After two years of development [2], Huda Kattan will finally release her Faux Filter Foundation on Oct. 13. In the months leading up to the big reveal, Huda has stressed that inclusion was the main goal for this product, which will come in 30 shades.
In the wake of Fenty Beauty's Sept. 9 launch [3], which rolled out 40 shades of foundation [4], it's hard not to compare the two releases. Further complicating the situation are the line's names — Huda's is Faux Filter, and Fenty's is Pro Filt'r. Pointing out such similarities was inevitable, but recently, some Fenty fans have accused Huda of copying Rihanna.
When Huda shared swatches of her foundation, the negative comments were almost instant. One read, "This is the best you can do? Rihanna has more." Another accused Huda of pandering: "Ever since [Fenty], all the beauty bloggers are following with ALL the shades."
But these accusations don't take the full story into account. For one, Huda announced Faux Filter back in February [5] — before Fenty's reveal [6]. Since beauty launches take months, and sometimes years, to come to fruition, both companies were probably concocting their formulas around the same time.
As one Huda fan commented on the post, the businesswoman was "swatching dark shades back in the spring." So a little bit louder for the folks in the back: no one was "copying" anyone else.
While Rihanna certainly brought attention to the (unfortunate) lack of inclusivity that can be seen in some beauty launches, she by no means invented the need for a wide range of colors. The lack of foundation shades available to women of color is a problem that's been simmering for a while.
Naomi Campbell even admitted to bringing her own shades to gigs [8], because makeup for her skin tone was often unavailable backstage. When asked to comment on Fenty's dedication to diversity, the supermodel said, "It's about time."
That's all infuriating, so the fact that any brand addresses the issue and releases high-quality foundation in a wide range of shades is a good thing. If you needed any more proof that Huda Kattan is not "shading" Rihanna through Faux Filter, then take a look at her review of Fenty [9]. Huda wrote that Pro Filt'r was high on her list of recommended products from the first collection. "The foundation [is] good, and I have so much respect for the effort she put into her killer shade range," she said in her post.
When we followed up with Huda about the comparisons, she told POPSUGAR, "I think every creator of products out there has their own goal. Sometimes [two brands] can have similarities, but truly it comes down to the actual finish and use of the product. There are usually more differences than similarities [between products] and there is always a different audience for each!"
We're not huge fans of midday math problems, but we do know that more makeup launches leads to more makeup. And don't we all want more makeup?