Three weeks after becoming the first major beauty brand to start a Twitch channel, e.l.f. Cosmetics has been forced to issue an apology for displaying a lack of diversity during its launch on the platform.
The brand, which previously went viral on TikTok for their remix of the ‘Eyes, Lips, Face’ sound, joined Twitch on May 9th with a weekly stream series called ‘Game Up,’ combining makeup and gaming targeted at female gamers.
Their Twitch debut runs alongside a complimentary TikTok campaign, encouraging makeup lovers to show their best ‘Game Up Look.’ Seven winners with the best gaming glam will take home all the equipment needed to build their online presence, including cameras, lighting, microphones. The winners will also have the opportunity to host a stream on e.l.f.’s Twitch channel, as well as the chance to stream with one of the world’s top female gamers, LuFu.
Despite asking their Twitter followers to name their “favorite beauty influencers who game” prior to the Twitch launch, e.l.f. seemingly ignored the nominations of Black creators and other underrepresented demographics including men and non-binary creators, choosing to debut with mainly white female hosts during the three-hour event.
Following weeks of backlash for their problematic launch, e.l.f. has now issued a formal apology on Twitter.
“We designed our Twitch channel to lift-up the gaming & content creator community but we made a mistake – our first stream & talent did not reflect every eye, lip & face,” they wrote. “We want to apologize for the harm we caused by not including Black and underrepresented creators in that event…At e.l.f., we firmly embrace diversity and inclusion and we commit that our talent and partners will reflect our commitment in future streams. We are learning from our mistakes and will keep listening to our community along our journey.”
The brand has also set up an inbox to receive feedback specifically related to their Twitch channel, however many feel it’s too little too late.
Of e.l.f.’s foray into streaming, chief marketing officer Kory Marchisotto said, “We are always looking to blaze new trails when it comes to connecting with our current and new fans and believe Twitch is our next frontier—it’s interactive, engaging, authentic and live.”
e.l.f. Cosmetics was last live 14 days ago with no word on when they’ll stream again next.