Maybelline is a global cosmetics brand that manufactures make-up merchandise for women worldwide. With over 200 products in the line, Maybelline New York is among the most accessible make-up brands. After over a hundred years of its development, Maybelline has achieved significant milestones in the beauty and fashion industry. The brand is currently one of the primary sponsors of New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The problems being addressed in the research are ethical issues and controversies that makeup companies fail to address on the example of Maybelline New York corporation.
The beauty industry is one of the most controversial business platforms, often initiating conflicts connected to ethics. Maybelline New York has faced multiple claims regarding such behavior, specifically being accused of animal testing, which is intolerable in modern society. Even though the company states they do not test their products on animals, according to the company’s policy, there are certain loopholes in their statement proving otherwise in some instances. Maybelline denies testing on animals, except in cases when it is required by law or if authorities demand such procedures for safety or regulatory purposes, which is regularly done for selling in China (Rose, 2020). Therefore, the brand cannot be considered cruelty-free, which influences their reputation and points out the inability of an organization to establish coherent organizational structure, specifically ethical committees.
The most widely-spoken accusation significantly influencing Maybelline’s reputation is for being racist and not-inclusive. In the recently released foundation line Dream Velvet with 12 shades, the company did not sell half of the colors in the United Kingdom, specifically the darker ones. Moreover, they used an African-American model for advertisement of these colors, proceeding to make them unavailable in the country. Such an issue can easily destroy the brand’s reputation in the society with a high tolerance for equality. In the perspective of organizational design, it is a sign of poor customer journey, causing mistrust from the consumer side. Additionally, instead of sufficiently solving the problem, the company chose to ignore the issue, showing lack of transparency and productive management.
Reference
Rose, S. (2020). Is Maybelline cruelty-free? Cruelty-Free Kitty. Web.