In 2018, many cosmetics brands are committing to diversity. With brands like Fenty Beauty leading the charge, many companies have realised the potential of providing products for a wider range of skin tones. For some it seems Physicians Formula didn't get the memo.
The American cosmetics brand revealed its latest product, a Butter Highlighter, on Instagram and was immediately lambasted in the comments.
Followers were quick to point out that the brand had not tested 'Galactic' against deeper skin tones, and considered it another example of some parts of the beauty industry not being representative. While Fenty Beauty is known for including models of many different skin tones across its Instagram, Physicians Formula fell short.
One user named irisdescensible seemed to sum up people's issues with Physicans Formula's post, commenting "white white white white and lightly tan." The company later posted a similar image with two shades of Butter Highlighter, 'Galactic' and 'Full Moon', but commenters noticed the same scenario.
A user named silence1534 slammed Physicians Formula, commenting "shame on you for continuing to ignore POC," while another, ayeshabrj commented (seeming sarcastically) "such a diverse shade of skin."
Physicians Formula eventually responded to the criticism, replying to a number of accounts in a similar message. In it, the brand said:
"We hear you and appreciate your feedback. We acknowledge that our recent Instagram post for our new Butter Collection Palette highlighter shade fell short of delivering our promise to represent all of our fans.
"For that, we sincerely apologize and will continue to create content that is inclusive of all of our fans moving forward."
Do you think they will change? Or will you go with brands like Fenty Beauty? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Pop up in the comments and reach out to us on Twitter.
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