For many people of colour, struggling to find makeup that matches their skin tone is a familiar experience. The beauty industry itself has often come under attack for not being inclusive of its diverse customer base.
Are some brands lagging behind?
In an informal survey in 2018, Toronto-based Makeup for Melanin Girls founder Tomi Gbeleyi polled 5,500 women about the beauty industry. Gbeleyi found 80 per cent of women faced challenges in finding a foundation that matched their skin tone, Bustle reported. Nielsen market research group found that African-American women spend $7.5 billion annually on beauty products, and spend 80 per cent more on ethnically targeted beauty products than their non-Black counterparts.
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And Canadians spend more on prestige beauty products than any other country in the world, with the NPD group reporting that we spend on average $1.4 billion annually on luxury beauty brands.
1:08 The most important skincare steps for Black skin
The most important skincare steps for Black skin
In fact, it wasn’t until Grammy-winning musician Rihanna launched her highly acclaimed makeup line Fenty Beauty in 2017 that boasted 50 foundation shades that brands began to rethink their own shade ranges. This has now been dubbed the “Fenty Effect.”
Makeup artist Aniya Nandy who teaches cosmetic management at Humber College in Toronto, says some brands are still lagging behind.
“The brands that are going to make money are the ones that cater to their minority customers like Fenty has,” she said.
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Makeup brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Tarte Cosmetics, I.T. Cosmetics and Beautyblender have faced swift backlash for limited shade ranges that excluded nonwhite people. Although Tarte, I.T. and Beautyblender have since expanded their shade ranges, most major drugstore and prestige brands have only expanded their shade ranges in the last four years in response to consumer pressure generated by Fenty’s debut.
A collection of foundations by Fenty Beauty. Getty Images
But even when brands do boast 40 colours, people of colour may still find themselves at a loss.
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4:17 Black hair care: Canadians open about their hair journeys
Black hair care: Canadians open about their hair journeys
It’s not just about one single colour
Complexion makeup can’t be defined by just one colour, it’s also about undertones and varying pigmentations all over the face, particularly for nonwhite people. Stellar makeup founder Monika Deol says that when it comes to foundation, more choices doesn’t necessarily mean better results.
“Brands think that having 100 different foundation colours means they are doing a good job, but that’s not necessarily true,” says Deol, who is South Asian.
“It’s about having a number of colours that address each undertone.”
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Where you live can also be a factor. Even in a country as diverse as Canada, finding your shade is dependent on whether your local drug store stocks every single shade in a 40 colour brand. Most Canadians go to Shoppers Drug Mart for their beauty needs, market research group ProdegeMR suggests.
But Toronto makeup artist Elle St. Aubyn said that it’s been a struggle to find her shade at a drugstore.
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“I just want to be able to go into the drugstore and find makeup that suits me,” says Aubyn.
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“With drugstore brands, even though there are some darker shades, there’s still something missing. There’s a bit of an ashiness. When things aren’t made with people of colour in mind, it’s never quite right.”
In a statement from Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation to Global News, Kelly Jessop, vice president of category management says Shoppers Drug Mart has put an emphasis on listening to customers.
Foundation selection at a local Shoppers Drug Mart. Photo By Genelle Levy
“We understand their current needs and work hard to anticipate what they’ll be looking for in our stores in the future. Industry trends, product innovation, new brands and what resonates with our customers are all factors that play a role in the decision we make.” READ MORE: ‘Hair Love’: Short film encourages Black girls to embrace their hair
Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. also noted that they’ve recently included the British brand Revolution Makeup in their online store and 600 of their physical locations. Revolution Makeup “serves to represent and champion a diverse set of customers” and offers over 40 shades in several of their foundation products, according to their site.
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Makeup comes down to science
Science and innovation are often underrated in conversations about diversity in the beauty industry. But you can’t create makeup without chemistry, even in clean, natural brands.
Makeup is a formulation of different natural and chemical ingredients. Research and development not only comprises the testing phase, but also the creation and cosmetic chemistry behind a product.
In 2018, the Statista database reported L’Oreal spent just over $1.3 trillion on research and development in comparison with Estee Lauder who spent only $267.8 millionin the same category.
Liquid foundations are first created in a lab from an emulsion (a combination of oil and water) before pigments are added says Seneca College professor and cosmetic scientist Ivana Knezevic.
4:02 ‘Does your hair get wet?’: Black Canadians on how others perceive their hair
‘Does your hair get wet?’: Black Canadians on how others perceive their hair
There are four industry-standard pigments used to create foundations: red, yellow, black and white.
“When used in different ratios they can achieve a huge range of shades,” said the Toronto-based cosmetic scientist.
But sometimes in order for a brand to create a quality product for darker skin tones reformulation is required, and that’s where things get complicated. “There’s the cost of the chemical itself,” says Knezevic.
“Then there’s the matter of how easy or how complicated it is to include in the formula. There could be quality assurance issues. Maybe under certain conditions the original formula used for past products won’t work. So then the formula has to be reformulated and then that adds costs.”
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In 2012, L’Oreal committed to that reformulation process, and African-American cosmetic scientist Balanda Atis created a breakthrough formulation that would become a game-changer for how foundations were created for people of colour. Atis used ultramarine blue to create darker foundation shades now worn by Lancome ambassador Lupita Nyong’o. In a documentary titled The Spectrum, Atis explained that in order to create deeper shades “you don’t necessarily go blacker, you go deeper in colour.”
5:00 How learning to love their afro-textured hair led to self-love
How learning to love their afro-textured hair led to self-love
In 2014 the L’Oreal Multicultural Lab was established to create products tailored to people of colour in the 140 countries where L’Oreal products are sold.
In the past, brands have been the ones to control the conversation around makeup.
Experts say there are four industry-standard pigments used to create foundations: red, yellow, black and white. Getty Images Nandy says that 20 years ago brands used to be more selective about who they were going to market to, whether it was young women or older upper-middle-class women who shopped in department stores. Back then, brands marketed to their ideal clients. “Now it’s gone in the direction of marketing to everyone,” Nandy said. “Brands like Glossier are consumer-friendly. They’re telling consumers you don’t have to be a professional makeup artist to look good, and it’s empowering the consumer.”
Twelve years later, Vincent says she is noticing a change when it comes to shopping for makeup as a woman of colour.
3:50 Black Canadians give their hair care tips, advice
Black Canadians give their hair care tips, advice
She was recently able to find her shade in Glossier’s Perfecting Skin Tint. When she reached out to the brand’s Instagram page to get assistance with colour matching, they mailed her two extra shade options free of charge so that she wouldn’t have to sustain extra shipping costs. “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that before. The beauty industry has been a historically racist institution.”
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She says many Black people have felt excluded in the beauty industry for decades.
“That gesture felt like a small act of trying to repair that relationship, and it allowed me to have more trust in the product.”
Genelle Levy is a freelance journalist who focuses on culture and social issues. Her work has appeared in USA Today, Toronto Life and TeenVogue. She is also a contributing editor at the creative nonfiction magazine Narratively.com.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
