IN LIGHT OF LIME CRIME: SPACE FOR DISCUSSION

In light of my Lime Crime review, and as always with my makeup posts, I feel at least some need to talk about general deeper socio-political issues tied in with the brand, and in this case, Lime Crime. Other aspects such as brand image and generally topics that come up a lot when considering 'ethical consumerism'- or at least as much that it feels morally right to support people who aren't problematic.

If you aren't comfortable with buying directly from Lime Crime (because of the security breach, or any of the previous controversies with the creator of the brand, Doe Deere, that's really just up to your own discretion.)

I initially bought from reseller shops around Hong Kong (such as dailyshopaholic.hk on IG) but since Doe Deere has stepped down as CEO, I've felt like I can support the brand a little more. Again, a portion of the sales still does go back to her as she is still part of the brand, just not a major one. Depending on your values and what you prefer to support, this could be a brand you cannot support due to those facts.

Personally, I think any statement I could make in the wake of this post could be taken negatively, regardless of what I say. The choices we make as consumers are inherently political, and it's silly to assume that we can be passive in the amount of choices given to us as consumers.

I believe that change, at least with people, is entirely possible. I also think that assuming that companies are ethically or morally driven is a misplaced idea. Companies, private businesses are primarily for revenue gain.

A brand that markets for 'diversity', primarily seem to create more inclusive shade ranges for better press coverage, rather than really being genuinely geared towards promoting racial diversity. Without the monetary demand, there really is no result.

How should we be considering brands just creating shades as a way of pandering- how do we know the money we give to people with our morals are really going towards people we want to support?

There is a lot of discussion about diversity being between lip service and actual change, but I don't really know if I truly believe that a company can act as a real person with morals for the good of public interest.

I don't think I can safely and comfortably give a full conclusion regarding this topic, because there is no correct answer really. There are many aspects, such as underpaid labour, bad working conditions, personal morals, quality of the product, brand image that goes into the consideration of whether or not you want to buy certain products or not, and maybe in time, like most people, your opinions can change when you learn and grow more as a person.

Hopefully this post discussion has made you think a little about your purchases and what you would like to support, or at least to be self reflexive about your own opinion!

Edit: As of 29th of December 2018, the most recent discussion on r/beautyguruchatter regarding Lime Crime's controversies have been complied. Refer to this handy link!

https://www.reddit.com/r/BeautyGuruChatter/comments/a85y9k/jkissa_responds_to_criticism_of_her_lime_crime/

Edit 2: A more detailed post regarding Lime Crime directly, with its history and more information and my thoughts is here: https://yuzusvanity.blogspot.com/2020/03/discussion-lime-crime.html