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MORPHE CUTS TIES WITH JEFFREE STAR – IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END?

Published July 13, 2020
Published July 13, 2020
@jeffreestarcosmetics

All the years of drama and accusations of harassment and xenophobic, racist, and anti-Semitic comments may have finally caught up with Jeffree Star.

Morphe announced on July 10 that it would “cease all commercial activity” with Jeffree Star and his brand Jeffree Star Cosmetics. The move came after weeks of growing backlash against Star and his friend and co-collaborator, Shane Dawson.

It was previously suggested by Tati Westbrook that Star invested in Morphe or was a part-owner, but a spokesperson told Business Insider that there was no truth to the claim. “We can confirm that Jeffree Star retains no ownership of Morphe,” the representative told the outlet. “He’s not an investor. He’s not a co-owner. Our only relationship is through retail distribution of Jeffree Star Cosmetics and our 2019 MorpheX collaboration.”

“Today we’ve made the decision to cease all commercial activity related to Jeffree Star and affiliated products,” the statement, posted to Twitter, read. “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,” it concluded.

The decision came after a wave of prominent influencers began ending partnerships with Morphe over its partnership with Jeffree Star. Black beauty guru Jackie Aina, with a following of 3.5 million YouTube subscribers and 1.6 million Instagram followers, announced last week that she will “no longer” be a Morphe affiliate.

“I refuse to align myself with a company that continues to retail antiblack racist beauty brands,” Aina tweeted. “I strongly encourage other influencers to do the same!”

Jeffree Star Cosmetics released its own statement hours later on Instagram, saying the brand was “extremely saddened by the decision.”

Morphe has been the primary brick-and-mortar retailer for the brand, hosting events at malls around the country for Star’s product launches.

The makeup company’s partnership with Star is worth millions; his “Conspiracy” collaboration with fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson sold one million eyeshadow palettes in less than 30 minutes after its launch. Star, who owns his own makeup line, frequently partnered with Morphe for previous collections. The company quietlyremoved products from the “Conspiracy” collection from its website last month after Dawson posted an apology video for his past content.

Morphe also recently discontinued carrying Dawson’s products after his history of racist and predatory behavior came to light.

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