If your site displays customer reviews, a requirement of the Code de la consommation (the French Consumer Code) applies to you: clearly state how these reviews are collected, checked and published. It applies just as much to a shop that shows its buyers' ratings as to a craftsperson who reposts testimonials on their homepage. It is in force, and it is enforced.
What article L111-7-2 says
The text covers “any natural or legal person whose activity consists, as a main or secondary activity, in collecting, moderating or publishing online reviews from consumers”. That person must give users fair, clear and transparent information on how reviews are published and handled.
In practice, the article sets out five obligations: state whether the reviews are checked and, if so, the main features of that check; show the date of the review and any updates to it; tell a consumer whose review was not published the reasons for the rejection; and provide a free feature that lets the person responsible for the product or service concerned flag a doubt about a review's authenticity, provided the report is justified.
What must appear, and where
Article D111-10 of the Code details the display. Close to the reviews: whether or not a checking procedure exists, the publication date of each review and the date of the consumer experience it relates to, and the criteria used to rank reviews, including chronological ranking.
In a dedicated, easily accessible section: whether or not anything is given in exchange for leaving a review (a discount, a gift), and the maximum period for which a review is published and kept.
If you check reviews, article D111-11 adds to this section the main features of the check, whether the author of the review can be contacted, whether a review can be edited, and the grounds for refusing to publish one. When you refuse a review, article D111-12 requires you to inform its author by any appropriate means.
What is an online review?
Article D111-9 defines it as a consumer's opinion on their consumer experience, whether qualitative or quantitative. A five-star rating is one. The experience counts whether or not the consumer bought the product or service. Referrals, recommendations between users and expert opinions are not reviews.
What forgetting it can cost
Article L131-4 provides for an administrative fine of up to €75,000 for an individual and €375,000 for a company for any breach of the information requirements of article L111-7-2. These are ceilings, not set prices.
Four checks to run on your own site
Do you know whether your reviews are checked? Whether you display them as they come in or filter them, saying so is part of the requirement.
Is the date of each review visible? That includes the date of the experience, and a note of any update.
Do you offer anything in exchange for a review? If so, say it in the dedicated section. If not, say that too.
Is there an “Our customer reviews” page? It brings together the rules on collection, moderation, ranking and retention, and a link leads to it from the reviews.
Responsibility for compliance remains with the business: this article is for information and does not replace a lawyer's advice on a specific situation.
Source: articles L111-7-2, L131-4, D111-9, D111-10, D111-11 and D111-12 of the Code de la consommation, accessed on Légifrance on October 13, 2026.
