Makeup Brand Youthforia Faces Backlash After Releasing Jet Black Foundation
Makeup brand Youthforia is facing criticism online after releasing a new foundation shade, shade 600. The foundation shade aimed at those with darker complexions was released following complaints that the brand’s shade range wasn’t inclusive to those with darker skin tones. However, instead of removing the complaints, the newest shade has created more.
New Foundation Shade Labelled "Tar in a Bottle" By Content Creators
Shade 600 was released alongside nine others and is the darkest of the range. However, it has received large-scale criticism online after it was reviewed by Black content creator Golloria George on TikTok, who referred to it as “tar in a bottle”. George reviewed the product in a video where she showed that the foundation was almost identical to jet black face paint, which she called “disgusting and disrespectful” and called for the brand to remove it from the shelves. The review has gained over 20 million views since its publication.
After the review went viral it was discovered that the foundation had only ONE pigment in it - CI 77499, also known as black iron oxide. Pure BLACK pigment. Every other shade of the Youthforia foundation range includes at least three pigments to account for both the shade of skin and the user's undertones, which gives the foundation its ability to blend properly with the skin tone of the person wearing it. However, the use of only black pigment in shade 600 has resulted in the foundation looking flat, with many content creators also pointing out that nobody has pure black skin. “Black people are not black, we come in shades of brown,” said content creator Wumi Afuye. “This is more insulting than not carrying our shade in the first place.”
Speculation Over Foundation Shade Before Release
Even before the release of the shade there was speculation over the shade. Several weeks before the release, Youthforia shared a video on TikTok about their struggle with finding a model with a dark enough complexion to model the shade. The company stated that they had held an open casting call for models but did not find anyone who were suitable, resulting in the owner travelling across the world to find a model. However, although some praised the brand for producing a dark shade, others were unsure about whether the foundation matched the models, with some pointing out that very little product was applied to the models.
Youthforia's Struggle With Shade Ranges
This is not the first time Youthforia has faced criticism. Youthforia has previously received backlash for their lack of inclusivity in their shade range after their initial launch of the foundation in August 2023. The initial launch included 15 shades, but they were not inclusive of darker skin tones. Youthforia CEO Fiona Co Chan had apologised for the lack of inclusivity, saying that they had “fell short” of their mission to celebrate individual’s beauty, stating that the initial release had been a “proof of concept” to see if people liked the formula and that another release was coming with darker shades.
However, as George pointed out in her review of shade 600, even the new release is lacking in diversity, stating that there could be another 10 shades between the company’s next lightest shade 590 and shade 600. “When we say that we want you guys to make shades for us, we don’t mean to go to the lab and ask for minstrel show black,” George said in the video. “What we mean is to take the browns that you have made, create undertones and do what you need to do in the lab so it’s a darker shade of brown.”
Controversy Highlights Wider Debate Over Inclusivity in Cosmetics
The debate over inclusivity for darker skin tones in the beauty world has been ongoing for several years, with brands such as Tarte cosmetics receiving viral backlash for not producing products that are accessible for those with darker complexions. However, there are companies who have proved that it is possible to cater to darker complexions, including Rihanna’s brand Fenty Beauty, which offers 51 shades, and Halsey’s brand About Face, which offers 45. As the beauty industry continues to evolve, the fight continues for inclusivity across products and shade ranges that reflects the diversity of its users. Youthforia has yet to comment.
