"Youthforia's makeup brand attracts controversy, with consumers perceiving foundation as similar to 'black face paint' on 'Shark Tank'"
Texas-based beauty influencer Golloria George, with over 1.5 million followers on TikTok, spoke out about a missed opportunity by a brand. George's viral TikTok series, "The Darkest Shade," reviews the darkest shades in a brand's lineup to see if they match her complexion. In September, she reviewed Youthforia's darkest shade and found it lighter than advertised. This is a common criticism for brands as they try to cater to melanated skin tones in the beauty industry, which critics say often favor Eurocentric beauty standards.
Youthforia is a "clean and sustainable makeup company" that markets itself as "makeup you can sleep in," according to its website. The company's founder, Fiona Co Chan, appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2023 and secured a $400,000 investment from Mark Cuban. In March, Youthforia added ten new shades to their "Date Night" collection, including ones for darker complexions, but George still wasn't sure if any would match her complexion. So, she tried the darkest available shade and was shocked by the result.
"Which side of my face is the black face paint or the Youthforia foundation?" she asked in an April 30 TikTok video. "You can't tell. You know why? Tar in a bottle." The video has now been viewed over 24 million times.
Youthforia did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Last year, Chan defended her brand in a post that has since been deleted. Chan also posted a video before the new products were launched, revealing the brand struggled to find models with dark skin tones to match the shades they offer. She tested the darkest shade, 600 Deep Neutral, on two young men who agreed to be models and found it was a seamless match. However, George found the transition between 600 and the second darkest shade, 590, to be "shocking." While the darkest shade may work for some, George criticized the lack of variation in undertones and depth in Youthforia's darkest shades as disrespectful to customers.
George is not alone in her sentiment as other content creators have also called out the brand for their attempts at providing products for darker skin tones. She shared with CNN that it reminded her of her inability to find makeup that matched her complexion when she was younger, feeling that there was something wrong with her.
Karen Chambers, chair of the diversity, equity, and inclusion taskforce at Cosmetic Executive Women, says Youthforia is not the only brand to face this type of criticism from customers. As more businesses have worked to expand their product lines, some have been successful while others have been criticized for limited shade offerings. Rhianna's 2017 Fenty launch prompted many brands to broaden their shade ranges, but in 2020, Hourglass Cosmetics faced a boycott for its limited shade range. In 2018, Tarte's Shape Tape faced similar criticism, leading influencer NikkieTutorials to remove a video about the product and call their shade range an "absolute mess."
Chambers, with over 28 years in the industry, has worked with brands such as IMAN Cosmetics, Dark & Lovely, and Posner. She explained in the past five years, the beauty industry has made more efforts to address diversity and inclusivity. "Whether it's domestically or globally, demographics are changing, and if a brand is not inclusive in what they offer, then they are just missing a huge opportunity as far as being accurately there for their consumer base," said Chambers.
In addition to more inclusive research, Chambers believes companies should incorporate diversity into their entire organization, including lab technicians who understand that formulating darker shades for darker skin is not as simple as adding black to a pre-existing light-skin formula.
George stated that it's essential for her to call out brands and the entire beauty industry when they neglect individuals with darker complexions.
This situation feels uncomfortably like being overlooked and, worse still, not even considered. It's devastating, she remarked. It highlights how racism prevails in the makeup sector.
"There are many people in this world, and every one of them deserves an opportunity to use makeup, experiment with it, and feel included," George continued. "The girls are here, and we've always been a part of the industry. We deserve a spot in it."
Chambers emphasized that Youthforia must rebuild trust with their consumers, which requires making them feel essential and incorporated. Many of Youthforia's social media posts and ads show people of color.
"It's not just about doing the right thing for ethical reasons; it's also smart business," Chambers explained. "This industry simply cannot disregard diversity. Any company that aims to grow and change has to prioritize diversity."
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- Despite Youthforia's claims of being a "clean and sustainable makeup company," their lack of variety in shades for darker complexions, as criticized by George, raises questions about their commitment to inclusivity in their "style" of makeup formulation.
- In an effort to address criticisms about their limited shade range, Youthforia needs to consider the importance of having a diverse team of lab technicians who understand the unique challenges of creating "styles" of makeup that cater to various skin tones and undertones, rather than simply adding black to lighter formulas.
Source: edition.cnn.com
