Colorism Toward the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Community in the Makeup Industry

Abstract

Growing up, I had only used makeup products that were much lighter than my normal skin tone to fit into the ideal beauty standards. Why? Colorism. We are living in a world where society in which people are judged based on their skin colors. Likewise, a certain level of colorism still can be seen in the makeup industry. Beauty companies make products that favor lighter skin tones and marginalized people with darker skin tones. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, colorism is “prejudice or discrimination especially within a racial or ethnic group favoring people with lighter skin over those with darker skin”. As the beauty industry is deeply influenced by the Eurocentric beauty standard, the lack of representation of shade ranges in the makeup lines can be a struggle for the “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color” (BIPOC) community. The purpose of this study is to explore colorism in the makeup industry and the steps the makeup industry is taking to promote diversity and inclusivity in the BIPOC community. The study seeks to answer the primary and secondary research questions, “Do people aware of colorism in the beauty industry” and “How does the lack of diversity in the makeup industry affect BIPOC?”. To examine these inquires, I created a five minute Google Survey. This study found that as awareness of the lack of diversity in the makeup industry grows, beauty companies have the opportunities to create a wider range of shades in their products. With more beauty and cosmetics companies in the market than ever before, consumers have become more aware of the movement to broaden the cosmetic shade offerings to benefit the BIPOC community. I believe that as awareness of the issues increases, the greater the chance that beauty companies will produce wider.