As someone who honestly just wants a place where I can sometimes go to take a break and be 100% guaranteed to not be reminded of the ugliest parts humanity, I’m going to gently warn you that this newsletter is not that place.
Actually forget that gentle bullshit. If you don’t like it, then don’t let the unsubscribe button hit your ass on the way out. (Or do let it. I mean what’s with that expression, anyway, expressing apathy through solicitousness, what on earth.) I’ve been incapable of discussing the finer details of caring for your pores right now because [typed 12 different things and deleted them all for being insufficient to the nightmares of 2020, if you don’t get it READ A NEWSPAPER] but I want you to know about a related big skincare decision in my life:
I’m boycotting CeraVe.
(pause for gasp)
This is because they are owned by L’Oréal - like half the freaking beauty world is owned by L’Oréal - and since I don’t really pay attention to the world of influencers, I just discovered today that back in 2017, they fired a model for publicly supporting Black Lives Matter. And if that’s not horrible enough, they have now managed to be even more revolting in trying to benefit from aligning themselves with the BLM movement.
Here’s an article about it. If you have a few minutes, please watch Aja Barber talk about not only this, but the whole beauty & fashion industry’s hypocrisy and the damage it does. Follow her if you want to learn a lot.
I don’t think CeraVe’s a bad company. I just can’t bring myself to buy or recommend anything that puts money in L’Oréal’s pocket while Munroe Bergdorf is sitting out here waiting for a single breath of apology from them. If the company makes amends - loudly, publicly, and sufficiently (according to Munroe) - I’ll go back to recommending them. And I’m sure since they’re Big Corporate there are a million other sins I could wait for them atone for, but jesus christ on a pogo stick, this is the very least they can do.
This is not some hashtag movement or whatever. Munroe Bergdorf herself is not asking for a boycott; she’s just asking that we not let them get away with this. So I’m not telling you to boycott - though it’d be good if you took a moment to shout at L’Oréal and all its brands, which includes (brace yourself) La Roche-Posay. Here’s a contact form for L’Oréal and one for CeraVe. I just want to give you the info so you can decide for yourself what to do with it. And so that you understand why I’m suddenly not recommending one of my all-time faves anymore.
I hope this is very temporary. Not for my epidermis, but for Munroe’s sake. She doesn’t deserve this cruelty. The movement that is trying to save Black lives does not deserve this kind of disrespect and exploitation. I want so many people to realize what they’ve done wrong and turn it the fuck around immediately. Instantaneously. Yesterday. Failing that, ya know: ever.
Since this is a skincare newsletter: if I run out of CeraVe before L’Oréal apologizes then I’ll just be buying Klairs moisturizers, because that’s what works for my skin and will maybe work for yours too. (Side note - this is reminding me I gotta check back in on CVS, as I have been boycotting them since 2018.)
But in beauty news of better ways to do a blackout-day: Fenty.
And for godsakes I beg of you, don’t let this be the only thing you do in this moment. GO HERE FOR MEANINGFUL WAYS TO HELP. You can do it for free without leaving your home, for instance this video has been playing in a tab on my laptop nonstop.
Stay safe out there, lovelies.
xoxo,
EK
PS: As I said on an IG post - if you don’t like to hear these kinds of sentiments, then you have the option to unfollow and as this is not an airport, there’s no need to announce your departure.