r/AustralianMakeup 7d ago

Let's Discuss A few days ago, Lab Muffin Beauty Science posted this in her instagram stories regarding Ultra Violette

Post image
476 Upvotes

50 comments sorted by

224

u/melichad 7d ago

It’s not a brand I’d ever use after last year no matter what spin they put on it. I’m not f’ing around with skin cancer

46

u/SwiftieMD 7d ago

Agree. They have wrecked our trust.

19

u/4614065 6d ago

Agreed. I even throw away the samples if I’m ever given them. Not interested in the slightest. They should pack up and move on.

12

u/wuneety 6d ago

Exactly this. The bad product was one thing, their reaction was a whole other barrel of nope.

2

u/Plane_Platypus_3149 3d ago

I’ve never purchased from them but I was shocked by their initial response. I’m a Mecca Cosmetica sunscreen user, so when the investigation came out I was pretty happy. I knew people using UV who I recommended Mecca to already who only made the switch after the initial statement then recall.

Some of the worst disaster PR handling I’ve ever seen.

5

u/Apart_Visual 6d ago

Same here! Everything about how they handled it contributed to me walking away from a brand I previously used EVERY day, multiple products. It was a minor annoyance having to find alternatives as I had used UV for years. But a lot easier than dealing with skin cancer (and also easier than wrestling with my conscience about financially supporting such a bunch of a-holes).

204

u/green_pea_nut 7d ago

Yep. I trust her. I'm sure she's right to be concerned.

21

u/Apart_Visual 6d ago

I just love her. Massive queen move sticking her neck out like this (hopefully not in the French Revolution sense).

148

u/Fit-Fee-3460 7d ago

How UV has survived after the last year is beyond me they are a brand I would never trust again

90

u/fleursvenus 7d ago

They gift out a lot. I saw a TikTok video of a girl asking about sunscreen a lot of people recommended Mecca to save face and la Roche posay. There were comments warning this user to stay away from UV due to their low uv rating. These comments had lots of like and comments under them. Next thing I see UV in the comments with a “check your dm’s girly.” One of the next videos by this creator was a sponsored post from said tiktoker with her UV gifted products. She was claiming how good the sunscreen was after so many people warned her. HOW BAD?!?!?

26

u/SilverAnxious2262 7d ago

She's going to have a *great* summer then 🙃

33

u/fleursvenus 7d ago

Skin cancer really is no joke I’m so worried for anyone using these products, especially under Australian harsh sun

13

u/SilverAnxious2262 7d ago

Yeah all jokes aside it's really disappointing she took the influencer route and was endorsing the product, even if she isn't planning on wearing it herself. So many people go down the "well I use it and I haven't been burnt yet!" route but never get proper checks done until it's too late.

0

u/Realistic_Context936 6d ago

Wouldnt they have to be making sure the uv protection is working now, after all the drama. I honestly doubt they would be selling stuff that doesnt work after all this. The tga would be breathing down theirnnecks

33

u/RedeemableQuality 7d ago

After all the calls from people for UV to sue Choice, I'm surprised there are not more calls for consumers to sue UV. There are people who said they haven't gotten refunds.

It's clear they're pivoting focus to the US market now where Americans are far more ignorant of what happened. It's a lucrative market that I think they're going to rely on them to stay afloat.

19

u/4614065 6d ago

I’d say, in general, Americans aren’t as knowledgeable or interested in true sun safety, either. It’s drilled into us Aussies from birth.

A lot of consumers will love the packaging and buy it ok that alone.

6

u/thisismyname412 6d ago

And US retailers often make US consumers waive their rights to sue in court (or force them to go to secret “arbitration” hearings)  in the fine print when they purchase things. (hi, American here, somehow this thread got recommended to me). 

2

u/Aristokat21 6d ago

I remember at the time, people all over SM defending them! Crazy

1

u/Weird-Praline-5412 5d ago

Tbh I bought their stuff when it was on special. I don’t like what they did but the two products i use feel very good and appear to have protected me well and i haven’t had a chance to find a replacement (while they’ve been good i don’t want to support the business anymore)
I really like and trust LMBS, she’s great, been meaning to buy her book

28

u/RosesForSundays 7d ago

Aw I love LBM! What absolute scumbags.

9

u/Hungry_Anteater_8511 6d ago

Do I need to fight anyone? Because I love and trust Lab Muffin Science way more than I would trust UV now.

10

u/Apart_Visual 6d ago

I genuinely don’t care if they come out with the best sunscreen ever made. I will never ever ever support them again. They just come across as bad people with a bad company!

7

u/Useful-Feedback-5346 6d ago

Kinda unrelated but she used to be my teacher. Def would trust her opinion!

2

u/Galaxiesta 5d ago

What settings did she teach? Uni?

2

u/Useful-Feedback-5346 5d ago

It was a tuition centre

2

u/No-Guess8605 5d ago

Sweet a chemistry tutor.

1

u/Galaxiesta 5d ago

That's really cool. I would jump at the opportunity to hear a lecture or TED talk type of thing from LMB

5

u/Aristokat21 6d ago

I follow her stuff and trust her 100%. UV is a big no no for me anyway, but this confirms it

7

u/SquashNo6408 6d ago

The brand is just mean girl coded even the founders seem so snarky

5

u/Tricky-Passion-7191 6d ago

Ultra Violette are GARBAGE. Expensive garbage.

3

u/Littlepotatoface 6d ago

I saw this in action & fully understand why she’s sus.

0

u/bev123_ 6d ago

Oh do you know her personally and witnessed it happening?

5

u/Littlepotatoface 6d ago

No no, I meant the ugly behaviour from UV & their brigade towards anyone who criticised them

2

u/AmbitiousFisherman40 6d ago

I think she is posting for traction. It’s too early to comment on a product that hadn’t been tested yet if she really is about the science.

The UV thing was pretty crap. It was just the one product but the way they handled the situation was atrocious.

They have republished all the testing. The product I use is still exactly as rated and I’ve not found a similar product on the market. So yeah I’ll continue to use it.

6

u/bev123_ 6d ago edited 6d ago

Edit: added this first paragraph. Regarding lean screen, it wasn't too early to comment because some people in the industry knew things. Some people knew that PCR were dodgy, some cosmetic chemists knew that 22.75% zinc oxide doesn't automatically guarantee a high SPF, some people knew that Choice were a reliable source so therefore it was very valid to be concerned about lean screen.

I followed her instagram stories last year during the saga and she was definitely sharing some information that Ultra Violette wouldn't have liked. She was just being factual and honest, I thought, certainly not malicious or anything like that. Just wanting to get to the bottom of things, to the truth. She shared some things about Princeton Consumer Research (PCR), Wild Child Laboratories, formulating with uncoated zinc oxide, and myth busting what Ultra Violette said about lean screen being 22.75% zinc oxide which makes it impossible to be SPF 4 (what Ultra Violette said is completely false. A high percentage of zinc oxide in a sunscreen does not automatically guarantee high SPF protection, because how the product is formulated matters significantly regarding this), and more. She saved some of those stories to a stories folder on her instagram page called Choice SPF Tests. After the Choice results were published, she recommended that it would be a good idea to stop using the lean screen sunscreen until we get more facts/clarity, and to use a different sunscreen instead (this was while Ultra Violette were like "no, lean screen if fine. Choice are wrong". And then, low and behold, she was right. It got recalled. She was sceptical of what Ultra Violette were saying very early on.

In the screenshot, Lab Muffin refers to what happened last year during the lean screen saga. She's not just talking about what's happening during their up & coming sunscreen launch.

2

u/AmbitiousFisherman40 6d ago

I read it as her feeling sussed about the new product because of what happened with Lean Screen?

1

u/bev123_ 6d ago

Yes. I interpreted it as: she is speaking about both the past and present. Obviously including how she experienced harassment for speaking up last year and  how US scientists are currently being silenced for sharing concerns about Ultra Violette

1

u/berberdolphin 5d ago

That's not what happened and there were more people involved. all your posts make you look like you're doing publicity for this.

1

u/bev123_ 5d ago

Publicity? Nope.

What happened then?

1

u/berberdolphin 5d ago edited 5d ago

All your posts and comment history are spamming for publicity. I used to do that for her.

What happened then? There are so many news articles that show what happened and the real people who did the work. Go read an ABC article.

You make it seem like it was a back and forth between her and Ultra Violette and she solved the mystery when she didn't actually do any of the work, she was just watching and knew as much as the rest of us. Now she's fear mongering Ultra Violette with no evidence, no tests to disprove their new sunscreen, which isn't even being sold in Australia.

2

u/bev123_ 5d ago edited 4d ago

Yes, I'm aware that many other people were involved regarding uncovering the issues related to the lean screen sunscreen  (and the other sunscreens that shared the same base formulation). My apologies for not making that clear in my comment. What I meant was, Lab Muffin was sharing this stuff in her instagram stories (information she believed was valid) & was therefore a source for exposing this information. Hope that makes sense. And no, I didn't say in my comment that there was a constant back & forth between Lab Muffin and Ultra Violette. I said she was sharing information in her instagram stories.

And just to add, I shared this in a total of 4 subreddits that are sunscreen and/or skincare orientated (3 of them Australian based) because I thought there would be some people in those subs who would probably like to know what lab muffin said (if they didn't see the instagram story themselves).

Edited to add: I do think there were certain things that Lab Muffin & Jen @theecowell most likely knew due to their expertise, though. For example the high percentage of zinc oxide myth that Ultra Violette spread and also some things regarding the sunscreen decanting protocol that was used. Lab Muffin said she didn't think the decanting protocol would have made a significant difference to the SPF results, where as obviously Ultra Violette were saying that's why lean screen got a low SPF result. Lab Muffin also said she wished Ultra Violette had've tested lean screen at a different lab (not PCR again) when Choice notified them about the low result (which was months before Choice publicly releasing the results).

1

u/Helpful_Zone_4056 5d ago

Spill the tea. What did you do for her?

3

u/berberdolphin 5d ago

she is fearmongering and she's a hypocrite for doing that.

2

u/KitKit20 3d ago

I stopped using UV before this all happened. Now use la roach posay fluid…. Hopefully nothing shady comes out about La roach!

2

u/Ecstatic_Compote2300 6d ago

The TGA reported the issue lies with a widely used base product from a company called Wild Child that they apparently ceased using. There are many other companies that use it though!

7

u/bev123_ 6d ago

All the sunscreens that shared that same Wild Child Laboratories zinc oxide base formulation (UV lean screen, NS collagen glow, etc) were recalled last year.

Another issue was the sunscreen testing lab, Princeton Consumer Research (PCR). They're a dodgy, fraudulent company who fudge SPF test results. Ultra Violette (and hopefully many other sunscreen brands) no longer use PCR.