By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
“In 2020, God told me to start a Christian makeup brand. Nearly four years later, a lot of blood, sweat, tears, effort, and prayers, I’m finally starting it. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, my lifelong dream, REBIRTHED MAKEUP.”
The 21st of June struck many as a complicated day, for Nigerians there was the blues from having to go to work after the Eid-ul-Adha public holidays. For astrology fanatics, it was deciding if the day counts as Gemini season or Cancer… turns out it depends on certain factors. But for Nigerians on X, it was straightforward– quarter past noon was drag o’clock and the clock hands pointed to 24-year-old, Ayomide Ogunyemi.
‘Twas the 21st of June 2024 when Ogunyemi took to X to unveil her beauty company, REBIRTHED MAKEUP. In itself, nothing was intriguing or controversial about it. However, the tweet accompanying the unveiling raised several eyebrows. Ogunyemi had stated that it was a Christian makeup brand.
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN MAKEUP?
When we asked, she said, “Rebirthed is committed to giving back and supporting charitable missions. We are partnering with missionaries in northern Nigeria and Syria to further push the gospel and are actively looking to support more charitable missions and initiatives. Our goal is to use our platform and resources to make a positive impact in communities around the world.”
EXPLORING THE CONTROVERSIES:
“If I wear the concealer does it get me into heaven?” An X user wrote. The backlash was not unjustified because the term Christian makeup is unheard of. So the demand for a definition and explanation was predictable. Does it mean it was made with anointed olive oil? Does it mean you used water from the river Jordan? Is there a secret formula that involves the blood of Jesus or is this just Christian capitalism?
To everyone’s disappointment, there is no secret formula, Christian makeup is simply a makeup brand planning to use its revenues to fund several African initiatives. The makeup itself is not Christian but the marketing and branding is. This brings us to the first controversy– Christian capitalism.
With lashes named after women in the bible, liquid blushes named after Jesus, gloss shades called Jireh, Yeshua, and Abbaand, and powder blushes like Resurrection and Crucifixion; the endeavour was labelled as capitalist.
Capitalism is a thing that Christians have mixed feelings about. Some say it is antithetical to Jesus’ teachings, often citing when Jesus drove merchants from the temple as an example of His disdain for doing commercial activities alongside worship activities. Others point to the scripture, “The labourer deserves his wages (Luke 18).”
An ethos of the Christian faith is you are not of the world. This births the next controversy.
Beauty and fashion (particularly the women’s division) often fall under the world because they are categorised as vanity. Typically, they are seen as tools of seduction, although Jesus said, And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out (NIV). Several Christian denominations teach that the onus of temptation falls on the subject of gaze and not the gazer. This cemented the makeup industry as a primary example of the world. So for some, Christian makeup is an oxymoron, but there is no specific prohibition against wearing makeup in the Bible itself.
WHAT OGUNYEMI HAD TO SAY:
The fallout came to Ogunyemi as a complete surprise, makeup and Christianity are two things she has always loved. Her makeup career traces back to her university days when she’d casually worked as a makeup artist for as low as 2,500 naira. She assumed combining them would be a no-brainer. However, being faced with backlash from both the Christian and non-Christian communities made her examine the situation.
Ogunyemi is aware that she is using Christianity for her branding, but she does not see it as a gimmick, it is a part of her. A foundational part of her and so is makeup so she asks why can’t she make a business that reflects who she is. “Critics have suggested that naming products with Christian references is inappropriate. I once received an eyeshadow palette at age 16 called the Book of Wizardry and Witchcraft. If such names are acceptable, why should naming a lip gloss “Yeshua,” be any different? I want to create products that resonate with women who share my faith, without excluding anyone based on their beliefs.”
On the backlash, Ogunyemi argues, “Some have accused me of using Christianity as a branding tool. This criticism overlooks the many other Christian-branded entities, such as clothing brands, universities, and film production companies. Rebirthed aims not to profit off the gospel but to provide a space for women who share my love for Jesus and makeup. You see that in my content creation journey, with my TikTok bio being ‘A safe space to live life, love God, and be beautiful’ for over a year.”
When asked about the oxymoron controversy, “The criticism from fellow believers was surprising. Christians are called to influence and occupy every industry for Christ, including beauty. If we accept that sectors like government, technology, and finance are within our reach, why should the beauty industry be any different? God has given me a passion for makeup, and I believe there are souls within this community who can be reached through this platform.”
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE CUTTHROAT BEAUTY INDUSTRY:
It is impossible to understand why many are swift to call the Christian angle a marketing ploy without understanding the modern beauty industry.
You catch more flies with honey and celebrities get more money with beauty launches. According to fragrance experts at beauty retailer Justmylook, it all began in the 1950s. IT girl, Marilyn Monroe cosigned the Chanel No.5 and marketing agencies watched the fragrance fly off the shelves.
The industry took notes and Givenchy was testing the waters when they launched the Audrey Hepburn perfume, L’interdit. Before she died in 2011, Elizabeth Taylor had a net worth of $800 million. She famously stated that she had made more money from selling fragrances than all her movies combined. This created chaos for every celebrity’s business team, everyone wanted a fragrance line for their client. By the late 2010s, almost everyone had one and one day, the public lost interest and deemed it a money grab.
MAKEUP KILLED THE FRAGRANCE STAR:
When sales declined in the late 2010s, hope for many was lost… until it was not. The industry learned that people trust individuals over corporations. So even if the fragrance well was running dry, in time, the next well will expose itself and all you need is the right celebrity.
The new well revealed itself at the cusp of the 2020s, known to many as makeup. After the success stories from Kylie Cosmetics (2015) and Fenty Beauty (2017), a similar craze of the 2000s perfume boom was formed. But selling a makeup line is different from selling a perfume, the perfume is marketed as the “celebrity’s scent” but the celebrity has to convince everyone about the makeup. Kylie introduced her Kylie lip kits with liners of all colours and Fenty dropped 40 shades of foundation.
Hence the problem– proving the need for a makeup line in an oversaturated market. Thanks to social media, the classification of “celebrity” has broadened. In basic terms, whenever someone launches a makeup line, they compete in a market filled with A-listers, TikTokers, YouTubers, Streamers and many more.
The younger generation seems to be more aware of advertisement tricks so they are constantly questioning, is this a scam, money grab or are you genuine?
The only thing that stands before you and possibly becoming a billionaire is a convincing story. In a bid to convince consumers, people commodified several aspects of themselves; sexuality, nationality, parent’s nationality, childhood trauma, mental illness and many more.
ANALYSING REBIRTHED MAKEUP:
REBIRTHED makeup is a passion project, regardless of the questions surrounding the authenticity of her claims. She mentioned that God told her to start a Christian makeup brand, and she believes it to be her calling. “My intention was never to carve out a niche but to create products for anyone who loves makeup. It is important to emphasise that Rebirthed was not created solely for Christian women. Women of all beliefs are welcome to use and enjoy my products.”
Like most businesses, the owner wants to make ends meet but Ogunyemi desires to make a convincing case that it is not only her ends that will be met. REBIRTHED is an ethically sourced, self-funded, vegan, and cruelty-free makeup line. The marketing is as apparent as they come and from a Christian lens, this is controversial but from a business and philanthropic one, why not?
After all, it successfully differentiates itself from the rest of the market, it is sustainable, affordable, inclusive (27 foundation shades and 20 lipgloss colours), and has the passion X factor.