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Spain investigates Colgate, Unilever over possible price fixing

Spanish antitrust authorities are investigating possible price fixing by more than a dozen cosmetics companies, including the local units of Colgate-Palmolive Co., Unilever and Henkel AG.

National Competition Commission inspectors visited nine companies on June 17 and 19 and decided to start formally investigating distributors of liquid soap, tooth-care and beauty-shop products, according to a statement from the regulator dated June 19.

Spanish spokesmen for New York-based Colgate, Unilever of London and Rotterdam and Dusseldorf-based Henkel weren't immediately available for comment.

Offices of Unilever, Henkel and other cosmetics and detergent companies were raided last week in the Netherlands and Italy by local and European Union authorities as part of price- fixing probes, according to regulatory and company statements.

(Published by Bloomberg - june 23, 2008)