Morphe drops Jeffree Star Cosmetics following racism allegations

Virginia Glaze
YouTuber Jeffree Star talks to the camera

Massive makeup brand Morphe has announced it will no longer sell products related to Jeffree Star Cosmetics, following allegations of racist behavior and other claims against the YouTuber.

While Jeffree Star has long been a divisive figure online, the makeup mogul has come under extreme scrutiny in the past few weeks, after critics suggested both he and fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson orchestrated the scandal against James Charles in 2019.

Combined with past allegations of racist behavior by Star toward people of color within the YouTube beauty community, as well as Tati Westbrook’s viral video alleging that both Star and Dawson had “gaslit” her into making her James Charles video last year, Star has disappeared from social media altogether — but the drama is catching up with him, regardless.

Multiple top names in YouTube’s makeup scene came forward last week by announcing their split from Morphe, claiming that they did not feel comfortable working with a company that sold “antiblack racist beauty brands,” as told by beauty guru Jackie Aina.

It seems that these messages caught Morphe’s attention, with the company officially announcing that it would no longer sell Jeffree Star Cosmetics products in a bombshell Tweet on July 10.

“Today we’ve made the decision to cease all commercial activity related to Jeffree Star and affiliated products,” the company wrote. “We expect this to conclude within the coming weeks. As we look to the future, we will continue to share updates on what lies ahead for the Morphe brand.”

Morphe’s statement follows speculation that Star was somehow monetarily involved in the brand, after an older video of the YouTuber surfaced where he claimed he was an investor in Morphe.

This move likewise comes after the brand’s purge of Shane Dawson’s “Conspiracy” palette on June 30, which was removed from the brand’s stores after the YouTuber uploaded an apology video addressing the outrage over his older content.

While Star has yet to address the drama at the time of writing, he did state that he was traveling for his Grandmother’s birthday — a claim that many critics have speculated is false.


UPDATE: Jeffree Star Cosmetics have since responded to Morphe’s statement in a post via Instagram, claiming they are “shocked and saddened” by the company’s decision to “part ways” with their brand.

JSC likewise assured fans that more products from their brand would be forthcoming this year —  meaning that it doesn’t look like current events will stop Jeffree Star from his work in the makeup world.

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About The Author

Virginia is Dexerto's Entertainment Editor and an expert in all things TikTok, YouTube, and influencer-related. Boasting a background in esports, she's been tackling the social media space for over five years. You can reach Virginia at: virginia.glaze@dexerto.com.