Youthforia makeup brand faces backlash for 'racist' black face paint

The Shark Tank winner has seen a significant drop in followers following the controversy.


Pop Culture & Art May 09, 2024

When Youthforia released its "Date Night Skin Tint" serum foundation line with 15 shades last year, some beauty influencers and reviewers criticized the limited choices for darker skin tones.

Golloria George, a beauty influencer from Texas with a TikTok following exceeding 1.5 million, explained in a September TikTok video why she believed the brand had not met expectations, garnering over 2.4 million views.

@golloria

Replying to @Meredith May

♬ original sound - golloria

In her "The Darkest Shade" series, George evaluates the darkest shade offered by various brands to determine if it suits her skin tone. She stated that the darkest shade from Youthforia was lighter than advertised online and did not match her complexion.

This criticism is not unique to Youthforia, as many brands in the beauty industry have faced similar issues over the years.

According to its website, Youthforia is a makeup brand that prides itself on being "clean and sustainable," promoting its products as "makeup you can sleep in."

Fiona Co Chan, the founder of the company, made an appearance on a 2023 episode of the TV show "Shark Tank" and secured a $400,000 investment from billionaire Mark Cuban.

In March, the beauty brand expanded its "Date Night" collection by introducing 10 new shades, including several designed for darker complexions.

George informed CNN that she was uncertain if any of the new products would match her skin tone. Consequently, she decided to reevaluate the brand's darkest shade, 600 Deep Neutral, and was surprised by the outcome.

@golloria

the darkest shade of the youthforia date night foundation.

♬ original sound - golloria

In an April 30 TikTok video, she posed a question: “Which side of my face is the black face paint or the Youthforia foundation?” She then asserted, “You can’t tell. You know why? Tar in a bottle.”

The video has since accumulated more than 24 million views.

“It was like we really just missed a whole range of undertones and depth and it’s disrespectful,” she said.

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