Lady Gaga’s beauty brand, Haus Labs, is facing renewed scrutiny after beauty influencer Golloria George publicly criticized the shade range of the company’s upcoming liquid bronzers, arguing that the products fail to adequately serve consumers with deeper skin tones. The controversy has sparked a broader conversation about inclusivity in the beauty industry, particularly because Haus Labs has previously positioned itself as a leader in shade diversity.
According to BuzzFeed, George, whose reviews frequently examine how complexion products perform on darker skin, shared a video testing what she said were the three darkest shades from the unreleased bronzer collection. After swatching the products, she questioned why a brand known for its inclusive complexion offerings appeared to have missed the mark.
“Gaga, Haus Labs, you guys usually do not miss,” George said. “Did something change on the team?”
She later added, “I’m genuinely perplexed because I generally do like a lot of Haus Labs complexion products.”
George has praised Haus Labs in the past. In 2024, she highlighted the brand’s foundation range as a standout example of inclusivity. At the time, Haus Labs publicly emphasized that diversity was central to its product development process, stating that it had validated shades on more than 350 faces and prioritized a wide range of depths and undertones.
As the bronzer debate gained traction, another dispute emerged. George said her original review was temporarily removed after her team was contacted about an alleged product embargo.
According to George, Haus Labs claimed embargo information had been included in the package she received.
She disputed that assertion, displaying what she said was the accompanying note from the brand and arguing that the products had already been publicly showcased elsewhere. “The difference was the conversation surrounding the product,” George said.
The backlash arrives against the backdrop of several previous controversies involving Haus Labs. Since launching in 2019, the brand has weathered criticism over its initial Amazon-exclusive rollout, a 2021 advertisement that was pulled after viewers said it resembled self-harm imagery, and a 2024 lawsuit alleging inadequate disclosures related to titanium dioxide under California’s Proposition 65 regulations.
Haus Labs denied wrongdoing in the latter matter.
