A ‘Universal’ Blush Brings Beauty’s Shade Problem Back to Light
A new blush from YSL Beauty is dividing the Internet — and rekindling conversations about the beauty industry's continued lack of shade inclusivity.
Earlier this month, YSL Beauty sent its latest collection of liquid blushes to TikTok creators, some of whom quickly realized the lighter shades wouldn't work on melanated skin.
One of those creators was Golloria George, a TikToker whose videos often involve swatching beauty products to see if they work on her deep skin tone. In May, she went viral for testing out Youthforia's darkest foundation shade and promptly pointing out that it resembled black paint.
In a video putting YSL's new blushes to the test, George noted: “They all have a white base and none of these are going to work on skin as dark as mine... Take it back to the lab."
The video, which has been viewed over 20 million times, has drawn both support and criticism from onlookers. Some expressed their mutual frustration with the blushes' chalky appearance on dark skin, but others downplayed the situation, telling George the product "isn't made for you."
There were also commenters who claimed the blushes were made for people with albinism, citing a video posted by beauty creator Oceanne Comtois, one of the few creators able to use YSL's lightest blush shade, "Lavender Lust."
And there were some who took things a step further, spewing racist remarks in the comments section. On September 21, George announced she was taking a break from social media: "The internet has become an increasingly violent space, particularly for dark-skinned Black women," she wrote.
When it comes to the blush itself, the issue at the heart of this controversy is clear: From start to finish, YSL overlooked — or was not made aware of — problems with the product that would be glaringly clear to anyone with melanated skin.
As Alexis Androulakis, a beauty product developer (and one half of creator duo The Lipstick Lesbians) points out, all the blushes in the collection, including Lavender Lust, are marketed as "universal" — meaning they should work across the full spectrum of skin tones.
Except some of them don't show up on darker skin, raising the question: Why didn't YSL's cosmetic chemist — who was likely briefed on the brand's goal to create an inclusive product — flag and correct the formula's shortcomings?
Then there's the campaign, which features models with melanated skin wearing Lavender Lust. In YSL's images, the shade doesn't look chalky or fail to show up on darker cheeks all together, leading Androulakis to speculate that they were heavily retouched. "There's no other way to explain this tone on darker skin," she says.
Lastly, Androulakis notes that retailers who purchased the product would have sampled it, giving them an opportunity to tell YSL that the blush is not universal and shouldn't be advertised as such.
According to the expert, there should have been several moments throughout the development and launch process that YSL was made aware of issues with the blush. Instead, the product went to market, suggesting that no one with darker skin had a real say in its creation.
Of course, this points to a larger systemic issue plaguing the industry: Beauty brands big and small need to prioritize diversity when hiring across teams, from product development to marketing to production.
At the time of publishing, YSL Beauty has not addressed the debacle. The entire range of blushes, including Lavender Lust, is still available to purchase. And the campaign images featuring models of color wearing the shade remain on the brand's website.
