A cosmetics brand dragged because the darkest foundation resembles paint

Makeup brand Youthforia has faced backlash over claims that its darkest shade of foundation resembles black face paint. After calling for a makeup brand to expand its shades, Influencers uncovered similarities.

Beauty gurus first criticized the launch of Youthforia’s Date Night Skin Tint last yr. The product, which could be purchased at Ulta Beauty for $48, was launched in 15 shades. Black beauty influencer Golloria George criticized the brand for its lack of diversity. In the post, she stated that none of the colours complimented her darker skin tone, thus excluding other dark-skinned women from using foundation.

However, while many felt that Youthforia had taken under consideration the criticisms surrounding its latest release, including its darker tones, a second review led George to a shocking discovery. To highlight the uncanny resemblance, she compared the jet black face polish to the darkest shade from the collection.

“When we say we want you to make blinds for us, we don’t mean going to the lab and asking for a black minstrel show,” George explained. “What we mean is you take the browns you created, you create the shades, and you do what you need to do in the lab to get a darker shade of brown.”

Greater diversity in the cosmetics industry has been talked about for several years. Many people attribute the first step in makeup inclusion to Fenty Beauty, which launched its foundation in 2017 with 40 groundbreaking shades. However, some corporations have yet to match Fenty’s commitment to making sure all shoppers feel seen of their products. George believes the industry is “moving backwards” from the cause I even call the shade Youthforia 600 is a “slap in the face”.

“I feel like the beauty industry itself has taken a step back,” she said in an interview obtained by . “We’ve seen so many skincare launches that never work for a skin tone like mine.”

Youthforia CEO Fiona CO Chan apologized last yr for initially limited as she revealed: “When I founded Youthforia two years ago, I just wanted to create a safe space where individual beauty could be celebrated. And unfortunately, in the case of our latest launch, we simply failed to achieve that mission.”

Beauty influencer and cosmetic chemist Javon Ford delved deeper into the ingredients of the now infamous foundation shade. While the other shades contain a minimum of three pigments, shade 600 only contained “black iron oxide” as a pigment.

“I feel like Youthforia asked their producers to create the darkest shade possible,” he claims. “But we all have different subtext.”

Despite the recent controversy, neither Youthforia nor Ulta has made an official statement.