Earlier this week, Jaclyn Hill's namesake makeup brand, Jaclyn Cosmetics, was the centre of social media backlash following claims that the brand's first lipstick launch was significantly flawed. Customers online voiced quality and safety concerns with the new product, alleging that they received damaged lipsticks with unknown black spots, white hairs, and mould-like splotches.
Since then, a spokesperson for Jaclyn Cosmetics has released statements on behalf of the brand. In the first message, a representative writes that less than half of one percent of orders were impacted by compromised product. The brand also released an official statement this morning, stressing that the product is still safe to use. "We would like to reassure customers that while it is unacceptable for these quality issues to have occurred, there are no safety concerns related to the lipsticks," wrote the spokesperson.
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Now, Hill herself has publicly addressed the lipstick backlash in a brand-new video on her YouTube channel titled "My Lipsticks." In it, she discusses the main quality concerns from customers. "I want to talk about the melting issue, the white fuzzies, the black holes, and I wanna talk about the grittiness and the texture that you guys are experiencing," Hill says.
According to the YouTuber, the majority of the complaints stated that her lipsticks arrived melted or broke down quickly. "80 percent of our complaints are about melting," Hill says. "You would think that it would be the grittiness and all the other stuff, but no. All the other stuff is only 20 percent, which is insane because social media is so loud."
Hill explains that fans are receiving delicate lipsticks with sweat spots, and claims that user error is at least partially to blame. "People are experiencing sweat marks when it shows up in the mail," she says. "When you swatch it, the lipstick leans to the side and might have a line on it because it’s a very creamy, emollient-based product," Hill explains. "So you have to make sure it cools down before using it."
Hill goes on to defend her lipsticks, and explain that the product underwent extensive testing and can withstand extreme heat. "My lipstick can withstand up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit before melting all the way through, which is very high," she says. "But once these lipsticks are getting onto trucks that are 100 degrees on the inside, and sitting outside of people’s houses, they might have little sweat dots or lean to the side when you swatch them."
Regardless, Hill apologises to customers who received imperfect tubes and promises to put production of future products on hold until they address the issue. They are also switching manufacturers from the initial lab that the first batch of lipsticks were produced in. "I wanna prove myself to you, and I thought I did that when I first launched, but I messed up and made a mistake, and for that, I am so sorry," she says.
For Hill's full explanation and apology, click play on the video above.