ColourPop Apologizes for the Names of Its Contour Sticks for Dark Skin Tones

ColourPop
Photo: ColourPop.com

When ColourPop’s range of 12 Sculpting Stix recently came out, the boutique brand was lauded by influencers, media outlets, and consumers for introducing such inclusive skin-tone combinations. But, while the actual product was a hit, the names of the contour sticks are now the cause of controversy.

As those on social media pointed out, the company made an egregious error on the names given to the Sculpting Stix in darker shades: the darkest shade was called “Typo,” and another shade on the same side of the spectrum was labeled “Yikes.” It’s clear why words denoting an error or a mistake would be problematic when used to describe a skin color.

According to ColourPop, the brand is thankful for the criticism. “On behalf of ColourPop, we are sorry and are extremely grateful for our customers’ feedback,” a spokesperson for the brand told BuzzFeed News. “We have taken immediate action to change the shade names and review our naming process to ensure this does not happen again.” To that end, “Yikes” has been changed to “Bloom” while “Typo” has become “Platonic.” To keep everything aboveboard, the brand went ahead and changed the item titled Dume to Pointe Dume.

But this isn’t a first time the beauty industry has gotten into hot water over offensively named products. Kat Von D got flack in March for her Studded Kiss Lipstick called “Underage Red.”

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