https://www.instagram.com/p/BnZVuAjgsaz/?tagged=sephorawitchkit
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnWC0gBne7Q/?tagged=sephorawitchkit
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnVJS6WBkLV/?tagged=sephorawitchkit
The other day a new product from Sephora and Prinrose went viral. The product, a Starter Witch Kit, evoked lots of backlash from beauty fans and witches everywhere.
The sherbet rainbow colored kit created by Prinrose included tarot cars, white sage, rose quartz crystal and nine mini fragrances. It was set to retail for $42 and supposed to be sold at Sephora.
Witchcraft has been appropriated and capitalized on before, but this bright candy-colored Witch Kit really set people off. First, real Wiccans started the backlash by calling out Sephora for appropriating their religion and culture.
https://twitter.com/lindsaypouli/status/1036039896996044800
Sephora selling sage sticks and tarot cards with cheap perfume as a witch starter kit is 😒😒😒. The cultivation of supplies and aura of the witch matters when you buy supplies. Though if you're here for basic aesthetics I guess whatever.
— Zoraida Córdova (@zlikeinzorro) September 2, 2018
If any of y’all buy that witch starter kit bullshit from Sephora BLOCK ME!!! UGLY BITCH! If you wanna get into witchcraft, fine! But don’t do it because it’s a trend or in a way that helps out big businesses like Sephora and harms local witchy shops or I’ll SLICE u
— NATY ☆ (@angrytwink) September 1, 2018
Are you going to ignore the collective voices of NATIVE people? @Sephora Our culture does not need to be equivocated to witches. We already struggle with our representation. DO NOT SELL THIS. https://t.co/yLnrB9OvX0
— diné (@honaghaahnii) September 1, 2018
Even though Wiccan isn’t as big as Christianity or Islam, doesn’t mean it’s not as important. The kit makes light of Wiccan culture and is basically as watered down as when people dress up as a “witch” on Halloween with a black pointy hat and all. Being a Wiccan isn’t an aesthetic
Not only is the kit disrespectful, but someone pointed out that white sage is endangered.
I know they are not selling white sage…when it’s ENDANGERED and sacred to indigenous people
— Donella (@DonellaSpells) August 31, 2018
Eventually, the backlash turned into making fun of people who are unqualified messing around with magic. It’s a meme, but with a purpose.
https://twitter.com/plspeeaftersex/status/1036702519395794947
“women were once burned alive for being witches!” does not mean random white girls get to cry about being oppressed by sephora lmfao
— ً (@grossfemme) September 2, 2018
Sephora finna have all the youngins tryna be witches. Entities finna feast on their innocent asses. Pray.
— baby (@KeNaiyaa) September 2, 2018
Sephora: We’re gonna start selling witch starter kits in October!!!
Witches: pic.twitter.com/8XSg6x52On
— Bennett ☭ (@BatCaveFreak) August 31, 2018
Even SZA has something to say about the mainstream magic kit.
This whole over the counter tarot cards x Sephora starter witch kit dangerous es hell and very headass .. don’t do magic at the mall kids 🤦🏾♀️
— SZA (@sza) September 1, 2018
So, yeah the backlash was intense. Pinrose decided it was better to pull the product than deal with all of these angry people. They released a statement on their website.
“First and foremost, to those who have shared their disappointment or taken offense to this product, we apologize profoundly. This was not our intent. We thank you for communicating with us and expressing your feelings. We hear you; we will not be manufacturing or making this product available for sale.
Our intention for the product was to create something that celebrates wellness, personal ceremony, and intention setting with a focus on using fragrance as a beauty ritual.”
They went on to explain that Salvia Apiana a.k.a. White Sage is not endangered according to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
