Is 40 shades the new normal?
Since Fenty Beauty came on the scene and put dark skinned women front and center with 40 shades of the Pro Filt'r foundation, several brands have followed suit.
Before the launch of Fenty, it was quite normal for brands to release light shades first and quickly respond to complaints about inclusion with ridiculous comments like "the other shades are on the way", "we are working on the darker shades", "people don't buy darker shades" or "it's the lighting of the online pictures"
Since Fenty is on track to do $420 million in less than two years, the tune from the color cosmetics industry has certainly changed.
Colourpop, Jouer cosmetics and many other beauty brands have since released 40+ shades of foundation to showcase inclusion and diversity in their line.
Struggling to maintain relevance in an uber competitive masstige beauty environment, Revlon joined in the "Fenty Forty" movement with Flesh, a prestige line that exclusively debuted at Ulta.
High-end, luxury brands are also looking to get in on the action. Earlier this spring, Dior launched Dior Backstage, a new face and body foundation with 40 shades.
But these recent launches have women of color asking.
Is this genuine?
Is this the solution we've been looking for?
Or is this a last minute ploy to get our dollars after we've been screaming for recognition for years?
What are your thoughts on 40 shades being the new standard of foundation releases?
4 comments
I won’t support any brands that aren’t BOB and meet my standards of being hypoallergenic. I’ve heard of Hue Noir and Haleys (great that they are in stores now), but in addition to MFMG this is what gets my dollars.
All these companies want to do is squash the indies that created this space for our people.
I personally think/know these last minute collaborations and expansion of shades is just a “to keep up” in this highly marketed industry. Yet, I’m glad and proud of Fenty, but did RiRi forget where she came from? This is in relevance to Fenty being strictly yet simply HIGH END…. Where are all the cost friendly brands recognition!!!!!
Fenty is my go to. I won’t buy anything else.
If it aint FENTY, it aint getting my coinsT!