No fine for putting on makeup on the train: a viral video spreads AI-generated misinformation

Paris – 20/07/2026: A claim circulating on social media that applying makeup on trains or other public transport in France is punishable by a fine is unfounded. A video viewed more than 450,000 times on Instagram presents this rule as being in force. However, after verification by Franceinfo, it is false information generated by artificial intelligence.

The claim is based on a plausible everyday situation: passengers apply makeup, use lipstick, or tend to their appearance during the journey. Precisely because transport operators enforce numerous rules of conduct, an invented instruction may seem credible. However, there is no general legal or fare provision prohibiting the use of cosmetics on trains, the metro, buses, or trams.

What matters are the specific offences provided for under French transport law, as well as the rules of the various operators and prefectures. In its current fare conditions, SNCF Voyageurs mentions offences such as travelling without a valid ticket, smoking or vaping in passenger areas, improperly using the emergency call system, or committing certain safety offences. Passengers applying makeup does not appear on this list.

The amount of a fine also cannot be inferred from a simple reference to railway police. In the event of an actual offence, the penalty must be linked to an offence defined by law or by the competent authorities. SNCF may have transport police offences recorded by sworn officers. However, this does not give it any power to penalize ordinary acts that are not prohibited at its discretion.

The rules that remain applicable do not concern cosmetics themselves, but the specific consequences of conduct. A person who disturbs other passengers, damages facilities, spills dangerous substances, or fails to comply with safety instructions may, depending on the circumstances, breach the rules in force. However, this cannot be used to infer a general ban on applying makeup during a journey.

This case shows the growing importance of short videos presented as official. AI-generated image and sound sequences can give the impression of official communications, even when no authority or transport company is named. When faced with claims about new bans or fines, it is therefore recommended to compare them with the legal text, the operator’s official fare information, or communications from the relevant bodies.

For passengers, the legal situation therefore remains clear: using cosmetics on a train does not in itself constitute an offence punishable by a fine in France. Anyone sharing such information should exercise caution, particularly when it mentions no specific legal basis, no concrete rule, and no verifiable source.