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- Cosmetic brand Morphe is releasing a line of concealers that includes very few darker shades.
- The collection has 15 shades and a noticeable gap between the two darkest ones.
- This isn't the first time the brand has been criticized as not being inclusive enough.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Morphe's new range of concealers has 15 shades, but hardly any of them appear to accommodate dark skin tones.
The collection debuts on Tuesday and early photos of the collection, Morphe 2 Hide and Peek, have revealed all of the upcoming shades. Some beauty fans have been quick to point out that they're mostly white or catered to light skin tones.
The concealer collection has very few darker shades
The concealer line, a collaboration with TikTok creators Charli and Dixie D'Amelio, is already facing scrutiny from members of the beauty community.
Some are wondering why nearly half of the collection caters to light skin tones, calling to attention the "huge tone gap" between the two darkest shades in the line. Others pointed out that the darker shades don't appear to be designed for different under tones.
As one Redditor in a popular beauty thread wrote, "How can they miss the opportunity for more inclusive dark/red/blue undertones for POC?"
Another commented, "Wow. Look at that jump from 7 to 8. I'm pretty sure several shades were skipped right over."
The release follows one of Morphe's most inclusive collections yet with far more shades
In 2019, the brand debuted a 60-shade foundation collection that earned it plenty of praise for its inclusive range of under tones and shades.
In 2020, USA Today included Morphe on its list of "inclusive makeup brands with products for all skin tones," highlighting the foundation collection. Real Simple also named Morphe one of the most inclusive foundation brands.
The foundation release also included Morphe's only other concealer line, the Fluidity full-coverage concealers. It currently offers 31 shades, including ones or darker skin tones with different undertones.
But criticism directed at Morphe is nothing new for customers or influencers
David Becker/Getty Images for Morphe
Despite the success of its foundation release, this isn't the first time Morphe has been criticized as not being inclusive.
In 2019, ahead of the foundation release, some called out a lack of diversity in the brand's promotions and social media, specifically for sharing too few photos of Black influencers, Blake Newby reported for Revelist.
The brand has also been called out for working with controversial white celebrities like James Charles and Jeffree Star, who has been called out for racist behavior many times.
In July 2020, Jackie Aina, a major Black beauty influencer, said she would "no longer" be an affiliate with Morphe, saying in a tweet," ... I refuse to align myself with a company that continues to retail antiblack racist beauty brands ..." Many believe she was referring to Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
Morphe announced it would be cutting ties with Star and his cosmetics later that month. But for many in the beauty community, the gesture was too little, too late.
Representatives for Morphe did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
