The French cosmetics giant has agreed to acquire Californian privately owned makeup company, Urban Decay Cosmetics LLC.  This was printed in 2012 and I am thankful L’Oreal has not changed the product ingredients.  And talking to my fellow MUA’s in the film industry they still have excellent reviews of the product! Let the reviews speak for themselves!

“Urban Decay is amazing. if you’re starting out I would buy the Urban Decay primer potion, a 24/7 eyeliner and a palette or just a couple of colors. there products all work extremely well and are very pigmented.”

“Yes, their eyeliners are amazing. They are high-quality and never smudge or fade from my eyelids. I love the colors, especially in the sets. However, if the quality wasn’t so good, I wouldn’t buy them because the price is so high.”

“They’re shadows are amazing! They all are so pretty and smooth, and they have billions of cool colors. I also like their colored mascaras (like in purple or blue) even though I only know one person who could pull them off, ME!”

Famous for cult favorites such as the much coveted Naked Palette, Urban Decay is well known for its “beauty with an edge” range of products that is popular among youthful, highly-involved cutting-edge consumers who are attracted by the fashion-forward image of the brand.  Currently, Urban Decay is available mostly in Sephora and through its online stores – but with this new development with L’Oreal, it is possible that the brand will be more accessible to the masses through multiple channels such as other brands under its wing such as Maybelline New York, and Lancome.  The closing is subject to regulatory approval, which is expected by the end of the year. What do you think of this new development? Excited to see if Urban Decay cosmetics would be more affordable now, or worried that the acquisition would affect the overall style of the brand that made it so appealing in the first place – not to mention their different practices in regards to animal testing?

This has been over a year now my friends, and the product is still the same. So they have no changed the ingredients of the cosmetic line at all. Urban Decay’s continued quality is put in question since UD is a department store brand, and for many people the first association they make with the name L’Oréal is the drugstore brand of hair products and cosmetics. However, L’Oréal is large corporation that owns many brands. Their portfolio actually includes more luxury brands such as Lancôme and YSL than what they term “consumer products,” which is where L’Oréal Paris falls. The fact that L’Oréal has such a diverse portfolio means that UD fans can rest easy when it comes to quality and the brand’s overall image, since L’Oréal’s acquisition history indicates that the company acquires brands because it can benefit from what the brand is already doing, as with The Body Shop’s 2006 acquisition, not to change the brand.  But now I can find it on the sales rack at ULTA.

 

The matter of cruelty-free cosmetics is a trickier issue. While Urban Decay has committed to remaining cruelty-free despite the acquisition, can the same be said for all other brands in L’Oréal’s portfolio? The answer is complicated. Urban Decay’s website states that UD neither tests finished products on animals nor do they use raw materials that have been tested on animals. L’Oréal has not tested finished products on animals for 20 years, but the product ingredients have been tested on animals. This is not by L’Oréal’s choice: European Union regulations require ingredients to be tested on animals (L’Oréal is based in France). L’Oréal is also a big contributor to and a founding member of the European Partnership for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EPAA), an organization that aims to end mandatory animal testing by producing new testing methods that still ensure consumers’ safety.

So what will change for Urban Decay once the acquisition is final? On the surface, probably nothing. The brand will retain the same image and policies. But on a macro-level, buying Urban Decay will mean generating profit for L’Oréal, and L’Oréal is in a gray area when it comes to animal testing. On the one hand, L’Oréal appears committed to ending animal testing and supports an organization that is working towards this goal, but on the other hand it is impossible for L’Oréal to completely stop animal testing at the moment due to regulations.

The issue brings a sad connotation to the popular phrase: beauty is pain.