A makeup brand is being forced to take extreme measures to quiet online backlash after being called out when its attempt to expand its foundation’s shade range teetered the line of racism.
Youthforia, which describes itself as a “universal” clean and sustainable makeup company that believes makeup should be an extension of skin care, was founded by Fiona Co Chan.
Chan launched the brand in 2021, and it quickly became a viral sensation, with its color-changing blush taking over TikTok and Chan securing a $400,000 deal from Mark Cuban on Shark Tank. Unfortunately, all that good publicity came to a halt when a beauty influencer realized the brand had issues in the inclusivity department.
Beauty influencer Golloria George is known for reviewing make-up for darker skin tones on TikTok. A deeper-toned girlie herself, many people trust her expertise when it comes to cosmetics and skincare recommendations. On September 27, 2023, she reviewed Youthforia’s “Date Night Skin Tint Serum” foundation.
The darkest shade (at the time), which she assumed would be a shade match for her, was 495 Deep – Neutral with cool undertones. Although the shade looked like a match on the company’s website, it was nowhere near a match once Golloria received the product. In fact, it was several shades lighter than advertised.
“This is the darkest shade. Is the alleged shade here in the room with us? This keeps happening because tone inclusivity is not something these beauty companies are worried about. They do not care,” the very aggravated content creator said.
Several people in the comments were baffled by the color difference between what the brand advertised on their website and what Golloria swatched in her video.
“Not even close to the colour on the box, what the heck,” one commenter wrote.
Another asked, “Did they send the wrong product?”
“That’s not fair for them to advertise that… that’s lying. They need True Tone inclusive shade and to make it free bc they did not advertise right,” a concerned follower wrote.
@golloria Replying to @Meredith May ♬ original sound – golloria
At the time, Youthforia’s foundations only offered a 15-count shade range. Now, in 2024, the company is up to 25 shades, thanks to the addition of 10 new shades in March. Upon hearing the good news, Golloria decided to try out their newest dark option — 600 Deep Neutral.
According to Golloria, this shade is actually worse than before. Instead of being too light, it actually resembles black face paint. In fact, in comparison to black face paint, it may actually be darker.
She swatched black face paint on one side of her face and the Youthforia foundation on the other side of her face as a visual representation to her followers.
She asks, “Which side of my face is the black face paint or the Youthforia foundation? Tea. You can’t tell. Tar in a bottle.”
She goes on to show there is no distinct difference between Youthforia’s product and face paint that could be used for blackface. Beginning in the 1800s, white performers painted their faces black to mimic enslaved Africans during minstrel shows. Blackface demeaned and dehumanized African Americans.
“When we say that we want you guys to make shades for us, we don’t mean go to the lab and ask for minstrel show black,” she adds. “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.”
‘Brands Are So Comfortable In Racism’: Social Media Responds
Since George’s video, social media users have pointed out that this isn’t the first time that Youthforia has been on the hot seat for its lack of variety.
“Youthforia was already called out about their range, but the founder thought it was funny and tried to be hilarious by coming out with a Black shade,” one X user stated.
Others say Youthforia released the color on purpose as a smack in the face to those who previously criticized the brand.
What youthforia did was malicious compliance and racism wrapped in one and I hope nobody is confused about that. They sold black pigment as a foundation to insult the people who called them out.
— Aerin (@FromAerin) April 30, 2024
“Youthforia bringing out a foundation that doesn’t match any human skin tone because they couldn’t be bothered to develop a more inclusive shade range is the most embarrassing thing I’ve come across on the internet today, insulting a whole sector of potential customers,” another X user replied.
Lack of shade range is a deliberate choice.
— AndRae Leon Talley ♉️ (@SandaaPandaa) April 29, 2024
Making a jet black foundation instead of one dark skinned Black people can actually wear is a deliberate choice and it’s unacceptable.
I hope Youthforia goes bankrupt and every business venture that owner touches crumbles https://t.co/g5AzhUXFmO
Youthforia has not publicly issued a comment since the backlash. Instead, the brand has turned off its comments across all social media, while the founder left a message on her Instagram bio saying that she’s off to Dubai for a couple of months. As for Golloria, the beauty content creator continues sharing recommendations for the best foundation and makeup products for dark complexions.
