be submitted by this date (the portal lists its cutoff as 12:00:00 a.m. EST on November 26, which is the same instant). Paper claim forms must be postmarked by November 25.
- December 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET — final approval hearing before Judge Michael A. Shipp, Courtroom 5W, Trenton. Attendance is not required and the date can move without further notice.
Doing nothing is a choice with a cost: you get no payment and you are still bound by the release and the final judgment if the settlement is approved.
How to File a Claim
File online through the official Skin360 BIPA settlement website, which also hosts the long-form notice, the Settlement Agreement and the court documents. Open Class Actions keeps a plain-language rundown of the terms and a direct link to the portal on its Neutrogena Skin360 BIPA settlement page. Filing is free and takes a few minutes.
The portal runs five steps: whether you have a Settlement Claim ID, claimant information, payment eligibility, certification and payment method, and confirmation. On the payment step you pick how you want to be paid — Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, a prepaid digital Mastercard, or a mailed check. The electronic options need the email address or phone number tied to that account. A paper form can be requested from the administrator, Eisner Advisory Group LLC, and mailed instead, postmarked by the same November 25 deadline. One claim per person.
If you take the check option, cash it quickly: a settlement check expires 90 days after it is issued, and the notice states no replacement check will be issued for an expired one.
What Happens to Your Face Scans
This is the part that outlives the payment. Within 14 days of the settlement’s Effective Date, Kenvue must confirm it has deleted any images obtained during Skin360 skin assessments in the class period. Going forward it must maintain a user notice and written consent mechanism for Skin360, plus a written retention and destruction policy — the three things BIPA required in the first place.
For anyone who has uploaded progress photos to a skin app, that is the standard worth looking for before you scan: a disclosure that says what is collected, a consent step you actively agree to, and a stated deletion schedule. Their absence is exactly what this case was about.
What Happens Next
The court granted preliminary approval and authorized notice, which is why claims are open, but it has not granted final approval. At the December 17 hearing the court decides whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate and rules on the fee and service-payment requests.
Approval is not the finish line. The settlement becomes effective only after the appeal window closes or any appeal is resolved — the notice warns that can take more than a year. Payments are due within 21 days of that Effective Date. No payment date has been announced, and no payments have been issued. File now, then expect to wait.
Other Skin-Tech and Privacy Claims Worth Checking
Skin360 is one of a run of settlements over biometric and health-adjacent data — facial analysis in recorded video job interviews, period-tracking app data shared with third parties, tracking pixels on pharmacy and hospital websites. Several are open to claims right now, and like this one, several require no documentation at all. You can browse what is currently accepting claims at OpenClassActions.org, and the full Skin360 terms, case documents and filing link are on the Open Class Actions settlement page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Settlement Claim ID to file?
No. The portal offers a path for filing without one, and it leads to the same online claim form. The ID field is optional wherever it appears.
Can I file if I have moved out of Illinois?
Yes. Eligibility turns on where you were when you used Skin360, not where you live now. Out-of-state claimants may be asked to show they were in Illinois at the time.
How much will I get?
Unknown until claims close. Valid claims split what is left of the $4.7 million fund equally after administration costs, attorneys’ fees and service payments.
How will payments be sent?
You choose at filing: Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, a prepaid digital Mastercard, or a mailed check. Checks expire 90 days after issue and are not reissued.
Does Kenvue admit it broke the law?
No. Kenvue denies collecting, storing, disclosing or profiting from anyone’s biometric identifiers, and the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.
What if I do nothing?
You get no payment, and if the settlement is approved you are still bound by the release and the final judgment.
Sources
- Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement and Claim Form, Melzer v. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., No. 3:22-cv-03149-MAS-RLS (D.N.J.)
- Settlement Agreement and Release, filed February 17, 2026 (D.N.J. ECF No. 92-4)
- Skin360 BIPA Settlement — official settlement website, court documents and FAQs
- Open Class Actions — Neutrogena Skin360 BIPA Settlement