A Wren Says

In a deleted TikTok, Huda Katta got to talking. I can’t tell you exactly about it, all I can report on is what the internet is interpreting it as. The founder of Huda Beauty is in some circles being claimed to have presented anti-semitic views as she criticized the state of Israel. Kattan has consistently posted videos on the war on Gaza. This of course creates a crisis for Huda, as an influencer, and her brand as this has shifted public perception. But now Sephora is also in hot water.

If you go and look at the recent Sephora TikToks, you will see comments on this controversy:

“Don’t remove Huda beauty from Sephora” vs “Please remove huda beauty from sephora”

And these were on the same post, which had nothing to do with that brand. This puts the retailer in a tough spot. Making either decision, acting to remove or keep the brand, could lead to a customer boycott. And you already know from Target that could have an effect.

Given Sephora’s stance on diversity and inclusive spaces, this is a hard battle. Because the video isn’t available to make sure it actually violates their guidelines, they will have to lean in to conversations with the founder. I would imagine Sephora won’t be making any statements unless they are directly as, such as they did with the statement reproduced below that they provided to Elizabeth Wagmeister.

As of now, Sephora has put out this statement: “Sephora is driven by its mission to create a welcoming and inclusive shopping experience for all. We recognize that comments from one of our brand partners have raised concerns and want to be clear: promoting hate, harassment, or misinformation does not align with our values or code of conduct.”

There will of course continue to be people posting comments in both directions on all of Sephora’s social media pages. But with the number of brands that they offer, how much will this affect people’s opinions of Sephora? Or is any backlash the retailer receives just a tactic to reach Kattan?