On Friday, popular beauty news and review channel, Jen Luvs Reviews, posted a video exposing a Morphe formula change.
In her video titled “Why I need to take down my Jaclyn Hill x Morphe Reviews…” Jen explains that her sister-in-law recently purchased the original Jaclyn Hill Morphe eyeshadow palette after hearing rave reviews since its 2017 launch. However, her sister-in-law quickly realised the formula seemed to differ from the original palette used in Jen’s videos over the years.
Thinking her sister-in-law may have purchased a counterfeit palette, Jen says she went to Ulta herself and purchased the original Jaclyn Hill palette to compare.
Jen compares all three palettes in her video— her 2017 Jaclyn Hill palette which she purchased at launch, her sister-in-law’s 2020 JH palette, and her own 2020 JH palette. The comparison reveals many noticeable descrepancies in pay-off, blend-ability and even colour tone.
After comparing palettes, Jen emailed Morphe asking if there had been a formula change. Jen’s inquiry was reportedly escalated and a Morphe representative replied assuring her that “the formula has not changed and should provide the same pigmentation.“
Not convinced, Jen pulled a side-by-side of the ingredient list posted from the 2017 JH palette launch with the four current ingredient lists posted on the Morphe website, showing key formula changes— primarily the addition of jojoba oil, coconut oil, shea butter and carmine in the 2020 formula. This is alarming to Jaclyn fans, as it’s well known that the beauty influencer created a custom formula specifically for her Morphe collaborations.
The addition of carmine is also particularly concerning to consumers. The ingredient is derived from an insect, meaning the palette is no longer vegan-friendly.
Now, Morphe’s taken to Twitter to address these concerns. And much to everyone’s surprise, they have officially confirmed a formula change in the original Jaclyn Hill palette.
“We have seen several concerns about our original MorphexJaclynhill palette formula modifications and ingredient changes and want to set the record straight,” they wrote in a statement. “While it is common in the beauty industry to make formula adjustments and improvements to keep up with industry standards, it is not customary to announce them.“
Morphe claimed that Jaclyn Hill was unaware of the changes to her formula in the original palette and was “only told that we worked to improve the performance and payoff.”
They finished by apologising to Jen Luvs Reviews for emailing her incorrect information and to their customers for the miscommunication.
Many consumers have responded to Morphe’s statement, saying it is customary for brands to announce modifications, especially if a formula goes from vegan-friendly to not vegan-friendly.
The lack of transparency has led fans to believe Morphe was attempting to hide the addition of carmine. Some also speculate that Morphe has switched manufacturers for the original JH palette to the same lab who manufactured the Morphe x James Charles palette. This could be another reason for the formula change.
Jaclyn Hill has yet to comment on the formula change at time of publication.