Lady Gaga’s beauty brand Haus Labs faces inclusivity backlash over lack of darker shades

Highlights:

• Haus Labs faces backlash over lack of inclusive bronzer shades
• Influencer Golloria George critiques mismatch on deeper skin tones
• Social media users question product design and representation
• Debate grows over inclusivity in beauty industry standards
• Brand previously praised for foundation shade diversity

Lady Gaga’s makeup brand Haus Labs is facing criticism after beauty influencer Golloria George highlighted concerns about the lack of inclusive shades in its latest liquid bronzer range.

Haus Labs, launched by Lady Gaga in 2019, has previously been praised for offering a wide range of complexion shades. In 2024, influencer Golloria George, known for testing makeup products on deeper skin tones, had also praised the brand for its inclusivity.

At that time, Haus Labs stated on TikTok that “In the lab, we prioritized validating on more than 350 faces to both deliver on depth and on undertones,” and added that “Creating a diverse range of depths + undertones” was their “top priority in the lab.”

However, controversy began after Golloria reviewed the brand’s new liquid bronzers, which have not yet been released to the public. The products had already appeared online through beauty page TRENDMOOD, which frequently shares early beauty launches.

Golloria said she was sent the “three darkest shades” of the range by the brand. After testing them, she expressed concern about how they appeared on her skin tone.

She said, “Gaga, Haus Labs, you guys usually do not miss… Did something change on the team?”

She also said, “I’m genuinely perplexed because I generally do like a lot of Haus Labs complexion products.”

Golloria further added, “I don’t know what or who you guys switched up in that lab, but switch it back, thank you,” and wrote in her caption, “and no one is bigger than the program. not me, NOT haus labs, NOT any brand. do better @hauslabs.”

The video was later temporarily removed from Instagram. Golloria claimed the brand contacted her team regarding embargo concerns. She said, “My team was told that the video needed to come down due to embargo concerns. The Haus Labs team also told my team that they had told me in the PR package that this product was under embargo. However, they didn’t,” while showing a note from the PR package.

She also noted that the same products had already been posted by TRENDMOOD before her review. “It was leaked two days earlier by TRENDMOOD and stayed up. If the concern was truly visibility, the product was already visible. And not by my hands,” she said.

The situation sparked a wider discussion online about representation and inclusivity in beauty products, particularly around whether deeper skin tones are adequately considered in product development.

Social media users reacted strongly, with many echoing concerns about the shade range and calling the products unsuitable for deeper complexions. The debate also raised questions about whether beauty brands are consistently delivering on inclusivity promises.

Some users compared the situation to earlier controversies involving other celebrity beauty brands, including Rhode, where influencer feedback led to product adjustments and reformulations.

The discussion has since expanded beyond Haus Labs, becoming part of a broader conversation about inclusivity, representation, and standards in the global beauty industry.