Makeup Thief Steals $2.5 Million in Products from Jeffree Star Cosmetics
On April 2, 2019, the world of YouTuber makeup gurus imploded when Jeffree Star (owner and founder of Jeffree Star Cosmetics) uploaded a video where he explained to his 14 million followers how over $2.5 million worth of stock was stolen from his company’s warehouse on the night of March 15, 2019. The makeup mogul has been working closely with the authorities in an effort to get to the root of the problem and catch those responsible.
The theft occurred at one of Jeffree’s warehouse facilities, and the mogul has been working closely with the authorities to track down the source of the leak. He’s described the event as “horrific” and “shocking” since he believes the thieves were working from the inside. Star tweeted Monday, April 1st regarding the issue, “I never knew I’d be spending my Monday night with the FBI tracking down black market makeup sellers.” The following day he posted a YouTube video laying out what he knew about the theft. Among the stolen products are the Northern Lights highlighter palette, an entire shipment of Jeffree’s signature Skin Frost highlighters, some lip liners, and an entire shade in his yet-to-be-released Magic Star concealer line. In the video, Star notes how the thieves worked by turning around security cameras and leaving doors unlocked, discoveries made by staff at the warehouse on Monday, March 18. Jeffree is transparent to his viewers about the process behind creating his makeup, and in his video regarding the theft, he clarifies that the makeup is made in a lab before being shipped to his distribution warehouses to fill orders. These shipments had just been delivered to the distribution center days before the thieves struck. Soon after the theft, his products began appearing on various online marketplaces.
The massive theft in products gives lead to a bigger issue: the makeup black market. For many people, makeup and beauty products are an indulgence and their price tags certainly can prevent people from buying the products they want. The workaround to this is buying beauty products off the black market, but this is often dangerous as buyers do not know what it is exactly they are buying as in many cases, the makeup is counterfeit. Though it may seem tempting to score a Kylie Cosmetics lip kit or Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow palette for pennies on the dollar, the dangers in these products lie in the fact they are unregulated, their ingredients are sketchy at best (even including chemicals such as cyanide and arsenic, or in other cases feces), and most knockoffs are nowhere near the quality one might expect from an established cosmetics brand.
Jeffree Star, who originally made a name for himself in rock music and MySpace fame, has been a controversial figure at the forefront of the online beauty community for having a history of racist and transphobic comments. His career on YouTube has also seen the rise and fall of highly publicized friendships with other prominent beauty YouTubers – the likes of which include Kat Von D, MannyMUA and Laura Lee. Still, the makeup guru has garnered millions of followers on Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter through the launch of his makeup brand back in 2014. YouTuber Shane Dawson featured Jeffree in his 2018 docuseries, The Secret World of Jeffree Star where the two delved deep into the makeup artist’s controversial past. Ultimately, Jeffree has established himself as a household name in the beauty community – whether for positive or negative reasons, depends entirely on who you ask.
Strike Out,
Writer: Giselle Parks
Editor: Savannah Tindall
Tallahassee