Youthforia, which is a makeup brand that can be found in Ulta, is facing backlash for its darkest foundation shade that some users on social media are comparing to black face paint.
Youthforia’s Date Night Skin Tint Serum Foundation comes in 25 shades, and its darkest shade, “600,” is described as a “deep neutral.”
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Beauty influencer Golloria George took to TikTok to review the foundation in a viral video which has so far amassed over 18 million views. In the video, she swatches both black face paint and Youthforia’s new foundation shade on her face, claiming that the latter looks like “tar in a bottle.”
“Which side of my face is the black face paint or the Youthforia foundation?” said Golloria in the video. “Tea, you can't tell.”
She also points out in the video how light Youthforia’s second-darkest foundation shade is compared to its darkest shade, and claimed that the company could have made about 10 more shades in between the two colors, especially since there are only about five shades made for darker skin tones in the collection.
“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,” said Golloria 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.”
Overall, Golloria claims that Youthforia’s new foundation shade is “disgusting” and “disrespectful” and should be “pulled off the shelves.”
@golloria the darkest shade of the youthforia date night foundation.
♬ original sound - golloria
Many TikTok users in the comment section under her video are divided over the new shade, with some users claiming that the foundation shade is “ridiculous,” and others claiming that there are people who can actually wear it.
“So not only is the darkest shade ridiculous but the face paint has better coverage,” wrote one TikTok user.
“I agree that there should be more shades in between but im pretty sure the darkest shade would fit someone perfectly,” wrote another user.
Youthforia did not immediately respond to TheStreet's request for comment.
Makeup brands overlooking darker skin tones in their foundation collections has been a long-rooted issue in the makeup industry. For example, in 2018, when Tarte first debuted its Shape Tape Foundation, it had only 15 shades, with four dedicated to tan and darker skin tones, sparking backlash.
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In 2020, IT Cosmetics was also slam dunked into hot water after it released its Bye Bye Foundation line, which features 12 shades, with only three being for people with darker skin tones.
The demand for diversity is increasing amongst beauty consumers. A 2022 report from market research company Mintel revealed that 47% of beauty consumers say they shop from makeup brands that have diversity or inclusivity.
“The push for inclusivity will impact the future of the beauty landscape in two ways: price and diversity,” said Claire Hennigan, a senior beauty and personal care analyst, in the report. “Over a quarter (27%) of beauty users agree that a brand is inclusive if it offers affordable products that most people can purchase.”
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