IT Cosmetics Receives Backlash For Non-Inclusive Foundation Range

Another day, another brand getting It wrong.

Today it’s the turn of US beauty brand IT Cosmetics who released pictures of their upcoming Bye Bye Foundations range, but before they could get them into stores, there's been a massive backlash on social media.

The problem? There aren’t enough shades.

The brand, which was sold to L’Oreal in 2016, says it spent two years developing the 12 skin-tone range that adapts to your skin.

‘Typically SPF moisturizers with physical-only sunscreens have only been possible in a few shades — and at IT Cosmetics we’ve spent the past 2 years creating 12 skin-tone adapting shades for this moisturizer (3 Light, 3 Medium, 3 Tan and 3 Rich). And we continue to work hard to challenge this further. Can’t wait for you to try it!’ they wrote on Instagram.

Only three of these 12 shades are really viable for darker skinned people to wear; rich, rich honey and deep.

This did not go unnoticed by followers of the billion-dollar brand, who immediately made their feelings known.

Interestingly, the founder of IT Cosmetics Jamie Kern Lima has previously said she’s a big fan of diversity. In September 2017 she gave a speech at the Cosmetic Executive Women Awards slamming the non-inclusive beauty industry.

‘I feel as a beauty industry, we're still just scratching the surface of what needs to change,’ she told the audience.

‘If we as beauty companies want every woman to buy our products, why do we show her photoshopped images that don't look like her? And more than that, what impact do these images of beauty have on the world? And right here, right now, we're the ones who have the power to change this.’

How, then, did this new range of foundation shades get the sign off?

With brands such as Fenty Beauty offering a wide range of foundation and concealer shades, there’s more pressure on brands who are coming out with foundation products to be inclusive.

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It’s no longer acceptable to pretend it’s not possible to make foundation in dark shade. Brands such as MAC, Bobbi Brown and IMAN Cosmetics have been doing it successfully for years, and profiting as a result.

No one should really be surprised when people call out big brands who bring out new ranges that aren’t inclusive, smaller brands with much less time and money are able to be far more inclusive.

Excluding people of colour from your product offering while touting it as revolutionary and inclusive is not only offensive, it’s simply bad business.

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