Jaclyn Hill is one of the most influential beauty vloggers on YouTube.
In 2019, Hill answered fan demand by releasing her own cosmetics line.
While the line was hotly anticipated, Hill's makeup launch quickly became one of the biggest
scandals to hit YouTube's beauty community.
Here's the truth about Jaclyn Hill's cosmetics line.
After a successful collaboration with Becca Cosmetics, fans were hungry for Hill to create
her own beauty line.
The YouTube star initially announced she was creating her own cosmetics brand, called Jaclyn
Hill Cosmetics, in 2015, with a goal to launch the line in 2016.
As Refinery29 reported in July 2015, the makeup mogul made the announcement at a Becca welcome
reception, explaining that she had been working on the line for two years at the time, and
she had been saving up for it with her own funds rather than working with investors.
Hill said,
"I didn't want people telling me what to do, or controlling me.
I wanted to make sure that I stayed true to myself."
Hill went on to explain that the first products of her line would be lipsticks, and they would
come in glamorous packaging.
While the news was exciting, Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics did not launch in 2016, and it would take
three more years before it was released.
In 2017, Hill collaborated with Morphe on an eyeshadow palette.
Like her partnership with Becca Cosmetics, Hill's Morphe release was a monumental success.
According to Revelist, the YouTube star shared the exciting news in a tweet, writing,
"As of this week, we have officially sold 1 million Jaclyn Hill Palettes!"
While Hill's first project with Morphe was a huge hit, her second collaboration with
the brand was a dud.
Initially set to release on June 26th, 2018, Hill's next Morphe palette, The Vault, was
quickly delayed after receiving a negative response from beauty influencers on YouTube.
According to Cosmopolitan, Morphe recalled the palette to fix issues, but some fans still
complained about poor quality after the palette was finally released in August 2018.
Hill addressed the drama over her Vault collection in a September 2018 YouTube video, expressing
her sadness about the poor response and apologizing to fans who felt she was shoving the Morphe
brand down their throats.
"The fact that these are not absolutely perfect, it makes me very sad and I am so sorry if
you are unhappy."
Lipstick line
Hill initially teased she was creating her own cosmetics line back in 2015, but, after
she continued to focus on brand collaborations with Morphe, it seemed as though the line
was placed on the back-burner.
That all changed when Hill gave fans a major hint during an Instagram Q&A in January 2019.
During the Q&A, a fan asked what the first product in her cosmetics line would be.
Hill coyly responded with a lipstick emoji and a red lips emoji, as Bustle reported.
The vague response sent fans into a tizzy as they theorized about the kind of lipstick
Hill would release.
Hill remained mum on the topic as speculation brewed throughout the beauty community.
Then, according to Life and Style, Hill posted a since-deleted video on her Instagram in
May 2019 with the caption:
"It's really happening [Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics]."
On May 23rd, 2019, Hill released a YouTube video and announced that Jaclyn Cosmetics
was finally happening.
The emotional Hill was understandably excited to share the news that one of her dreams was
becoming a reality, and she revealed she was kicking off her makeup line with a 20-shade
nude lipstick collection.
In the video, Hill recalled the exact moment she decided she was going to create her own
makeup line.
She had been at a Mac store in the mall holding a lipstick in her hand, telling herself that
she'd have a brand of her own one day.
"And at the time I was on food stamps, and there was no brand in mind whatsoever."
The young makeup artist spent eight years perfecting her brand and makeup line to deliver
a product she was sure fans would love.
"I don't say anything with that much confidence, but after several years, I finally have the
confidence to say that this is an incredible brand."
After Hill announced she was launching her cosmetics line with a collection of nude lipsticks,
excitement sparked throughout the internet.
Fans wanted to know everything about the buttery So Rich lipstick collection, and they were
chomping at the bit to get their hands on the long-awaited makeup products from their
queen.
Before long, the Jaclyn Cosmetics Instagram account accrued over 500k followers.
Within 24 hours of the launch, several of the lipsticks sold out, which shouldn't have
come as a surprise to fans of the makeup maven; her previous beauty launches with both Becca
and Morphe also sold out quickly.
Elated with fan reception, Jaclyn Cosmetics shared a happy message on Instagram, saying,
"THANK YOU to everyone who showed us so much love today!
We can't wait to see you all wearing your So Rich Lipsticks!
And don't worry, we have restocks coming really soon."
After the Jaclyn Cosmetics lipstick collection quickly sold out and received initial widespread
praise, it seemed like Hill's first product launch from her own brand was a massive success.
However, as fans began receiving their products, the response became less than stellar.
One by one, fans and beauty influencers around the internet expressed their concerns and
aired their complaints about the lipsticks, and the criticism spread like wildfire across
social media.
On June 5th, 2019, a fan tweeted an image of her lipstick, which appeared to have lumps
in it.
According to Refinery29, Hill responded in a now-deleted tweet, saying,
"You posted swatches 2 days ago loving the lipsticks?
Now you're wondering why it's lumpy?
It's obvious this lipstick is used & not fresh from the factory.
Like any other lipstick, if you use it over other products, have dry lips, etc., things
like this can happen."
While Hill denied there were issues with her products, the concern from fans continued
rolling in.
Just two days later on June 7th, 2019, another fan tweeted an image of her lipstick with
a hard ball inside of it.
There appeared to be problems with more than just one product.
As fan concern over Hill's lipstick collection continued popping up across social media,
beauty influencers on YouTube began testing the Jaclyn Cosmetics collection for themselves.
YouTube star Raw Beauty Kristi provided an in-depth look into the So Rich lipstick collection,
and the results were upsetting.
In a YouTube video posted on June 8th, 2019, Kristi used a microscope to thoroughly examine
the lipsticks and give viewers an up-close look at the discrepancies with the products.
Similar to fan complaints, she found hair, bubbles, holes, and lumps within the Jaclyn
Cosmetics lipsticks.
"Do I feel comfortable recommending these to you off of my first impression?
Absolutely not."
While she stated that the lipsticks look "incredible" on Jaclyn, she repeated customers' concerns.
"The product itself is unstable and not quality-tested in any way."
She also tweeted a photo of her hairy lipstick with the caption,
"All I can say is WTF."
There was no more denying that the lipsticks were unsightly, and it prompted many fans
to worry about the safety and sanitation of the products.
Raw Beauty Kristi's YouTube video has been viewed over 4 million times as of July 2019.
Several other influencers have also shared their insight regarding the Jaclyn Cosmetics
lipstick collection.
Still, Hill has continued to defend herself.
She initially responded to Raw Beauty Kristi's tweet with the hairy lipstick picture, blaming
the cosmetics lab for the issue and saying,
"If any of you are receiving lipsticks like this…please know that this is NOT hair!
My factory used brand new white gloves to do quality control & they shed all over my
product!
We switched to rubber gloves 2 days ago & will make sure this never happens again."
Fellow beauty influencer and CEO of Makeup Geek Marlena Stell tweeted a response, saying,
"I'm going to get scorched for speaking out.
WTF lab ever has used furry gloves?!
In my 11 years I've never once seen furry gloves on production floor.
And why is that hair so damn long?
If it was a furry glove it would be very slight fuzz.
And it's embedded IN the lipstick."
Despite widespread criticism over the Jaclyn Cosmetics lipstick collection, Hill stayed
relatively silent, especially on her YouTube channel.
Her brand kept a brave face toward the media, maintaining the product launch was a success
and did not acknowledge that there was an alleged widespread issue with the collection.
In a statement shared with People on June 11th, 2019, Jaclyn Cosmetics said,
"The response to the launch of Jaclyn Cosmetics has been incredible.
Of the incredible volume of orders that were placed at launch, we believe less than half
of one percent of orders were impacted by compromised product.
We are actively reaching out to our customers with questions and concerns…We love our
customers and are proud of our successful launch."
Jaclyn Cosmetics also responded to complaints in a tweet posted on June 7th, 2019, explaining
that high temperatures were to blame for some of the lipstick defects in the collection.
After numerous complaints about the quality of the Jaclyn Cosmetics lipstick collection
flooded social media, Hill finally addressed the controversy in a YouTube video titled,
"My Lipsticks," on June 12th, 2019.
In the 14-minute video, a bare-faced Hill opened up about what happened with the cosmetics
lab, and she addressed concerns that her lipsticks had been contaminated.
"The first thing I want to address before anything else is the accusation that my lipsticks
are expired, moldy, or hazardous in any way, shape, or form."
She claimed her lipsticks were not moldy, hazardous, contaminated, or unsafe.
She went on to explain that the "black holes" people were seeing in the lipsticks were actually
"oxygen bubbles," not mold.
As for the hair found in the lipsticks?
Hill claimed that it isn't actually hair but rather fuzz from the white gloves worn by
workers at the lab.
Hill has since cut ties with that cosmetics lab and urged anyone who is still finding
issues with their lipsticks to reach out to Jaclyn Cosmetics directly.
After releasing her official apology on YouTube, Hill took to Instagram Stories to apologize
to her fans again on Saturday, June 22nd, 2019.
She announced that she was refunding all orders, and claimed that she didn't care about the
loss of money.
On the same day, Jaclyn Cosmetics tweeted,
"Jaclyn Cosmetics takes consumer feedback very seriously.
We've reviewed the quality issues related to our So Rich Lipsticks & believe our production
did not meet our brand standards.
We'll be issuing a full refund (including shipping charges) to everyone who purchased
the product."
The makeup brand also issued a statement on the company's website informing customers
that a product recall would not be happening because it was not necessary.
After experiencing weeks of heavy criticism from fans across social media over her failed
lipstick collection, Jaclyn Hill seemed to have had enough.
In 2019, the makeup mogul deleted her personal Twitter and Instagram accounts, leaving her
YouTube channel, as well as Jaclyn Cosmetics' Instagram and Twitter accounts, unaffected
by the social media purge.
Hill remained silent across all platforms, without a clue about the future.
On June 29th, 2019, Hill's mom took to Instagram, writing,
"Please know that Jaclyn needs time but she will be back stronger than ever!"
While the popular beauty vlogger had presumably hoped to make a splash on the makeup scene
with the launch of her brand, she probably never imagined things would turn out as they
had.
And, although she likely hoped her cosmetics line would get people talking, this was most
definitely not what she had in mind.
As promised, the beauty guru returned to the social media scene after a hiatus.
On August 16th, 2019, Jaclyn Cosmetics issued a statement on Instagram.
"At Jaclyn Cosmetics, we're dedicated to giving you the best products & customer experience.
It is clear that our first launch did not meet the standards we've set as a brand and
for that we are truly sorry."
However, this post wasn't just an apology.
The cosmetics label also announced that it would be taking, quote, "a moment to rebuild,"
with a vague promise:
"The future is bright, and we're so excited for what's to come."
The post garnered over 100,000 likes, but the comments were understandably mixed.
While Jaclyn Hill was away, she spent time consulting fellow beauty business owners,
like Jen Atkin of Ouai Haircare and Claudia Soare of Anastasia Beverly Hills.
In November 2019, Hill revealed to Allure,
"It meant so much to have those two women who are so successful really have my back
behind the scenes.
And it's encouraged me because I felt like my life is over."
During Hill's online blackout, she also went to therapy, telling Allure,
"I really, really have PTSD and I'm kind of scarred from lipsticks, so we are really going
to take our time diving into that...We've added over 20 people to Jaclyn Cosmetics to
make sure that what happened in the past never happens again and it can be a successful launch,
and I can prove myself as a brand and as a CEO."
While the beauty guru said she does plan to re-release lipsticks eventually, Hill pivoted
away from lip products altogether and, instead, relaunched Jaclyn Cosmetics in November of
2019, with a holiday highlighter and brush collection.
As Hill hinted in her brand's August 2019 statement, the future was literally bright.
So, was the holiday collection able to revive the cosmetics label?
Although beauty influencer Jeffree Star complimented the Accent Light Highlighter Palette's formula,
he didn't think the palette was unique.
He also found the Mood Light Luminous Powder too sheer and the Bring the Light Brush Trio
to be unnecessary.
Additionally, there were some PR concerns from other influencers and some shipping issues
noted by customers.
Of course, it's not unusual for a brand to receive feedback via social media.
And, despite some seemingly valid complaints, the Jaclyn Cosmetics customer service team
has made sure to keep the lines of communication open.
Even with a few hiccups, the launch of the holiday collection was overall successful.
Jeffree Star even awarded the brand's Beaming Light Loose Highlighter his approval.
Along with a slew of other good reviews, the highlighters partially sold out just a few
days after launch.
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