OMG – More Orglamix
Following in the footsteps of Glittersniffer, it appears that Orglamix has allegedly been exposed for repackaging eye shadows that may not be eye safe. (Not) Making It Up has a pretty disturbing blog post with pictures that show what she says are Orglamix eye shadows with their ingredients labels peeled back to reveal another ingredients label, presumably private label. The private label shadows, if you look them up, state that some of the colors are not intended for eye use but Orglamix sold them as if they were all safe for eye use and covered up the original private label ingredients label.
While I have not purchased these eye shadows so I cannot personally verify this information, I did deem it necessary to share this with you, much as I did the information with Glittersniffer. I can’t say I’m surprised by this information, as my experience with the eye shadows that I did purchase from Orglamix in 2009 were not up to my standards.
After seeing some of the atrocities at the Glittersniffer Complaints blog, I can only hope that people are ok after using these shadows, if these allegations are true.
Another blog has posted pictures of what are allegedly Orglamix labels, Color Me Obsessed. It also shows her invoice that claims the products to be made by Cheri Tracy for her company Candy Glam. It never says that they’re private label or repackaged.
Edit: You can see people asking Cheri Tracy for information on her Orglamix Facebook page. She’s basically stated that all Orglamix is handmade, but that other lines she created are not.
Please note, these are my personal opinions and observations on things, based on my research and my past experiences with Cheri Tracy & Orglamix and are not to be construed as definitive facts. It is up to you to draw your own conclusions on the subject of Orglamix.
http://www.hautebeautyblog.com/best-beauty-blog/2011/3/7/orglamix.html#entry10706568
Still glossing over the fact that certain things were sold on Etsy. Also mentions working with a lab to make mascara… bet she’ll sell those on Etsy too. Sad.
Even more has been uncovered, in case anyone reading here hasn’t seen this yet…
http://the-eyes-have-it-all.blogspot.com/2011/03/long-tale-of-orglamix-organic-ending.html
big thanks to Amanda for putting all of this together and posting it!
http://the-eyes-have-it-all.blogspot.com/2011/03/long-tale-of-orglamix-organic-ending.html?showComment=1299309707768#c2602798430923309564 a follow up by the Snarky P. Definitely something to read if on the fence about this whole Orglamigate sitch
The FDA also allows “May Contain” for products intended for the same use, but in different shades. If you have a line of loose shadows with identical main ingredients, you may list the same label for each one providing you list all the colorants used under “may contain”.
Yes, she is very obvioulsy MIA. Perhaps hiding out and trying to figure a way out of this SHIT HOLE she has personally created?
She could have been thriving in a very nice business if she was just HONEST about her product from the start! I know lots of people who buy AND sell private label and if they like it, they like it. Just be sure it’s safe to sell and go for it. It’s the LYING that has gotten her in hot water!
I agree with you. I personally have no problem buying private label provided it’s marked as such and has the correct ingredients listed. A perfect example of this is the indelible cream liners that I purchased from Beautiful Girl Minerals and Aromaleigh. They were marked as ‘private label’ and had ingredients listings consistent with the place that created them. I liked these products. They were great. I was happy the companies sold them.
you know what pisses me off is her threatening comment to delete the entire thread of someone calling her out on her facebook page if someone said one mroe thing or posted one more thing, she is trying to make people afraid of her and that is what she does. someone needs to do something about her
Holly, that really makes me mad too. At first I was happy to see she was at least attempting to respond (though still skirting the issues) without immediately deleting, but I think that she thought she could just give her quick apology and be done with it. Once it started to blow up (I personally was not backing down from the questioning because I did not feel like she was actually answering my questions, also completely ignoring other direct questions being asked of her by others), it seemed like she tried to do a bit of damage control, people started coming to her defense, and she threatened to shut it down.
Now, I certainly didn’t want that thread to be deleted, so I respected her wishes to stop commenting there despite my belief that it was better to have this discussion out in the open and not privately, and I followed up the next day with an email asking direct questions. I was direct, but I was also polite and I thanked her for inviting us to email her with our concerns and questions. That was on March 1st. I have not receive ANY response.
Meanwhile the thread is getting buried on the fan page while all of the “fans” keep singing her praises.
It is interesting though that she hasn’t been active online since some time early yesterday – that’s VERY unusual for her. The etsy listings are not being replaced (like they always are right after being sold except for the middle of the night), and she is not replying to emails/convos (apparently) and is leaving some interesting comments up on the fan page without deleting them! But she hasn’t been posted on facebook either, like she usually would be doing.
I’m eagerly awaiting a response to my question I posted a few hours ago –
“Hi Cheri, are your Orglamix products mixed by hand and hand made by you? Would you mind sharing a little bit about your work space and how it’s set up? Thanks!”
You are absolute right how rude of me for not accusing anybody of anything but pointing out there may be a safety issue. It won’t happen again. I have been waiting a week.
Suzie, I sent Amy an email with your comments. She said she hasn’t received an email from you. Please try sending her another email.
Thank you LA Minerals for posting that info. It is nice to see another seller put their customers safety first. I was not going to say any more because I am not looking for another big blow out, I just think there is way to many red flags with this color. First off a cosmetic manufacture should be sterilizing their equipment between batches not leaving residue. Second the only time the words “May Contain” can be used on a cosmetic is if there are more than one color combinations that make the same color. For example if I make a lipstick out of red A1 but run out of red A1 before all of my orders are filled I can mix Red A2 and Red A3 to make the same color. Now I can print a label that can go on either lipstick that reads the same base ingredients & many contain red A1, red A2 or red A3.
I am not putting this company down or tying to hurt them in any way, I went to their web site because I was impressed with the pics I saw of their product and packaging. I don’t go around looking for other peoples mistakes but this color MAY??? contain 5 different D&C colors not approved for eyes and 2 colors that are not even on the FDA’s approved list. I think if it was a residue problem all of their eyeshadows should include those ingredients.
I am very sorry if me saying something is making anyone angry but when it’s a possible safety issue I will speak up.
Actually, Suzie, you might want to wait for that email from Amy before running your mouth.
When Sugarpill first launched it was made om machinery that made other cosmetics, so by law it had to contain that info, even though it never DID contain any ‘harmful’ ingredients. It’s been explained about a dozen times by now.
And SINCE then, Sugarpill switched to a different process/manufacturer and the current product no longer HAS THESE ISSUES, so… plain and simple… you’re wrong. You’re harping on an issue long since resolved that was NEVER an issue in the first place.
By the way, isn’t this post about Orglamix?
P.s. I meant to include the name of my company, L.A. Minerals. If the moderator wants to add it to my post above, that is fine.
Sure thing 🙂
Just wanted to help with a little consumer info.
1. There are NO FDA approved, eye safe, neon colors. If you have any eye makeup touted as neon, do not use it on your eyes.
2. There are very limited, FDA approved, eye safe dyes. 1 in each color actually. See chart below.
3. Ingredients can be provided on the outer box, inner label, on the display, or available upon request for mail order products.
4. Also, many companies selling “multiple minerals” for eyes, face, lips, and nails are not disclosing the ones that are not eye safe or not lip safe.
The following FDA charts are intended for cosmetic formulators. The link at the bottom is much more user friendly. http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ColorAdditives/ColorAdditiveInventories/ucm115641.htm
“Externally applied” or “Cosmetics Generally” means NOT LIP or EYE safe. If it is eye safe it also states “including the eye area.” The lips are considered a mucus membrane, not an external body part.
Don’t think just small companies market misbranded/mislabeled cosmetics. I had to prove to a big company that ultramarines were not lip safe. That ingredient was being used in their lip tars. They did not understand that externally applied cosmetics did not include the lips, and assured me ultramarines were FDA approved for the lips and sent me the above link. Then i sent them this link, and i did not hear from them again. http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/VoluntaryCosmeticsRegistrationProgramVCRP/OnlineRegistration/ucm109084.htm
The above link is a very user friendly chart that you may want to bookmark or print out.
Please do not assume all Indie companies or all small cosmetic companies do not know what they are doing.
Thank you for all of this information. I truly appreciate it.
I suppose that is the learning lesson for everyone in all of this…do your homework. There are for sure great companies out there, not everyone is like Cheri and GS, BUT it is up to us as the consumer (unfortunately) to look into every aspect of a company and product before making a purchase. We need to educate ourselves about all the ingredients, what’s safe and what’s not. This is true for all makeup, not just indie/homemade. If anyone thinks they’re safer going to the drug or department store for ‘safe’ cosmetics, you’re also kidding yourself. Ever looked into the list of a million ingredients in those products? Parabens, mineral oils, propylene glycol, synthetic lake dyes, petroleum, the list goes ON and ON. Big name company does not = trust, it simply equals big profit. The bigger companies don’t care about your health any more than these bad indie companies. Educate yourself in every aspect of the products you use on your body, it’s your skin, your due diligence I suppose.
Sadly though, with companies like Orglamix, because of how she pushes with PR and giving away so many samples to YT gurus and bloggers, if you searched for orglamix review,most of what you see will be positive. So it’s hard for people new to mineral and indie makeup to tell. Thankfully when I just did a test, LeGothique’s review is the first hit, but mine is nowhere on the first page.
No, I AGREE! Orglamix ‘got’ us all. Because of her lieing ways and completely untruthful business conduct there’s no amount of research that could have unearthed THIS mess! My post was in reference to Suzie’s post about Sugarpill and some of their ingredients. In all the posting that was happening, other posts got between them! My post was in no way to justify what Cheri has done, I want that clear!!!! 🙂
Ahh ok.
It’s sad too, because you can have a reaction to products that other people have no problems with. I had a reaction to Stila and they were wonderful about helping me identify the likely ingredients, as well as about refunding me for the products. They treated me as if I mattered.
It’s so very important to deal with companies that listen.
Sorry if my comment was taken the wrong way everyone! Cheri does not get away with this because I feel WE did something wrong by not researching. I meant in general we all have to research all companies that we buy from. I have never purchased from Sugarpill and am not making a judgement on their products specifically or at all.
If I had been in this situation with Stila, I would be super happy to spread the loving word about their company, even if I personally couldn’t use their product. The fact that they gave a damn about every INDIVIDUAL customer speaks volumes and I always want to support companies that care.
I actually made a post about Stila and their great customer service 🙂 Because it was refreshing to see a company give a damn.
You don’t know me but I am handcrafted cosmetic maker. I have been following along on the Orglamix mess because unfortunately bad press for handmade could affect me as well. Anyway I noticed in a very early post you mentioned that you trusted Sugarpill. When I came across them I thought they had really great packaging for a handcrafter so I went to check them out. Long story short, if the ingredients lists on their website are right they sell a few products as eyeshadows that contain colorants that are not approved for use in the eye area. I did email them and asked if that was an accurate ingredients list but have not gotten a reply yet, (don’t know if I will). I truly hope there is a miss print on their website but if not I would highly recommend not putting Love+ on your eyes! (it’s not lip safe either)
I don’t want anyone to feel like I am fishing for sales or putting another seller down to promote myself so I will only used my first name. If you would like me to go into further detail I will. I just happened to notice it and since it is a safety issue I felt the need to speak up.
Maybe try resending your email to Amy? I know she answers every email that comes in.
Also, I’m pretty sure that the ‘May Contain’ is the stuff you’re referring to, and that typically means made on a machine in the same building.
For example, I have organic truffles from whole foods. They have a may contain of nuts on them, but they don’t have nuts in them. Someone who is allergic to nuts may avoid eating them, but others might eat them regardless.
Yeah it’s a legal/ due dillegence thing. I call it the “covering your ass because the law says so but it’s not actually in the product” disclaimer. I also understand this as a possiblity of contamination from other products but not actually a key component in the actual product.
I just wanted to say real quick that I hope no one thinks I’m here trying to get sales or put down another seller. I’m not. I just felt more comfortable disclosing exactly who I was, but that’s just me. This is just what I feel comfortable with and in no way am I putting anyone down for choosing not to disclose such information. I totally understand. I just wanted to emphasize that I am not here trying to make sales, I’ve been following Phyrra’s blog for quite some time now and have posted here before this has come out about this seller. OK just wanted to say that 🙂
Oh, you so have a point. I was only keep a few, but now I suppose I should keep them all. Dang it, there goes some more closet space =/
trash bag in the attic? 😛
okay, so here’s the question that’s on my mind. We know these are private label products, but for those that have lots of ‘orglamix’ products, what is the quality like from these places? Are they ok to continue using (other than the loose paint that was of course not meant to be eyeshadow)? I’m still new to all this ‘private label’ stuff.
I’ve got a ton of Orglamix eyeshadows, and I do really like the quality – I won’t be giving her any more of my money, but I’m not throwing out my goodies either!
I think I’m the lone person who throws out makeup when I get mad at a company. I threw out my Orglamix (though I felt it lacked a base), Facefront, Stardust, etc.
Nah, mine is getting chucked, except for the few that I’m hoping to have tested.
Apparently you shouldn’t chuck them because of the FDA?
That’s my primary product issue with her shadows – (all other points of concern aside!) at least with some I find they are very flyaway, others less so – it seems particularly the case with some of the highlighting shades.
Private label is normally safe for whatever use the private label company sells it for. So if they sell it as an eye shadow and safe for eye use, it should be safe.
I reported her to Etsy, too. I have the Corrander and Nutmeg blushes with the stickers underneath that look like they were purchased from smilejar. Also, a few months ago she was selling these cream liners as a Fab Friday special. She didn’t say specifically that she made them, but said that they were “lab samples.” I ordered 2 but never got them (or the “replacements” she supposedly sent out). There is a link to them on NotMakingThisUp’s blog post about all of this that pretty much proves that they came from Spa Private Label. To me when you say that they are “lab samples” that implies not handmade, but at least made exclusively for you to sell as your own product. I do also have the Pink Sugar color that has another non-Orglamix label underneath. I’ve also seen what looks to be the exact color on her Urban Apothocary site and smilejar. AND someone (here I think) mentioned Cheri saying that a certain ingredient was in her Twinkle effects and Aura colors again implying that she handmade them. I looked at TKB and low and behold, there it is! I am just so angry over all of this and all the money I’ve spent on Orglamix, and angry at myself for not researching better and blindly trusting that what I was getting was a quality handmade product. It also makes me weary of the other brands of MMU I’ve purchased on Etsy. Gah!!
I will also submit a report as well!
Has anyone reported the shop to etsy?
Yes I have for reselling, and also to the FDA for the labeling violation (not listing ingredients). I forgot to mention the SPF violation though which is another FDA issue!
Please, I encourage everyone to speak up and do the same. I don’t know if one etsy report is going to make them batt an eye, and I will never hear back from the FDA. There is an online form that’s simple to fill out and she won’t know you’ve reported her. My big fear here is this thing will quickly be swept under the rug and forgotten unless we keep making noise in numbers!!
Don’t let this fraud get away with this!
I have. I know that some people from Shelby’s blog are also gathering #’s so that we can get as many reports on her as possible. It’s a very simple process, takes 2 seconds and is anonymous.
Orglamix also claims and SPF for her foundation, yet there is not ONE ingredient that has SPF qualities. That’s another FDA violation, and a dangerous one too.
Apparently according to her facebook, someone sent some of ‘her’ makeup to the Dr. Oz show, likely looking for a tv spot because of how ‘safe, healthy, organic and vegan’ all of her products are…… >_<. Seriously, how do we properly OUT this woman and help crumble her fake business?
Well that’s not good… Dr. Oz hates mineral makeup due to the whole possibility of dust inhalation. Eeps! He did a little segment on it last season I believe.
I remember that! Serves her right if he hates it ;).
Ha, I just read info about Dr Oz and his view of mineral makeup last night – I really hope Dr Oz gets a good laugh, I highly doubt he will be featuring her on his show.
Wow! Super impressed with the detective work ladies! Please keep us updated on what you find out….this whole thing is just mind-blowing.
Hi all, I’m on my phone again and can’t reply to individual threads but wanted to point out that the listings on the SmileJars site mentioned different sizes were available and they could customize. Also maybe that’s not the exact place they were purchased, perhaps there are other companies selling the same basic private label product but with the shade names changed? Is that possible? It’s the numbering on the old labels and how they match many of the Orglamix shades visually that’s getting to me.
Thanks also for the license info StarShine Company… I was trying to dig in to that last night before bed. She’s in IL btw.
It is just really upsetting to find out that she lies not only on something such as shipping but also regarding handmaking the makeup. It’s also irritating that she doesn’t label the ingredients on the containers, you have to look it up on the policies page… My face kept feeling itchy right when I would wear the Carnelian glow, I thought it was maybe a food allergy, but it wasn’t, it was the talc in the mineral glow.
I’m so sorry to hear that about the talc 🙁
Wow, I am in shock right now.
I want to mention that I’ve been lied to a couple of times regarding shipping. This has happened to me twice: When my order didn’t arrive after 2 months of my order date I contacted Cheri and she mentioned they must have gotten lost in transit, and that she’d send a replacement. Mind you I kept tracking the original package and since the status never changed (the USPS link would say they received the shipping info but not the package) I believed her story. Well she didn’t send me a tracking no. for the second package so I just waited another month before I recieved the replacent except that when I finally recieved it (3 months after my order date) the invoice enclosed was printed the day after my order was placed, and when I checked the tracking no. for the original package it’s was the same package I had just received… Therefore the package wasn’t lost, it was just shipped out two and a half months later…
That’s so awful 🙁
You guys are bringing up a great point. I do know other Etsy companies who frequently shut down to catch up on orders … I can’t think of a time that Orglamix has .. on top of that she has a ton of time to respond to e-mail/fcbk/etsy msgs.
What is srsly irking she right now is the PRICES! Look at that sites prices vs. what Cheri was selling. When I started buying they were 4.99 now 6.50 why the huge increase if people are making them for her?! Obviously greed has a lot to do with it. She must be making a fortune from all us fools. If this all is true I have to say I feel bad for her kids. She has a family to take care of and here she is running a pretend business.
The bad guys always get caught .. sooner or later. You would think that mentality would be ingrained in everyone’s mind today. I guess some think they are smarter than that and can outsmart everyone else.
I will never be buying from Orglamix again. As far as the eye shadows I already own I wish I could just throw them away. But with all that money spent I can’t just do that. I doubt they themselves are harmful (let’s hope otherwise Cheri will have a major lawsuit to deal with) .. no harmful than any other manufactured eye shadow anyways. So might as well use them up unfortunately may take years to do it. I have about 60 shades damn it!
As of now if I do buy any eye shadows it will only be from a select few. Looks like Fyrinnae is safe 🙂 and that is good because their eye shadows look intense !
For what it’s worth she raised her prices when she started wholesaling her products. I know this because I watch her business closely… I was always hoping to learn a thing or two to improve mine. I remember when she talked about her first wholesale account, I was thinking ‘how the heck can she afford to wholesale when her prices are already ridiculously low?!’, then only a couple days later she increased her retail prices.
Interesting. Very interesting.
How crazy 🙁
Yes, Fyrinnae is safe. They’re amazing.
Sele, I agree, I don’t think anything is dangerous in the products in the Orglamix line – my issue is just the confusion over some questionable ingredients and whether they are actually in anything or not (carmine, Bismuth, talc) and hew inconsistency with providing the consumers with that information, and not labeling the packaging, etc.
But my BIGGER issue is simply being lied to. I can’t believe it, except I really can’t see any other possible scenario here.
I just wrote this out in a comment on Shelby’s blog and will repeat it here…
I’ve been taking a close look at how she phrases things when she talks about Orglamix and it being her creation. She says she “creates” all of the shades and she “makes” the product. But where has she EVER said “I mix the makeup with my own hands”? She could be “creating” the shades by working with another company and specifying what she wants, but that doesn’t mean she is HAND making them. I can’t find anything on her etsy site claiming she hand makes anything, either. Am I blind?
The only jars of concern for me are the blushes which were bought on sale recently and probably old product. Everything else I have (even Teak) is in the newer Orglamix-lidded jars with newer single stickers. But I have only been buying her stuff for about 3 months now, and I still can’t believe she is HAND making any of it. She probably moved on to getting customized labels/branding and no longer has to relabel anything. As her success has grown, I imagine she has learned a thing or two. Like how to be EXCELLENT at PR and marketing, which is how she seems to be spending all of her time – NOT hand making the products.
My theory at this point is there is no possible way Cheri is making her own stuff by hand. And until she responds to my email with direct questions on the matter, I’ve got no reason to believe otherwise.
Hi everyone, long time lurker and cosmetic junkie over in Finland….
I’m inclined to believe Emily’s exactly bang-on about the PR/social media skills vs crafting everything herself. It seems, literally, that marketing is her forte – it’s no doubt helped her reach new levels. While that in and of itself is no criticism, there’s a part of me that’s not particularly surprised by any of this….and I have to ask myself “why”. The only answer I can come up with is because her brand felt that way.
It always put me off a bit that her photos had a very (too much so) “pro/stock/generic” look to them. To me, handcrafting and selling successfully must be a balance of authenticity and professionalism – it’s very easy to go too much one way or the other. BUT – when in doubt at all, I err on the side of professionalism – which is why I don’t order from some companies more than once, and others – like Glittersniffer – just put me off on the oTT cliches from the start.
Right now, seeing these links, there is a part of me smirking as I think “I threw away my Nars and MUFE for THIS?” But no regrets, really, I still would have done so…I was very committed to exploring lots of companies as about a year ago I ditched all my high-end cosmetics and made a commitment to go indie and (occasionally) also make my own stuff – I’ve already been careful with my shampoos, toothpaste, skincare, etc for years, so this was the next logical step. I’d also ran a successful small eco-friendly homecare products company in the UK for a few years before moving to the mainland of the EU – I really DID make everything by hand, and it was bloody hard work – (for a time, my polishes were sold by the WWF and even keeping up with THEIR orders became hard!) – so I’d done my time reading and researching ingredients as I’d made so much stuff for myself as well.
I guess given the level of sales she’s generating (presumably) – that seems to clash somehow with the image of the mumsy-mum blending shadows a stone’s throw from her daughter’s playroom space. I know how long it took ME to make furniture polish, and I don’t have kids!
So yeah – the brand image seemed to clash with itself, but I had no “proof”, I just felt something was amiss. Now I wonder if this is why. I WAS put off by her treatment of Phyrra (which I’d read about many months ago), but since I personally hadn’t experienced any issues, and had already bought the shadows – I let it slide as I had gotten what I wanted to try and had honestly just gotten bored with the brand many months ago and went in search of lines with a bit more punch.
I’ve observed Cheri’s Facebook page for a long time and while I have absolutely no personal issues with her customer service, I’ve noticed she is MASTERFUL with social media and – I liked many of her shades but found some of them – particularly the lighter, highlight shades to be “flighty”, and somewhat prone to flyaway – a sign that perhaps they could use a bit more base.
Saying that, I saw no indication she was a repackager which would have made me drop her like a hot potato (since I am well aware of TKB as I designed some shadows for myself) – but this list of stuff has become too long to ignore!
Truth is, I have dropped other companies for less than this -(admittedly, Evil Shades was one, though I respect that many people love this brand – but my first and only order from them contained a spilled eyeshadow, a very dry lipstick, an unblended blush that left red streaks of pigment on my face – and a somewhat defensive email about the late shipping when I enquired about it) – if I can’t forgive THAT, (and I can’t, the email really put me off actually, and made me feel like I was a bad person for questioning her) – then I REALLY can’t forgive Orglamix, because at least I felt assured that Evil Shades WAS truly doing this herself, however flawed the order was, I could respect that she was genuine in her efforts to produce an indie brand. Shame about the blush though, it was quite pretty otherwise!
Fyrinnae may take a month, and Meow may be pricey, and Sugarpill isn’t exactly a mineral brand – but I’ve never regretted a thing I’ve bought from them, and my experiences with them are mirrored in the comments of others. Fyrinnae – who, if anything, have to go into hiding to catch up on orders and barely HAVE a social media presence have built up their brand on what it should be built up on – integrity – and quality – not fluff.
I’m disheartened to have googled the following in just a few minutes after a new photo just surfaced (On Shelby’s blog, scroll down)
More duplicate labels. In the photo you will see:
Pink Sugar – label underneath says “SP091”
Sage – label underneath says “SP030”
google leads me to these (same exact ingredients list as well):
http://www.smilejars.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=L-SP091
http://www.smilejars.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=L-SP030
Holy. Crap. I don’t believe what I’m seeing.
Wow. I’m stunned.
Yep. My blush colors look like the blushes on this site too, just called a different color name… but the numbers on my labels (MB2, MB3, MB4) match to the shades on this website under the mineral blushes.
Teak which says “7” on the uncovered “Shimmer Powder” label matches totally to the Shimmer Powder 7 on this website color wise, just the name is off.
And from what I am gathering from this site, it’s possible they may have worked with her to print labels as she specified with different color names…
WOW. Really. WOW.
If that were the case that they made the shadows and labels for her, that would mean her statement that all Orglamix was crafted by her was not true.
Wow. Stunning.
Exactly. In my email to her earlier I asked this direct question regarding my duplicate blush labels…
“Cheri, are these products – Cayenne, Coriander, Nutmeg – actually your own hand made product?”
My evidence now tells my the answer to that question is no. We’ll see if she responds (doubtful, really doubtful).
Let me just say I’m stunned. I’m truly stunned if this is true.
However, it does explain how she could keep up with demand.
My mind is spinning right now, truly it is. “Holy shiiii-take mushrooms!”
No kidding!
I work out of my home in a small office/craft space and I don’t get anywhere near the Etsy orders Orglamix gets (I have a website as well), let me just say that I’m not sure how I would handle the workload she gets under my current set up. Although one day I’d love to have that sort of business! 🙂
Secondly, this “Smile Jars” discovery is shocking! One thing though, Orglamix used to price their shadows at $4.99, so there isn’t much of a profit margin there, so I’m not 100% sure what’s going on! Also wasn’t her color of the week priced at like $2.99 before?
It also says those are 10 gram jars… and her listings says she uses 8 gram jars (which is weird to me… 8 gram is such a weird size).
I didn’t think 8 gram jars existed.
I just want to make sure I’m following this correctly. So, here’s what I understand so far. Cheri sold some pigments that were not approved for eye wear or lip wear when she sold Candy Glam. These were repackaged private label that were not handmade. She insists that, at the time she sold these private label repacks under the name of Candy Glam, she did not know that the pigments were not eye safe or lip safe. I’m willing to let that go, to an extent. I don’t believe that she’d intentionally sell a product that could harm. However, selling something repacked as handcrafted on Etsy is against their terms of service, and is just not good business. But, assuming that she meant no harm, I would be willing to forgive that. A lot of people make mistakes, and it seemed like she was trying to make good on her desire to sell wholesome products by crafting the “Orglamix” line. Which I happen to like, but am now quite a bit iffy on. (A hearty dose of dishonesty can do this to a person.) Now, I do believe that Cheri makes the Orglamix line. She has too much to lose if she’s proven a liar after insisting so many times that she handcrafts it. The crux of the issue, as I see it, is that she sold Candy Glam last year under the umbrella of her Orglamix products. She did disclose that these were *not* Orglamix, but insisted (as we’ve seen on many different invoices) that they were her own creations. I believe the exact words were something to the effect of “these shades were made by me and cannot be reproduced.” Which, if we consult the LadyBurd site, we find is complete bull. So, for me as a consumer, the safety issue is almost irrelevant, especially as I did not purchase any Candy Glam. Cheri did not intentionally put anyone in harm’s way. However, the dishonesty coming from a company that I trusted is quite disheartening. When I buy something off Etsy, I do so because I want to deal with small sellers. Honest sellers who aren’t motivated by corporate greed or some such.
I did notice that there seemed to be some date confusion before. As far as I know, Candy Glam was indeed around before Orglamix. If I remember correctly, it was being phased out just as Orglamix was up and running.
Sorry if my simple request for information got too diatribe-y. I tend to do that. I just don’t quite know how to appropriately vent my frustration on this issue. I like the eye pigments, but can I support a seller who blatantly lies to her customers?
In August of 2009 I purchased from Orglamix. In September of 2009 I posted my review. In October of 2009 I received a cease & desist letter from Cheri Tracy. In September 2010 I received a ‘Kiss & Make Up’ from Cheri Tracy on Etsy. At that time I told her to NEVER contact me again.
On February 17 2011 I was contacted by her PR person.
As far as I am aware, Urban Apothecary & Orglamix existed before or concurrently with Candy Glam.
From the screenshots provided by Shelby and others, the receipts for Candy Glam said Orglamix.
I would be hard pressed to trust a seller after all of this.
Her orglamix website states this about Candy Glam:
“that they are is 100% pure minerals that are free of preservatives, talc, oil, waxes, fragrance, and other harmful chemicals that can irritate skin and cause breakouts. ”
This line seems to contradict the truth of those products.
I do believe that they existed concurrently for a time. I don’t know how long it was, but I’m as positive as I can be that you’re right. In fact, I am pretty sure that I found the Candy Glam page through the Orglamix one, but I could just be misremembering.
What I know right now, (which I am taking with a grain of salt) is that Cheri states that when she sold Candy Glam, LadyBurd was not disclosing that the pigments were not eye and lip safe.
I kind of believe her, because I just can’t think that she’d deliberately mismarket these pigments. However, when she marketed them for a short time under the Orglamix shop (even though they were not actually from the Orglamix product line), I feel that she should have done some checking around to make sure that the pigments were still considered safe. Given that health-related information is always changing, isn’t it a seller’s obligation to make sure that their product is currently safe?
Also, there’s the lying thing. I am not at all trying to downplay anyone’s safety concerns by saying the lying is the worst part for me. But, personally, something done deliberately hurts my feelings more than something done (presumably) unintentionally.
Consider me surprised about the cease and desist thing. Thank you for sharing this pertinent information. Today, I am certainly seeing a different side of a company that I once trusted. Sad.
I think the only way to know the truth about the private label stuff from Ladyburd would be to call them to see if they had disclosed that information.
I do believe you’re right in that a seller should do their research on a product and if that product is found to be unsafe, they need to announce it.
I’m just hoping no one was injured from those products.
After the treatment I received by Cheri Tracy, unfortunately I’m not too surprised by anything she says.
Regarding Candy Glam and Orglamix, if you go to http://www.orglamix.com (which has some bad flash that doesn’t seem to show much in the way of info), the opening statement that greets you talks about Candy Glam products, yet the page is also branded as Orglamix, and says at the bottom “Copyright 2011”
Which just leaves me even more puzzled.
We could also try to track down the source of her cosmetics through muddminerals on ebay. I wrote to her and got a bit of a response back.
I posted this question to a page advertising LillyPilly with the same photo:
Dear muddminerals,
Is this the same makeup that is sold under the name Orglamix on Etsy? If so I was wondering why there is a difference in price, whether the size will be the same, and if they are also hand mixed as sold here. Thank you for your anticipated response.
Here is the response:
Hi,
Cheri Tracy owns Orglamix & Urban Apothecary, as well. You can Google it.
I buy my micas from the same manufacture where she buys hers. They sell the pictures as well…
I hope this help.
Please, do not hesitate if you should have any other question.
Thank you.
Kindly,
Lily
– muddminerals
I added this most recent comment of yours to my newer post about Orglamix.
I would love to believe that Cheri actually does hand make her Orglamix products, but there are a lot of things causing me to pause and think and give me doubts.
For one thing, the photo Shelby posted of her duplicate label on her Teak eye shadow makes me think that has to be a relabeled private label product not of her own making. Even ignoring the ingredients list not matching up with what she claims on etsy, the bottom label says the product is called “Shimmer Powder” and has the number 7 below it and above the ingredients list.
Has there ever been a “Shimmer Powder” line in Orgalmix? I supposed it’s possible Cheri created such a thing and then before selling it decided to call it something else, but………. after all of this, I am doubtful, sadly.
Also I would love to know how she has time to support her HUGE customer base with a TAT of 1-2 days, while creating new products all of the time, and being very active online (I know she probably sources some of that out but she seems to reply frequently on facebook and very quickly to convos). Does she have a large staff? Does she work out of a warehouse? I have never heard her talk about these things. Other much smaller indie companies frequently get behind and even have to shut down from time to time, but not Orglamix. How is it that Cheri has time to do all of this, AND create her own products (in an older interview I read, she said her work space was half of her attic while her kids playroom in the other half – I have never heard anything else about any other working conditions from her or in interviews I have read). Now, surely I could be wrong about this, but it does make me wonder.
You do bring up some interesting points that I hadn’t considered. I really, really want to believe that the pigments in the Orglamix line are handcrafted. And, for now, I will believe it. Cheri’s business would absolutely implode if she was lying and continued to lie despite mounting allegations. I don’t know what’s really going on, but I’m certainly enacting a personal boycott until the seller has appropriately addressed the issue.
But for me (and many other fans), the resolution might not /will probably not be enough to get me back as a customer. Safety is a huge issue, and being lied to is a slap in the face. I damn near bought that listing for Candy Glam, but I ran out of money. Sometimes it’s good to be poor, evidently.
Being lied to and safety are top concerns to me as well. If you ever check out my ‘Banished’ list, I tend to not forgive companies for lying to me.
Actually I was disturbed by an interview I read about the company here:
http://etsystalker.com/?p=2141
It mentioned that exact thing, that she worked out of the playroom.
Ah yes, that’s the one I read too. Is she still working out of her attic with the playroom? And hand mixing enough products to keep her etsy shop going and shipping at lighting fast speed? Her facebook fan page has over 16,000 fans right now, and her etsy shop has over 22,000 sales, with new colors being introduced all of the time. Her daily high sales are constant. It’s just so puzzling to me.
No idea.
I know that she appears to be very successful.
It would be hard to imagine her working out of her playroom now.
Wow I love knowing I spent at least 300$ out the fucking window : / makes me not even want to buy makeup anymore unless its from a department store. No one can be trusted it seems.
I guess not having ingredients on the lids should have been a huge reason to stay away … seems like all of us were hoodwinked and believed in a product that may have been false.
I’m sorry you spent your money there. Anyone listed on my ‘Creative Companies’ list is a company that I feel is safe to shop from. Not all indie companies are bad.
The ingredients list, or lack thereof is definitely a red flag but it took me a while to realize that.
See, this is what is so disheartening about when companies do things like this! It causes the other little guys – who are actually doing a great job and running a reputable, safe business – to have to work even harder. There really ARE great companies out there – just make sure to do your research first.
So sorry about all the money you spent – I am in the same boat and feel really sad thinking about it.
Yes, it does.
You could potentially contact her for a refund, according to her Facebook page.
Luckily for me I never bought any of the Candy Glam products, and I think that’s all her refund offer applies to. She does have her 100% Orglamix guarantee but according to her etsy site opened products are for exchange only, and everything has to be within 30 days.
Plain and simple her full sized products must be labeled according to the FDA requirements. From what I’m reading here, it seems as though she is not labeling her products with the ingredients?!
Grr! It’s these types of things that are really going to ruin it for the rest of us, especially with the whole FDA Globalization Act looming over all of us small business’!
Thank you for clearing that up.
I was under the assumption that the full size products either needed the ingredients printed on the label or they needed to come as an insert with the product.
There is something if they come in a box the ingredients can be printed on the box… I’ll be honest, I’m not sure about the insert. It could certainly be the case, but I put mine on the actual label on the jar (tube, container, etc) because I find it the easiest way.
I also put mine online (in each listing, not a general list) because I think this helps the shopper decide if my products are something they want or not before they make the purchase.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like to put down other business’ because everyone makes mistakes… no one is perfect, but the labeling thing is one thing that REALLY bugs me.
I’ve been reading the FDA guidelines as well to gather info about this. I am especially concerns about the ingredients missing from labels, and her SPF claims. I also have just emailed Cheri with some questions and hope she will answer me and not ignore my concerns.
I hope that she is able to answer your questions.
I would love to hear what she has to say about the SPF claims.
I’d also be curious about the SPF claims response!
I haven’t received an answer to my email yet. Now I realized it was kind of lengthy and I asked a lot of questions so I will give her some time to reply, but I sort of have a bad feeling about this…
Yesterday someone asked Cheri on her facebook fan page wall what business name she was licensed under and in which state. Cheri never replied and in fact today I learned that the post had been deleted and the person who asked the question had been banned from the fan page (with no communication).
She appears to still be operating under the business name Urban Apothecary from what I can gather, at least that’s what is on all of my Paypal receipts – but when I look up that business up here – http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/ – it tells me it was dissolved in 2008.
Another shady situation if you ask me. now I would love for Cheri to have answered that question and for it to be an above board truthful answer, but she has deleted the evidence of it ever being asked of her in the first place.
Actually when I spoke to her about that back in 2009 I think she said,
“What I’ve learned is that
it’s sometime easier to give something up,
then put energy and time into to fighting
a battle that really, at the end of the day
doesn’t matter in the ‘big picture’.
I own Urban Apothecary-
and all associated trademarks
(which are registered with the uspto)”
Which gave me the impression that she’d been in a legal battle with the company/name & I also had the impression that there was something to do with the way the company was registered. It was involuntarily dissolved according to the site you linked.
Very interesting. Also confusing. What is her business name then, and is she even licensed? Is she paying taxes? How do we know?
The current Urban Apothecary site still appears to list her address under the Customer Service link too.
I know someone asked her about this not too long ago (I want to say a month or two) on facebook but I can’t find it now.
So many business names with her, it’s hard to keep track.
It would be interesting to see her answers to all of your questions.
She may not need a license, she may just need to have a registered business, that all depends on the state in which she conducts business.
As for the multiple business names I never really understood that, but I have seen others doing under one main business name (often an LLC)… like such and such operates under the XYZ Company LLC.
And to add, I just placed an order last week and my Paypal receipt still says the following:
Merchant
Urban Apothecary
cherirychlee@msn.com
847-987-8758
See that’s just strange.
Correction: dissolved in 2006.
Thanks for the link back to my blog. This entire mess is ridiculous right now.
You’re welcome. I just want to make sure that if people want to find information, it’s there. That way they can then make an informed decision.
Why can’t she just tell the truth about the ingredients? Repackaged or not? Lots of people don’t care about bismuth and talc, but I for sure do! Let me make the decision about what is best for my skin and stop lieing to everyone! And that is NOT a relabel that was done because of a name change, any moron can tell that.
(and no worries Phyrra, no correlation with my screen name)
I don’t know why she couldn’t tell the truth. It’s a good question.
Ms Cheri Tracy is an expert in consumer marketing (not in make-up formulation of elaboration) and has managed to build a brand: Orglamix. If you consider the fact that ingredients are nowhere listed along with the rumours that she has been selling repackaged products, and see what a wide customer base she has, you can easily come to the conclusion that people do not chose to buy Orglamix products based on quality or originality. Ms Tracy spends much more time and money on PR activities and has a much nicer and professional product presentation than most indie companies I know. And unfortunately, most cosumers decide “emotionally” and not rationally which products to buy and which not. That might be the reason why some of her fans have decided to ignore the matter.
Ms Tracy sold unsafe products under the Candy Glam line. Whether she made them herself or not is not relevant, she is responsible for what she is selling. If she did not know she was selling something harmful, she did not do her homework at the time (and might not be doing it now either).
You’re exactly right. She should know what she is selling.
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/38851641 would be the listing I bought. It doesn’t say no bismuth, but it isn’t listed either.
And I would still bet my money on the fact it had it. It took my skin a good while to recover from this shit and the glow I got 😛
Now, bismuth isn’t the worst thing in the world, but I would prefer accurate listings.
I feel like I have to point out something else I discovered today when looking through my own Orglamix products. I have 3 blushes (purchased less than a month ago) with Orglamix labels covering other, unnamed labels.
You can see a photo and read my write up about it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trellisaze/5487199474/
I am very concerned because the ingredients on the bottom label (Mica, main contain carmine and titanium dioxide) are NOT the same as what is listed in her etsy shop policies:
*Organic Mineral Blush
mica, sericite, black iron oxide, red iron oxide, yellow iron oxide, camellia sinensis (organic white tea) extract, vitis vinifera (organic grapeseed) extract.
Emily, I found the Teak eyeshadow had a double label: http://twitpic.com/44y8tk Huh. it has carmine in it, and it was very specifically said that there was no carmine in either the Teak eyeshadow or foundation.
Gah, I hate this. I think its so wrong to sell products that could hurt another person, especially if you knew that it was harmful to use around the eyes but sold it anyway. Plus all these indie companies doing dirty deeds will make it that much harder for people to try other legit indie brands. I want to make my own make up line but with all these companies giving small indie companies a bad name is going to make it THAT much harder to get my brand out there :/ Gah, why do people want to spoil everything just to make a quick buck?!
Me too 🙁 I hate it.
I completely hear you Emily, I see this exactly as you do and my heart sinks knowing people are being lied to- and don’t care! Her ‘lies’ take her in circles and DO NOT add up, yet people are completely oblivious that they’re being taken.
If it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck and looks like a duck, yup….it’s probably a damned duck.
(I SO want to comment on the FB thread, but since I have $50 at stake to get back when I return the product, I don’t want to set her off or I’d have jumped on that band wagon!)
Hopefully she can’t correlate this to your real name, because she’s probably reading this and Shelby’s blog.
Hmm, on her etsy page it says the ingredient list was just updated! :
——————————- Ingredients ——————————-
updated 12/10
Also, her foundation ingredients don’t match. The policy page shows the extracts while the actual listing page does not. So, are they in the formulation or not?!??!? My guess is she doesn’t even know.
“Organic Mineral Foundation
mica, sericite, black iron oxide, red iron oxide, yellow iron oxide, camellia sinensis (organic white tea) extract, vitis vinifera (organic grapeseed) extract.”
She never seems to accurately list her ingredients in the product listings themselves, as Phyrra pointed out. For example here is what she lists under the “materials” etsy tag section for the Mate mineral eye color right now:
Materials
mica mineral pigment shimmer
Those aren’t even actual ingredients! The listing itself has no other ingredients list either, so one has to rely on the blanket list on the policies page.
Sorry if it seems like I’m beating a dead horse… I know that I have the knowledge now to know I will be shopping elsewhere, but it really concerns me that loyal fans want to sweep this under the rug. How about the non-rabid fans who don’t know enough to watch the facebook thread like a hawk to see how she responds? How about the OLD Candy Glam customers who have no idea what is being uncovered and trusted the products were safe when they bought them?
I asked her whether or not she disclosed a full ingredients list either on the label or in the product listing when she had her Candy Glam shop, and here is her reply:
“The ingredients in question, apply specifically to five specific Candy Glam colors — all HD shades. To be honest, I do not remember how the products were listed; or sold.”
also she said this….
“I use my own base and mix the color for what I want to create. You can make a zillion shades with mica; some Orglamix shades use one, some up to five or six – it all depends on the color, texture and finish. I certainly know what is… in every Orglamix shade I’ve created.”
AND this…
“I was selling Candy Glam prior to formulating my line and creating Orglamix. It’s part of the reason I wanted to create my own line because of private label limitations. The more I learned about ingredients and products, the more I …wanted to do something different.
However, had I even thought or considered the fact that an ingredient would be unsafe, I would have never, ever sold them. I have everything to lose; and nothing gain from doing so.”
….except she JUST SOLD this stuff, under the Orglamix name, 4 months ago – not only was it unsafe (and she did not do her due diligence to research and KNOW what was in her products), she lied about it in the listing.
Yeah, mineral, shimmer and pigment are NOT accurate ingredients listing. Mica needs to list the INCI.
BISMUTH?!?!?!?
Oh the plot thickens….
I knew about the talc and the SPF bogus claim, but I never even thought to double check those numbers out…..interesting. I bet her followers on FB would love to hear about the shadows containing bismuth.
This was my convo with Cheri:
Hi Cheri,
I’m confused about your ingredients – on your profile page you list under the eye shadows “may contain CI 77163” – isn’t that bismuth oxychloride? However on your facebook page it says:
“All Orglamix products are proudly formulated without:
nano particles, bismuth oxychloride, synthetic dyes or fragrances, petrochemicals, or parabens.”
Can you please clear up the confusion for me and/or let me know which products specifically contain bismuth oxychloride?
thank you,
Emily
24 January 2011 10:34pm EDT
Hi.
It’s been out of all my formulas since late 2009.
Prior to that it was in the twinkle and aura effects.
x Cheri
24 January 2011 10:51pm EDT
The SPF claim is always something I look for. If someone claims a specific SPF, it’s bad unless they’ve paid for testing and most indie companies cannot afford that testing.
Wow sorry everyone for the typos (I’m on my phone and didn’t diligently check the auto correct mishaps, after this last correction I will back away from the phone, hehe!)
Just want to clarify – her ingredients list on her policies page on Etsy says:
“Organic Mineral Eye
mica, titanium dioxide, camellia sinensis (organic white tea) extract, vitis vinifera (organic grapeseed) extract. may contain: [+/-] CI77007, CI 77163, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77891, carmine. ”
CI 77163 is Bismuth Oxychloride
As far as I’m aware, she’s supposed to have ingredients listed, or as an insert, with all of her products.
I guess I should research the laws, because I am just an unsuspecting customer who was a little too trusting.
She does NOT list her ingredients on her labels OR the individual product listings; however she lists a blanket ingredients list in her policies page on etsy for each class of product, but not individual shades. Is this enough to be following the law?
As far as I’m aware, ingredients need to be listed on the actual product, or as an insert with the product. For example, I believe MAC includes an insert with Pigments.
I’m not a lawyer, so obviously I can’t say 100%.
Oops, i meant etsy up there, not “easy” – sorry typing this on my phone!
Reggie her ingredients list on her policies page on easy also currently lists Bismuth Oxychloride as a “main contain” ingredient in her eye shadows. I also asked her about this when I discovered it awhile ago and she assured me she no longer uses that and used it in “old” formulas. How do we know that for sure? I don’t understand why she doesn’t lust ingredients for EACH individual product listing, esp. when in comes to Bismuth, we have a right to know! Furthermore how about putting the actual ingredients on each label?
Just today I noticed her mineral glows list talc
as an ingredient too – somehow I missed that before and am really upset to discover.
Erin I didn’t know there were laws around LE products – I find it interesting she has NOT replied to my question about that at all.
I think she’s always listed her ingredients incorrectly, from what I can remember.
I’m so glad you posted that Erin. I read Phyrra’s blog so I would have seem this anyway, but I think it’s important to have this out in the open where her customers can make their own decisions. I’m glad Cheri’s responding and not deleting our comments, but I am really disappointed in how she is glossing over the issues and outright avoiding direct questions. This whole thing disgusts me beyond belief.
I did my research when I started buying her products and chose to give her the benefit of the doubt regarding the negative reviews I’d read. I wish now that I hadn’t and I am certainly grateful for all the other awesome, trustworthy companies I have been supporting at the same time and will continue to support, but Cheri has lost me as a customer.
The really sad thing in all of this is that it casts doubt on the entire indie makeup industry as a whole, especially when it comes to would be new customers. I feel confident in the good companies out there, but there is a general idea floating around that I hear from people who are uninformed that “mineral makeup is unsafe” – we know that is not true at all when dealing with reputable companies, but things like this only hurt the industry as a whole!
On the one hand, I almost want to laugh about all this coming out, because I’ve disliked this company since I tried the products & since Cheri Tracy threatened me. On the other hand, I’m horrified that people could have been injured by these products.
I think no matter what, stuff like this happening gives that stupid Campaign for Safe Cosmetics more legitimacy.
Well, I wanted the Orglamix fan base to see it and to start thinking about things. Obviously (if you go look at the thread now) some of those fans chose to glittermob instead … but a few people heard what they NEEDED to know. Like Elyse, a very sweet girl who had been told Orglamix products were perfectly safe to use on her daughter. But guess what? No, those Candy Glam colors were NOT safe for lips and some of them were not safe for eyes, either.
I think it’s a shame that it took all this to get such important information to the consumers. Cheri has stated that she’s contacted everyone who bought Candy Glam from her about a recall, which is a good step in the right direction. But the fans foaming at the mouth to defend Cheri are diminishing the importance of the whole thing: HONESTY in business.
^ Exactly. Frankly I don’t care that it was a Candy Glam line and not Orglamix (so she says), the fact the she is so dishonest about the ingredients and repackaging scares me. If she did it with Candy Glam, why do people think she won’t (and isn’t )doing it with orglamix? Which, again, the listing was in the Orglamix shop on etsy, just this past fall! helllooooo? How are people not connecting the dots here?
Yes, repackaging- shady, lieing about safety of ingredients- criminal.
Both the receipts I’ve seen screenshots of say it’s Orglamix, not Candy Glam. Also, they both say that the products were crafted by Cheri Tracy, not private label.
What she’s stated is that her company Candy Glam had repackaged shades, but that Orglamix never had. I get confused by people who own 3 or more businesses without a clear reason as to why.
I don’t think she’s answered the question as to why she’s labeled over her own products to mark a shade as LE (when it was an original color). I think that’s pretty shady. However, I think it’s more dangerous to make a shade as eye safe when it’s not eye safe & it’s private label.
Aren’t there laws about LE shades too? I know, for example, you’re not allowed to record the recipe for LE colors, so wouldn’t selling original colors as LE be a no-no as well?
I’m not sure, but I’d love to know!
Interesting, Cheri Tracy said on Facebook:
“I was selling Candy Glam prior to formulating my line and creating Orglamix. ”
However, Urban Apothecary & Orglamix were around prior to Candy Glam, because I purchased from her in 2009 & wrote my review in 2009.
@ Amber- Cheri can continue to say that she handmixes them, because well, she can say what she wants, it doesn’t make the crap coming out of her mouth true. She f’ed up- was lazy enough to NOT put the makeup in a new pot (really, did she skip the class on fraud 101?) and is now squirming to save her reputation.
All people can do is put the information out there. Some people will choose to ignore it, others will listen. That whole ‘you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink,’ thing.
If anyone is interested, check out the Orglamix FB page- someone posted the blog and is asking for answers. It is quite entertaining watching Cheri dance around and try to save her ass- very obviously backtracking, changing stories etc. Also sad that even though the truth has come out, some customers are still blindly following her- oh well, can’t say no one told them.
Thanks for pointing me there. I took a few screenshots.
Yeah that was me, and I agree, it’s sad that some fangirls are so vehemently defending Cheri – willfully ignoring the fact that she sold private label items as handmade, when those items were NOT eye safe, etc. But it’s like GSBS all over again: Some girls just won’t back down until it affects them personally.
I sincerely hope that no one is hurt from the products.
I’m really confused by all of this. Cheri made quite a few comments on that post, continuing to say she creates all her own shades. How can she continue to say they are not repackaged if they have another company’s label on them…?
I guess she feels that putting her own sticker/label on them makes them her own?
This is giving all small mineral companies a bad name and that scares me. There are great people out there who are conducting their businesses with integrity and honesty and they’re being given a bad wrap because of crap from GS and Orglamix. In fact, a close friend of mine is just starting her company on Etsy and she is VERY trustworthy with her products and I really hope people don’t shy away from her company in light of this new info. Not everyone is a crook.
I unfortunately placed an order with Orglamix literally days before learning more about the company and am still sick that I wasted money on them. The products haven’t arrived yet and I sure hope I can get all my money back. I actually confronted Cheri about one of the ingredients in her ‘glow’ because it is far from organic/natural and she never responded, simply said ‘return them’. She had no comment whatsoever and no attempt to justify her ingredient usage in that product.
Companies such as these NEED to be reported, to protect consumers as well as other legitimate companies out there. They need to be held accountable.
I think sometimes people are afraid to report things because of bullying. I think many companies go unreported because of fear of retaliation.
Please please please don’t let this sort of thing scare you away from purchasing your shadows online from all small business’! There are some of us who do our research (big time!) and follow the regulations outlined by the FDA. My advice to everyone is always, if you have doubts or questions about a company ask questions! Send them a message and feel out their response. A company that knows there stuff will be able to respond with an informed, knowledgeable answer. A reputable company will also list their ingredients.
I’d also like to quickly comment about the difference in colors that can occur… while rare our suppliers can often time get in a new batch of color made by the manufacturer, these can vary ever so slightly from batch to batch, resulting in an ever-so-slight color difference in the end product. As a company that mixes all our colors ourselves this slight difference can be annoying, but there is little we can do about it, but again it is quite rare in my opinion.
So to sum up, there are still good honest small business’ out there!! Don’t write us all off! 🙂
Kelly from The StarShine Company
Thanks for sharing the information about batches. I don’t think a slight variance is a problem, but a huge variance would bother me.
I too was a fan of Orglamix when I first started finding mineral makeup on Etsy. Before I found Orglamix, I didn’t know there were other companies making mineral makeup, I’d always just purchased Bare Escentuals or Everyday Minerals products. I can be thankful for one thing, though. Doing a search on the downside of Orglamix led me to Phyrra’s blog, and she very kindly responded to my initial email. We’ve been friends ever since, and that is no small thing.
I’m glad for that email 🙂
I don’t want to say I’m done with indie companies but every time this happens I just wonder “who’s next?”… I don’t want to question the safety of what I’m putting on my face.
Unfortunately these little companies are getting away with this extreme negligence, scamming and unprofessional behavior. Even with all that Lela Warren has done she has still faced no real consequences as of yet. There’s seems to be no reason for these companies to NOT act like this, after all GS still is making sales.
I do wonder the same thing. Who is next 🙁 Though I already knew I didn’t like Orlgamix’s products.
Wow….I’m so disgusted right now. I’ve never ordered from Orglamix – mostly because I found your blog shortly after getting into indie makeup=)
After seeing the photos and reading the stories about GlitterSniffer, I really hope no one has been hurt by this. I guess we should be glad that Orglamix was lazy in terms of repacking and left the old label underneath so someone could fnd it…I’m just sorry it was not discovered way sooner!
Me too 🙁 It’s really sad to see companies do this. I don’t have a problem with people selling private label at all, as long as they’re up front about it and the ingredients listings are accurate. This just seems shady.
Glad to see you made it , Aranza! I am going to go back to stocking up on Meow. Their Egyptians Collection will be mine asap. 🙂 I will stand by these recommendations: Meow, Shiro, Brazen, Rock A Betty Beauty, VIE, Fyrinnae, Sugarpill. Is all my Ambien induced state can announced,
All good recommendations, at least the ones I know 🙂
Luckily, I’ve never bought Orglamix eyeshadows. BUT. I bought one of their foundations last year and got a freebie mineral glow. Both of which I had reactions same as I had to BM foundation (known to have Bismuth oxychloride) sample I’ve had.
The foundation listing didn’t mention Bismuth, but I’m pretty sure it has it because of how bad my skin reacted. I also know a friend of mine got reactions from their blush :/
Anyway, thank you for posting. Sadly, can’t say this was “news” to me. I hope both Cheri and Lela to have to carry the responsibilities of their actions one day.
Oh god! That’s horrible! Bismuth is one of those things people react to, so products really need to be labeled properly.
I don’t use my Orglamix colors much any more, but that isn’t the point. Even though I could be buried in a sea of Aromaleigh, Fyrinnae, and Hi-Fi, I still feel cheated because I used to use them when I first started getting into makeup.
I, too, peeled my labels off my limited edition jars and found the same thing as Not Making it Up. It’s the whole principle of discovering these things about a makeup I used at one point.
I’m very unhappy. I wonder how this is all going to unfold now.
I’d suggest contacting the FDA. Unless the ingredients on both labels are identical, I think there is a problem.
Ingredients on the labels? WHAT ingredients on the labels? I have yet to have *any* labels with ingredients listed on them from Orglamix. The only place you can find the ingredients is the policy page of the Etsy shop.
Really, even then she doesn’t even list the ingredients, she just lists what ISN’T in them! Well, if it doesn’t contain rat feces, all clear then, right?
Oh, oh, WAIT. Even BETTER.
Here’s what is on the store front: The next-generation of mineral makeup: zero synthetic ingredients! Orglamix products are proudly formulated without: nano particles, bismuth oxychloride, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals or parabens. PETA approved.
PETA APPROVED.
Didn’t she state in a comment on your blog that colors have been formulated with carmine?
She does state that. And it’s kind of roundabout that it is PETA approved. I had contacted PETA about another company that was PETA approved that was using carmine in some of their cosmetics. PETA replied saying that they were approved because they did no animal testing, and used products that did not do animal testing. So I guess crushed buggies isn’t high on their list of concerns.
That doesn’t make sense. I thought PETA didn’t approve if they used carmine.
No, it doesn’t make sense, and I wish I had kept the email. It said something about the company ‘attempting’ to make a full vegan line… and that just because they were approved by PETA it didn’t mean that they were endorsed by PETA.. It was all very confusing and round and round. I think I may email them again, asking for clarification.
The entire thing doesn’t make any sense! She should be listing ingredients in a place where they can be seen by everyone. Anyone who purchased should feel lied to right now.
When will people – and by people I mean businesses – learn? I hope everyone is okay and hasn’t had any adverse affects. Thanks for the link Phyrra.
I really wish I knew 🙁
I have been an Orglamix fan since I first got into mineral makeup. I guess I should use the past tense – cuz I’m sure not a fan now.
I own over 50 of her eyeshadows, and even worse, I GAVE THEM OUT AS CHRISTMAS GIFTS. Now I have to worry that some of my favorite girls in the whole world are using unsafe products I GAVE THEM.
I sincerely hope Ms Cheri will have the decency to respond to this matter with honesty, rather than try to sweep it all under the rug a la Glittersniffer. I know I’ll never get any of my money back from her, and the fact that I, on my EXTREMELY limited budget, wasted so much money on this kind of company makes me sick.
I’m sorry 🙁
I looked at the Facebook page and it looks like she’s responding. I took screenshots and posted her comments above.
Hah, I know – I started that thread for one purpose: to make sure Orglamix fans saw the link. I am pretty surprised to see her responding to all the questions. That’s unquestionably a better tactic than trying to cover the whole thing up, but I still won’t ever trust her again.
It’s hard to trust someone when they repeatedly lie.
Hello. I have beed reading your blog for some time now but never posted a comment. I was shocked to learn about Orglamix. I only purchased one foundaiton and although i liked it, i felt like i got ripped off. Thanks to @Danielle (posted above), I learned about this and i will no longer support Orglamix. Too bad there are people out there with poor ethics. How dare then place others at harm while profiting from it? It is apalling and im too upset about it. I love supporting Indie makeup but there are always people like Orglamix that mess it up for all others. Just to be safe, i will no longer explore indie cosmetics unless a trustworthy person like yourself and Danielle recommend them. Im absolutely shocked! Now im all paranoid about Keep It Simple Naturals….a mineral makeup indie company i recently purchased from. I kid you not, I no longer have the desire to buff than on my face =(
Agai, Thanks Phyrra for being truly informative and most of all honest with all of us, i truly appreciate that!
You’re welcome!
I just wish people would stop doing this sort of thing 🙁
This whole Orglamix and Glittersniffer business makes me want to cry 🙁 how can people knowingly do this to their customers and not feel awful?!
Me too 🙁 I hate the thought of people being hurt by cosmetics, when so many people buy them because they just want to have fun.
Yeah and it ends up hurting those of us who do follow the rules, because people lose faith. 🙁
It’s hard to blame them, too 🙁
When you constantly have companies that lie and say ‘We created this product!’ only for you to check it next to a TKB mica and go ‘oh, it’s a match to my naked eye,’ it’s hard to not be disappointed.
Why aren’t people like Lela and Cheri in jail yet? They’re repeatedly and very deliberately causing harm to so many people. Like the pictures of Lela packing jars with dirty hands with jewelry on. If she had a cold and was photographed coughing in to jars, the WHO and CDC would be on her like white on rice. Isn’t giving people horrible eye diseases, infections and possibly causing blindness prison sentence-worthy?
It makes me so angry to open up one of these blog posts and not be able to scroll down and read, “she’s recently been arrested.”
Honestly, I think that’s up to the FDA 🙁
Sad part is that the FDA doesn’t really intervene with cosmetics very often. 🙁 They don’t even care if people label their products as ‘natural’ with not one natural ingredient in It.
Has anyone reported them to the FDA? I mean, actually contacted the FDA, filled out whatever complaint form they require, lodged a legal complaint? Posting on blogs and in forums notifies consumers that something’s wrong. But without the formal complaint, and enough supporting documentation from the complaining parties to make the complaint valid, nothing will get done officially.
Judging from the pictures of swollen eyes, and photos of the jars with the labels (that’s why people shouldn’t just chuck their stuff, it’s evidence) it looks like there’s enough measurable, verifiable negative reactions from consumers to definitely warrant a complaint and enough evidence to back it up. Now someone just needs to file it. (I can’t, because I’ve never purchased from Orgalmix so I personally have no experience with / legal complaint against the company.)
I no longer have my makeup from her, so I couldn’t do that. However, I did recommend to the original poster that she contact the FDA.
I am in going to be contacting the FDA today, and possibly some labs in my area to see of they can test any of the Orglamix pigments that I have (such as Geranium).
Hhhmmm…
Well, I’m one of the gals that’s had an obsession with Orglamix since finding mineral makeup- and I currently have most of their colors.
To be fair, I’ve purchased most, and recently won quite a bit. I’ve never had adverse reactions to her shadows- but that’s not to say that other people haven’t either. I’ve noticed that there are double-layer stickers, but upon peeling them up I find it’s one of her “original” named colors and ingredients listed under there…. And lo-and-behold, the current one is a “Limited Edition” color. Meh… No biggie to me.
Also, because many of the pigments are supposed to be hand mixed- there have been quite a few duplicates I’ve received with orders- and I have to say they each vary slightly… Which makes me doubt that they’re repackaging pigments. Again- it may or may not be the case.
But… I thank you for this information.
I personally think it’s awful for Orglamix to sell you eye shadows as Limited Edition that are just her older colors with a new name.
As far as the colors not matching, that sounds like bad quality control.
Yeah, I wasn’t thrilled about it either- but what can one do?! At least I wasn’t charged more for a LE color vs a regular pigment.
And I didn’t mean for it to sound like the colors were bang-up not matching at all… They had slight variations… Like a green would have a little more pigment than another jar I’d have, or an orange would be a smidge lighter than another. I’m nit-picky and organize by chromatic colors, so when I line everything (obsessively) up I notice the differences.
I’m kind of on the fence now after seeing some of this information :/
Oh wow. See, it would irritate me if I bought 2 pinks that were supposed to be identical and one batch was darker/lighter than the other. Or a teal and one batch was bluer/greener than the other.
And yeah, thank goodness you weren’t charged more. I just feel like covering the label up is duplicitous.
I used to be one of Cheri’s biggest supporters. I am heartbroken beyond words….Phyrra, I am truly sorry for not heeding your and others words on this topic. I have 60 pigments that are utter garbage now. Not because they are all unsafe but…I just don’t want to support that…
The images on the (Not) making it up blog were pretty damning 🙁
It sucks 🙁
Phyrra, thank you for linking my post. It was not fun to write, and I really appreciate the support. Indie make up should be about fun and knowing what’s going on your face. I really hate that the drama llama seems to hang around an awful lot around indie makeup. =/
You’re welcome!
I just felt like it needed to be shared. The whole thing is really upsetting to me.
I read her article and did find it interesting. However, I wish people would refer to the FDA site for cosmetic ingredient regulations instead of the many sites that contain inaccurate information. Her source is wrong about Bismuth Oxychloride & Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate. Both are approved for lip & eye use. Here is the FDA link for cosmetic colorants: http://tinyurl.com/yevl7mw
Thanks for the link!
I apologize! to be honest, the FDA site confused me terribly. I will make corrections as soon as I can
I really do not like that it seems so many companies just aren’t doing their research before pumping products out. Or they are, and don’t care. It actually makes me sad.
I’m trying to introduce my cousin to the wonderful indie world but it’s hard with so much crap out there!
What’s worse is when they seem to pump it out so cheap, so when an awesome company like Meow sells a shadow, people say “too expensive” and go for the newer, cheaper, uninformed company and take their eyesight into their own hands.
There are only a small group of companies I consider completely safe and I’m starting to think I should just stick with them. Not that I would have bought from Orglamix to begin with. That ego is too big for my liking.
Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I’m so sad Aromaleigh closed. I trusted Aromaleigh. Thankfully, I trust Sugarpill and Fyrinnae and Evil Shades and Meow and Shiro etc (my creative companies list).
However I’m worried about some of them because of the pops being discontinued.
Oh wow – that’s HORRID!!! I saw some pictures of people who had reactions from glittersniffer pigments around the eye area and I was just shocked – so it’s really hard to digest that other companies are going this way.
The pictures I saw of the damage done by Glittersniffer products literally made me cry. My heart aches for those women who sustained damage from unsafe pigments.
I sincerely hope that people haven’t been harmed by other companies in that fashion 🙁 It’s horrible.
I know! No matter how much someone wants to sell their products, it is inhuman to make profits by hurting other human beings. And the worst thing is, I still see lots of people supoorting glitterssniffer (facebook) and making purchases from them. :-/
thanks for putting this up, it really is helpful 🙂
You’re welcome.
It made me sick to read it, but I felt I needed to share it.