After Tarte Cosmetic’s foundation fiasco, you’d think that by now, makeup brands would have learned that being inclusive is the only way to make the cut for their consumers. The brand rolled out a 15-shade foundation line in two formulas, hydrating and matte, but couldn’t be bothered to include more than two shades for black women, and they rightfully faced backlash for it.

Apparently, It Cosmetics missed that memo. The brand posted an announcement on their Instagram account about their new “Bye Bye Foundation” line set to be released sometime in the future.  According to the brand, the foundation is supposed to be “the first-ever full coverage moisturizer” that’s “unlike any other moisturizer.”

Coming soon… IT’s time to say Bye Bye to foundatio

n! Meet the most clinically advanced innovation: Bye Bye Foundation is the first-ever full coverage moisturizer from IT Cosmetics! It’s a skincare product, infused with 7 key fermented ingredients plus SPF 50 physical-only sunscreen and full coverage pigments. It’s a moisturizer that will transform the look of your skin whether you deal with sensitive skin, dark spots, visible pores, breakouts, redness and more. It’s a moisturizer unlike anything that exists. Typically SPF moisturizers with physical-only sunscreens have only been possible in a few shades — and at IT Cosmetics we’ve spent the past 2 years creating 12 skin-tone adapting shades for this moisturizer (3 Light, 3 Medium, 3 Tan and 3 Rich). And we continue to work hard to challenge this further. Can’t wait for you to try it! ??SWIPE ?? right to see IT…

A post shared by IT Cosmetics (@itcosmetics) on Jan 24, 2018 at 2:37pm PST

Whatever fanfare the brand was anticipating quickly gave way to tweets and comments calling them out about tossing in only three shades for Black women that completely left out dark-skinned women.

Admittedly, for Black women in the beauty community, the shade range wasn’t all too surprising. It Cosmetics has long been in the same boat as high-end makeup brand Benefit Cosmetics and drugstore brands Almay and Physicians Formula for excluding Black women from their face products. Still, the product announcement was very much a slap in the face seeing as the brand’s founder Jamie Lime gave an acceptance speech last September for the CEW Achiever Award praising the brand for their “diversity,” and even went as far as to challenge other beauty brands to get on their level and do the same.

“We did something at IT Cosmetics that has never been done before in luxury beauty: we became a top-selling brand by using real women of all shapes, sizes, skin types, and skin issues.”

Popular black beauty influencer Jackie Aina pointed out in a series of tweets, the brand wasn’t even meeting the challenge Lima was trying to set for others.
https://twitter.com/jackieaina/status/910333030836822017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/jackieaina/status/910334172362764288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
People pointed this out in the comments of the speech’s video on the brand’s Twitter account to which they responded, “We are continuing to expand our shade range and this remains one of our top priorities.”

I find funny how you made this speech about being left out yet you leave shades for women of color out of your line. pic.twitter.com/Mr8RHNxLkd

— J (@sourpatchadult4) September 21, 2017

Hi! We're continuing to expand shades & IT remains a top priority. Our dream is to get IT in the hands of real women everywhere.

— IT Cosmetics (@Itcosmetics) September 21, 2017

Fast forward to now, they’re still parroting that same claim. In an email, a rep for the brand stated that “Expanding our shade range is our top priority at IT and our mission is to make sure every single woman and man can wear IT” mentioning a future complexion product that will supposedly be available in 40+ shades. Still, actions speak louder than words, and IT Cosmetics has made it pretty clear that including Black women in their makeup brand is their lowest priority.

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