MAC Cosmetics issues public apology following accusations of racism from former staff

‘We pledge to hold ourselves accountable’, says cosmetics company

MAC Cosmetics Belgium has issued a public apology following accusations of racism from former employees.

Last week, Karla Quiñonez Leon, an Afro-Latina make-up artist based in London, opened up about the racism she experienced while working at a MAC store in Brussels, Belgium in 2017.

Alongside a photo of her applying makeup to a customer, Quiñonez Leon wrote: “I was so naive to think that I was going to work at a place where equality existed and black lives really matter. The way they treat black people at MAC is disgusting.”

She went on to explain that she was told by management not to spend too much time working with black customers and that she could be “more rough with them because they’re used to pain and can take it”.

Quiñonez Leon also said she was told many times that she was not hired because of her skills as a makeup artist but because she was “the token of a black person that needed to be filled”.

After Quiñonez Leon shared her story online, other make-up artists came forward with their own similar experiences of MAC stores in Belgium, including one incident when a black member of staff was told her team was “too black”.

Another person revealed she was employed as a “black seller” and told her role was to prioritise serving black customers and “empty their wallet as much as possible”.

Since these stories were shared, social media users have been calling for the brand to acknowledge the racism within its company by flooding their Instagram posts with comments.

“When former employees are coming out saying that they received racially-based hate from your management staff and you continue to remain silent on the black lives matter movement, it speaks volumes about where your priorities lie,” one person wrote.

Another added: “ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT YOU’VE DONE, your silence is deafening. You need to issue apologies to the undoubtedly countless people of colour you have hurt over the years.”

On Thursday 11 June, the company issued a formal apology on Instagram. “In the last week, we at MAC Belgium have heard and reflected on raw and painful experiences courageously shared with us on social media,” the statement read.

“We want to thank the individuals who have come forward and let them know how deeply sorry we are for the pain they felt and are still feeling. Our listening is not silence. Listening leads to learning. And everything we have heard and learned has helped to influence how we will take action now and for our collective future.”

The brand went on to explain its commitment to action, saying that it will continue to reinforce its “zero tolerance” policy of discrimination, focus on building a stronger internal culture of advocacy and inclusion and raise awareness of systemic racism with its social media followers.

“This is only the beginning,” the statement concluded. “Some of the actions will be immediate, others will take time, but we will ensure that all are lasting and impactful.

“We pledge to hold ourselves accountable, which builds on our long-standing commitment to inclusion and equality for all ages, all races, all genders.”

MAC Cosmetics is not the first beauty brand to have been criticised in recent weeks.

On Monday 1 June, L’Oréal Paris released a statement saying the company “stands in solidarity with the Black community, and against injustice of any kind”, stating: “Speaking out is worth it.”

However, the statement quickly drew criticism from Munroe Bergdorf, who was swiftly dropped by the brand when she spoke out against racism in 2017.

Many people called upon the brand to apologise to Bergdorf for the way in which she was treated and on Tuesday 9 June, Bergdorf revealed she had held a discussion with L’Oréal Paris president Delphine Viguier, in which she admitted “regret for how the situation was handled three years ago”.

Bergdorf added that L’Oréal is making donations of €25,000 (£22,279) to Mermaids, a charity “supporting gender-variant and transgender youth in the UK”, and UK Black Pride, “an annual safe space to celebrate diverse sexualities, gender identities, cultures, gender expressions and backgrounds”.

Bergdorf has also accepted a consultancy role to sit on the UK Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board for L’Oréal “helping to influence and inform the brand”.