Lady Gaga and Haus Labs have apologised to beauty creator Golloria after the influencer criticised the brand's planned shade range for its Sun Dipped Bronzing Veil.
Gaga issued the statement through Haus Labs on Thursday, 1 October, acknowledging that the brand made the 'wrong decision' by initially planning to launch the bronzer in six shades.
A Public Apology
The apology follows months of controversy after Golloria posted a video in May reviewing the unreleased product. The beauty creator, who has frequently discussed shade inclusivity in the cosmetics industry, tested three of the darkest shades and criticised the range for failing to provide suitable options for deeper skin tones.
'I don't know what or who you guys switched up in that lab, but switch it back,' Golloria said in the original video, according to PEOPLE.
She also wrote in the caption that no person or beauty brand was 'bigger than the programme' and called on Haus Labs to 'do better'.
Golloria later said that Haus Labs contacted her and asked her to remove the video because the product was under embargo. Gaga's statement has now confirmed that the company did ask the creator to take down the post, describing the reason as a technicality related to the embargo.
Gaga acknowledged that the way the situation was handled was wrong. 'It is clear that the way the company initially handled that feedback was wrong,' she wrote in the statement. 'We want to take full responsibility for our mistakes.'
The singer also addressed the original decision to launch the Sun Dipped Bronzing Veil in only six shades. 'That was the wrong decision,' Gaga said, adding that the brand took both the limited range and its handling of Golloria's criticism seriously.
Taking Full Responsibility
Haus Labs subsequently paused the product launch and returned to the development process. The brand has now expanded the planned shade range from six to 11 shades.
Gaga said the company went 'back to the lab' to develop what she described as a more inclusive shade range from launch. She also said Haus Labs held internal discussions about what had gone wrong and how similar problems could be prevented.
'I truly apologise to Golloria and the community for where we fell short,' Gaga wrote. 'You were 100% right.'
Launching With 11 Shades
The new Sun Dipped Bronzing Veil is expected to launch with 11 shades, adding five shades to the original planned range. Gaga said the expanded selection was developed to provide options for different skin tones.
Golloria responded to the apology on Instagram Stories, where she discussed the wider significance of speaking about shade representation in cosmetics.
'I never speak up just to make noise,' she wrote, explaining that she speaks because colourism is an issue beyond an individual product review. She also said that exclusion in beauty has influenced perceptions of who is considered beautiful and whose absence from products is treated as normal.
Golloria has built a following through videos examining complexion products and highlighting gaps in shade ranges. She has also praised Haus Labs for its complexion products, including its Triclone Skin Tech Foundation, which has more than 50 shades.
The controversy also involved the timing of the creator's review. Haus Labs' request for the video to be removed was linked to the product's embargo, according to Gaga's statement, while Golloria's criticism concerned the product's initial six-shade range.
The apology has since prompted discussion on Reddit's r/BeautyGuruChatter, where users debated the brand's response, the delay between the original criticism and Gaga's statement, and the decision to increase the range to 11 shades.
Haus Labs, which was founded by Gaga in 2019, is currently sold through its own website and Sephora in the US, Canada, and Europe. The brand's current website also promotes shade-matching services for its complexion products.
The Sun Dipped Bronzing Veil will now launch with 11 shades rather than the six originally planned, following the changes made after Golloria's review.
