Let’s talk about a makeup mishap that has the beauty community buzzing – the recent foundation debacle at Youthforia. You might’ve heard about it, but if not, buckle up for some drama!
So, here’s the deal: Youthforia, a brand we’ve seen making waves with its TikTokable products, recently launched a black foundation shade that landed them smack dab in the middle of a social media s**t storm. Whatever you’re imagining, I promise you, it’s way worse!
The brand got called out for its lack of inclusion and foundation shade offerings. Their response was to formulate shade 600, a deeper shade to include people with deeper skin complexions. But it went so left! Picture this: a foundation shade so dark it had people doing a double-take, wondering if they accidentally dipped their brushes into black face paint instead. Yikes, right? TikTok creator Golloria literally swatched the foundation and black face paint side-by-side on her cheek, and there was barely any difference. As she attempted to blend out the foundation, it didn’t get any better. She questioned if the brand thought that anyone was actually that color and referred to the product as “tar in a bottle” – ouch! Social media quickly caught wind of this, and the internet read them to filth!
Users took to the platform to voice their concerns, pointing out the resemblance to blackface and expressing disappointment in the brand’s oversight. And that’s not all – the owner’s response? Tone-deaf doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Instead of owning up to the misstep and addressing the valid criticism, the owner doubled down, defending the shade and brushing off the backlash as an overreaction. Youthforia’s founder, Fiona Co Chan, responded to the outrage by stating that the disastrous foundation shade was a “proof of concept” to evaluate how well the extended shade range would be received. She went on to message her brand ambassadors, letting them know that she “worked super hard, calling in favors with all of her manufacturers to get this created in four months instead of the regular 18 months.” Additionally, she asked them to combat the negative press by “comment[ing] on any TikTok post with a [heart emoji] or any positivity.” Cue collective eye rolls from the beauty community.
In a time when diversity and inclusivity are at the forefront of beauty conversations, brands need to do better. It’s not enough to slap on a diverse shade range and call it a day – it’s about understanding the nuances and cultural sensitivities that come with it.
As for Youthforia, I sincerely hope they take this as a learning opportunity and come back stronger, with a shade range that truly celebrates diversity – without any questionable resemblances.
And there you have it, folks – another day, another beauty blunder. Stay tuned for more tea from beauty lovers because you know we’ll be here to spill it.
XOXO,
Your Beauty Bestie
