Kat Von D, tattoo artist turned businesswoman, announced today she will be stepping down from her makeup company, Kat Von D Beauty, effective immediately.
Her partner since the inception of the brand, Kendo, will take full control of the brand, which is now called KvD Vegan Beauty.
Von D says she will be stepping down due to the pressures of raising a son, releasing an album, and creating a vegan shoe line. Some, however, speculated that Von D’s sale of her shares in the company had more to do with declining sales.
Kat Von D’s Checkered Past
Many customers boycotted Von D’s makeup line after a series of controversies. The controversies surrounding her decision not to vaccinate her son and a potential history with antisemitism.
Von D hit back at her critics with this video posted to her YouTube channel in March 2019. The video itself then received considerable backlash. Many suspected it was just a way to prevent further boycotts of her products.
Von D also did not address her ex-boyfriend’s anti-Semitic past or her husband’s swastika tattoo. She tried to invoke her Latina heritage as a reason she isn’t anti-Semitic, which pretty much no one bought either. Von D also chose not to specify whether she decided to vaccinate her child.
The boycotts continued, despite the previous popularity of Von D’s products. The brand used to be a staple on beauty influencer’s videos due to the product’s high quality and long-lasting power. Now the brand’s mentions are nearly nonexistent. All of Von D’s products are vegan and cruelty-free, which is a considerable selling point for animal-loving makeup buyers.
The beauty community is questioning whether those who stopped using Von D’s products would now consider shopping from the brand again.
Given the damage the brand’s reputation has taken, it’s unclear that Von D’s removal will be enough to rescue the makeup line.
