Jaclyn Cosmetics folding amid Forma Brands’ focus on products over social media influencers

04 Jan 2024 --- Jaclyn Cosmetics is closing down after less than five years in business. Social media beauty influencer Jaclyn Hill unveiled the news, fittingly, on Instagram. 

“I have decided to close the doors on Jaclyn Cosmetics for the foreseeable future. There has been plenty of talk, but what I will say is the brand has been such an important chapter in my book and one that I will always cherish but am ready to close,” she announced. 

Turbulent year for Forma
The move follows parent company Forma Brands’ turbulent moves last year. The company was said to struggle post-pandemic with sliding color cosmetics sales, supply chain issues and controversy around celebrity brands from Jeffree Star to James Charles. 

One year ago, it entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy after dismal sales and mounting debt. Weeks later, the US company sold its license to R.e.m. Beauty, launched by Ariana Grande. The pop star purchased the assets tied to the brand for US$15 million.

Forma is also Morphe’s parent company, which announced in the same month that it would close all US retail stores but maintain its e-commerce presence with its website and select brick-and-mortar retailers outside the US.Influencer Jaclyn Hill admits she did not give her cosmetics line “the love that it deserves.”

YouTube beauty culture
Morphe Cosmetics was once synonymous with YouTube beauty culture. Jaclyn Hill rose to influencer stardom on the platform, starting as a MAC Cosmetics makeup artist and beauty YouTuber.  

Hill unveiled her namesake beauty brand on the social media platform in 2019, but the brand was met with many consumer complaints concerning quality issues such as moldy lipsticks.

The line was recalled months after its launch, with customers refunded. It would later re-launch, but in 2023, questions about the future of the cosmetics line resurfaced after Forma’s bankruptcy news and the influencer closing her jewelry and apparel brands, Jaclyn Roxanne and Koze.

Hill admitted in a YouTube video she did not give “that relationship the love that it deserves.”

Forma prioritizes products over influencers
Months after filing for bankruptcy, Forma Brands sold its assets to investor group Jefferies Finance and Cerberus Capital Management for US$690 million. It re-emerged with new CEO Cliff Moskowitz, who said Forma “benefits from an innovative brand and marketing strategy, a strong portfolio – including Morphe, Morphe 2 and Born Dreamer – and an exceptional network of global creators, influencers, affiliate partners and retail partners.”

However, by year-end, Forma Brands president Simon Cowell said the company’s new focus would be “product-first, not “influencer-first.”

Personal Care Insights reached out to Forma and is awaiting comment.

By Anita Sharma