Do you recall when Youthforia, the spanking new beauty company on Shark Tank, promised a foundation line that was more inclusive? They ended up in the Hall of Fame for makeup failures because of their attempt at inclusion. Youthforia’s new dark hue, which resembles black paint more than a shade for melanin poppin queens, has black beauty influencers in a rage.
When influencer Golloria George, who has 1.4 million TikTok followers, revealed the details of Youthforia’s first Date Night Skin Tint Serum launch last year, the controversy began.
Although the firm claimed to have 15 hues, George stated that more were necessary to accommodate a wider variety of skin tones. Following some severe criticism, Youthforia made the decision to introduce a staggering ten new shades to their lineup, including the darkest hue, 600. This is where chaos arises.
In a now-viral TikTok video, George tested Youthforia’s shade 600. She positioned the foundation on her cheek next to jet-black face paint for a side-by-side comparison. Surprisingly, the two had almost the same appearance. Additionally, her skin was far too light for the second-darkest shade, number 590.
We don’t intend to go to the lab and request minstrel show black when we say that we want you guys to produce shades for us. George made reference to the racist theatrical practice of blackface in her video. In other words, take the browns you have already created, add some undertones and depth, and complete any necessary lab work to make them a deeper shade of brown!
Similar criticism was leveled at this California-based brand last year for its initial hue selection. Fiona Co Chan, CEO of Youthforia, expressed regret and said that the organization wanted to establish a secure environment for embracing all types of beauty.
Online beauty enthusiasts and artists share their thoughts on the product in the wake of George’s video. Others questioned the brand’s motives, while original beauty expert Jackie Aina just remarked, “Deep, heavy, spiritual sigh,” expressing her sorrow. Some defended Youthforia by saying that some people use dark contouring colors or have really deep skin tones.
George, however, dispelled that with yet another TikTok post.
Being PURE Black is unattainable from a biological standpoint. This foundation contains only pure black oxide as a pigment. “This wasn’t an error,” George stated.
Youthforia had posted a video detailing their difficulties in finding a model for their elusive shade 600, which only served to fuel the flames. No one within that shade range showed up for the alleged open casting call.
Their remedy? Filming an unplanned photo shoot while casting two men on the street. Many beauty enthusiasts still needed to be persuaded that the foundation was suitable for deep skin tones, even if some commended their attempt.
Youthforia has yet to comment on the entire affair.
