Morphe Highlighted in Controversy
Makeup brand Morphe, known for its collaborations with high-profile internet stars, announced the closing of all its United States stores and sudden laying off of hundreds of its workers on Jan. 5.
Morphe is largely known for its controversial ties to influencers James Charles, Jeffree Star, and Charli D’Amelio. This new report seems to be the latest underpinning of the negative image growing in the public eye.
“Everything I’ve heard from Morphe has always been very scandalous because of the creators they work with to create makeup products,” sophomore Lana Perez said. “They base their products on the influencer, and then when that influencer messes up and gets canceled, they are affected by it too due to association.”
Morphe announced their implementation of a new focus on selling makeup online, rather than through brick-and-mortar stores, in hopes of reaching more customers.
“I think their sales are going to go down just because it is more convenient to buy makeup in stores rather than online,” sophomore Blaine Wooley said. “Now people have to go out of their way to go online and search for it and then pay for shipping.”
I think their sales are going to go down just because it is more convenient to buy makeup in stores rather than online. Now people have to go out of their way to go online and search for it and then pay for shipping.
— Blaine Wooley
The professionalism of this decision has been questioned by both the media and ex-employees of the makeup company. Morphe gave only a few days’ notice to many of its employees that all physical stores were closing and that the employees’ services were no longer needed.
“Today at noon… we were notified that our stores are gonna be closing tomorrow,”TikTok user @kreynosx, who began working for Morphe six months ago, said. “We got one day’s notice. Very frustrating.”
Morphe’s move to online-only sale creates slight inconvenience for typical in-store shoppers; furthermore, the company’s treatment of its employees will most definitely be remembered when makeup users consider which products to buy. The company, though, remains optimistic.
“We believe this shift will position Morphe to better compete in the broader beauty landscape and more efficiently reach our customers where and how they shop,” Emma Sandler said in her article for Glossy Magazine.
