An influential fashion influencer faces a $1 million fine after misleading consumers over a Christmas cake she promoted last year. Chiara Ferragni, who has almost 30 million followers on Instagram, claimed that sales of the pink-branded Pandoro cake she launched in collaboration with a pastry brand would be donated to a hospital to help children with bone cancer. However, the Italian authorities asserted that the promised donation has yet to materialize. In a statement posted on her Instagram account, Chiara apologized for the mistake and pledged to donate the amount equivalent to the fine to Regina Margherita Hospital.

The collaboration between Ferragni and the pastry maker Balocco began in 2022 as a promotion for a limited edition of a designer pandoro, an alternative to the traditional Italian panettone, sold in a festive pink box. Ferragni said the profits from sales of the pandoro would go to help children suffering from osteosarcoma and Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer that affects teenagers and young adults.

• Latest News: French Immigration Bill Gains Approval Despite Macron’s Parliament Facing Majority Uncertainty

The ad campaign and higher pricing for the Ferragni-branded pandoro led to an implied understanding among consumers that purchases of the product would directly contribute to a charity fund at a hospital in Turin, Italy, to support bone cancer research, and that the designer herself made donations as well. However, AGCM found that Balocco had already made a one-off 50,000 euro donation to the hospital months before the collaboration with Ferragni started, meaning that sales of the cake had directly impacted further donations from the company.

In her post, Ferragni apologized for the “communications error” and said she would appeal against the fine from Italy’s antitrust authority (AGCM). She promised to donate the money equivalent to the fine to the hospital. She also vowed not to mix commercial partnerships with charitable projects in the future.

The controversy prompted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to speak out over the weekend, criticizing those who profit from misleading charity claims. She called social media influencers to be more careful in selecting commercial collaborations and avoid promoting expensive cakes that create the illusion of charitable contributions. She expressly referred to bloggers who promote expensive panettone but did not mention Ferragni by name.