Urban Decay's Velvetizer powder immediately became a bestselling beauty products. Fans loved the silky finish and blurring texture.
But now there's a stunning controversy, with bloggers claiming the powder isn't what it claims to be.
Photos and videos have been circulating on Twitter this month showing that the packaging underneath the Velvetizer label is actually that of the brand's long discontinued Naked Skin finishing powder.
This led many to believe that Urban Decay didn't actually make a new product, but simply repackaged an old one and sold it as something different. This week, those rumors made their way to YouTube, and now we're finally (sort of) able to discern what the heck is going on here.
After Twitter users starting sending Tati Westbrook videos of their "repackaged" Urban Decay powders, she decided to buy one for herself to see what the deal was.
Lo and behold, the Velvetizer she purchased from Sephora also came in Naked Skin packaging.
She clarified that this does not immediately confirm the brand repackaged the product. It could, she said, be a recycling effort — but she still had a little doubt.
This naturally caused a flurry of YouTube videos investigating the repackaging claim — YouTuber Sanders Kennedy even received a statement from Urban Decay.
"In an effort to reduce waste, Urban Decay has made it a priority to repurpose surplus unused components for new product innovations," the brand wrote to Kennedy. "As the Naked Skin Finishing Powder was discontinued, we utilized excess inventory or the product jar to package the newly launched Velvetizer translucent powder."
"While similar in consistency, that’s where the similarities end," the statement continues. "One is translucent while the other is pigmented, and the two products have very different formulas."
Revelist reached out to Urban Decay to confirm the legitimacy of the statement. The brand confirmed this as its official stance on the matter.
This statement has meat, too — the internet has been in such a tizzy with its packaging reveals, no one has thought to track down an old Naked Skin and compare the products inside.
Given that the original Naked Skin powder came in five pigmented shades (so you pick the powder closest to your skin tone), and Velvetizer is translucent (so it matches any skin tone), it seems all these two products have in common is their packaging.
Naked Skin powder: Has color.
Velvetizer: No color.
OK? OK.
So after all is said and done, this isn't a repackaging scandal after all. Just a sustainability effort gone a little wrong.
Thank goodness this was actually a GOOD thing all along.
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