"All Women? Why Not the Official Website?" Est?e Lauder Faces Racism Controversy, Apology Sparks Further Debate

"Colors Unsuitable for Asians" Improper Delivery by Est?e Lauder
Racial Discrimination Controversy Spreads on Online Communities
Est?e Lauder Apologizes on SNS → Apology Seen as Insincere, Sparks Gender Discrimination Debate

Est?e Lauder posted a lengthy apology titled "Sincere Apologies to Our Customers" on its official Instagram account on the 10th. Photo by Est?e Lauder Instagram capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Recently, the American cosmetics brand Est?e Lauder, which sparked a racial discrimination controversy in South Korea, has once again become embroiled in controversy after issuing an apology through social media (SNS).

On the 10th, Est?e Lauder posted a lengthy apology titled "Sincere Apologies to Our Customers" on its official Instagram account.

Previously, a department store branch affiliated with Est?e Lauder arbitrarily shipped a different color product to a customer who ordered a foundation set through an online shopping mall, stating that "the matte powder in the shell color option you selected is a color that does not suit East Asians."

The branch explained through a paper notice that "due to the nature of not being able to check the color directly, the product is shipped in the best color that suits East Asians, Ivory Nude (approximately shade 21)," and added, "If you are dissatisfied with the option change, we will assist with returns."

Photo by Online Community Capture.

Consumers who saw this shared the incident on online communities, calling it "racial discrimination," and as more reviews of similar experiences surfaced, the controversy grew.

Consumers who received such notices at the time expressed outrage with comments like, "I bought this as a birthday gift for my younger sibling but received racial discrimination as a gift," "Does everyone who buys in Korea have dark skin just because they are East Asian?" and "They arbitrarily change the foundation shade while repeatedly mentioning East Asians," showing their anger.

In the apology posted that day, Est?e Lauder stated, "We sincerely apologize to all customers who received a product in a different color than selected and the related message."

They added, "This is not in line with the diverse beauty of every woman we deeply respect or the values of our brand. All employees of our brand are taking this matter very seriously."

Est?e Lauder posted a lengthy apology titled "Sincere Apologies to Our Customers" on its official Instagram account on the 10th. Photo by Est?e Lauder Instagram capture.

However, the controversy intensified as Est?e Lauder referred to "all women" in the apology, leading to criticism that male customers were excluded, thus adding gender discrimination to the racial discrimination issue.

The apology post was flooded with critical comments. Netizens wrote, "All women? Est?e Lauder must be a brand only for women," "Is this gender discrimination following racial discrimination?" "They committed racial discrimination and call this an apology?" and "We won’t buy it. Leave Korea," among others.

There was also criticism over the apology being posted only on SNS rather than the official website, and the lack of explanation about the cause of the controversy, apologies to victims, or compensation plans, which led to accusations of insincerity.

Some netizens criticized, "The apology lacks sincerity," "Posting only on Instagram is incomprehensible. It should be on the homepage," and "There is no mention of how they will compensate those who received inappropriate messages or why such messages were written and sent."

Moreover, it was reported that the actual recipients of the changed products had not received any contact from the company.

In response, Est?e Lauder reportedly explained, "We are preparing to contact customers who received the problematic messages directly," and added, "We take this matter seriously and posted on Instagram to apologize as soon as possible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.