BUDAPEST, March 17 (Reuters) - Hungary's competition watchdog GVH has fined cosmetics maker L'Oreal's Hungarian unit 150 million forints ($636,800) for misleading customers about its products, GVH said in a statement late on Monday March 16.

It said the ruling was open to appeal within 30 days.

L'Oreal in Hungary said their spokeswoman was not available for comment.

GVH said information published by L'Oreal Hungary in the period from Jan. 1 to July 18, 2007, about a raft of cosmetics products had the potential to mislead customers. In its ruling the GVH said it had also charged L'Oreal Hungary 1.17 million forints for procedural costs. (Reporting by Gergely Szakacs, editing by Will Waterman) ($1=235.54 Hungarian Forint)