Oh, you're eating? You might wanna... put that down for a minute. Because we really need to talk about the complaints of alleged mouldy, smelly concealers from cult makeup brand Kosas.
In case you've missed everything that's been going down on social media, let us bring you up to speed.
The popular cosmetic brand is facing claims from people who say they’ve found mould in their liquid concealers. The product in question? Kosas Revealer Concealer ($50) - that viral concealer that blew up last year when the ‘clean girl’ beauty aesthetic started trending.
However, cult status or not, this recent controversy is proving that when it comes to beauty brands and social media backlash, the internet is not going to hold back when things go wrong. And naturally, people want to hold brands accountable.
Watch: Can't find a concealer to match your foundation? Here's a nifty trick. Post continues below.
Let's go back to 2022 - because that's how long this has been bubbling away at the surface.
It was in June last year when a Reddit user by the name of "veryangryorchards" said that after nine months of using the popular Kosas concealer, they "started to notice a blue cheese smell."
"Fast forward to a year later, I put it [on] and my eyes and face BURNED. I figured it’s probably done for anyway, because concealers usually last one to two years, but I went back to use this a couple of weeks later and I found black spots in my concealer," they continued.
In a follow-up post in the comments, the poster said: "The first tube of concealer was bought last April. That is the one that has the 12-month expiration sticker, and the one that has black mould. The new one had a sticker of six months, which made me worry that it will go bad even faster, which is why I returned it (or tried to)."
But wait. There's... more.
Over on the brand's TikTok account, the comment section was swimming with people sharing their experiences of noticing funny smells and finding mould in the concealers.
There were also claims of users experiencing 'irritation', 'rashes' and 'hives' from the product.
He goes on to say this product is not formulated at a pH of below 5.0 - and potassium sorbate can be really irritating to some people's skin at low pH levels.
He also points out that the formula is actually missing a certain compound that's pretty crucial to correctly preserving a product.
"Does this mean it's improperly preserved? I can't say - but none of my bosses would've ever let me pass up a formula like this. Lastly, I want to say - parabens wouldn't have this problem."
Another cosmetic chemist by the name of @janethechemist said: "I see here that Kosas is using potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate as their main source of preservation. I, as a formulator, don't think that's enough."
Check out her video below:
We think this comment from AJ Addae of Sula Labs really hit the nail on the head: "This would be an interesting opportunity for Kosas to potentially lead the way in moving the goal posts of redefining what the future of clean beauty could look like."
So, should the brand be looking for ways to actually solve the issue? For example, should they make the tubes smaller so all the products can be used well within the expiration date?
Dr Wong said, "It would be interesting to see the details of their preservative testing if they've done that. It's possible that they could repackage the same formula in lower-risk packaging (e.g. a tube with a small opening) and in smaller pack sizes so people are more likely to use it up within the expected time frame."
Only time will tell.
In the meantime, if your makeup products ever look or smell funny - bin 'em. Stat.
What do you think of the Kosas concealer backlash? Share your take with us in the comment section below.
Feature image: TikTok; @savannahnunues; @lexi_rowe1.
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