In a surprising turn of events, renowned makeup artist and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown and Meghan Markle have experienced a dramatic falling out following a heated confrontation over the recent launch and sales of Brown's cosmetics line, Jones Road.
The controversy began when a photo of Brown and Markle together at the G9 Venture Summer Summit circulated online, leading to a wave of boycotts against Brown's brand. Meghan Markle attended the business summit in the Hamptons, reportedly seeking advice for her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. The summit, hosted by power broker Amy Griffin, saw Meghan photographed with longtime friends, including Bobbi Brown and designer Misha Nonoo.
An image shared from the high-powered summit showed Meghan smiling as she posed with Bobbi Brown and Misha Nonoo. However, the photo's circulation prompted a torrent of negative reactions, forcing Brown to limit comments on her social media posts within 24 hours.
The backlash highlights Meghan's polarizing presence, with royal fans calling for a boycott of Bobbi's brand due to her association with Meghan. One royal fan commented, "I wonder if Bobbi Brown knew the extent of Meghan Markle's polarization before she posted. PR companies surely have to be aware of this effect by now and are advising their clients to refrain from posting Meghan Markle content. Before this post, I followed Bobbi Brown's brand for years and purchased the products.
After this post, I unfollowed and will not support Estée Lauder as Bobbi Brown Line or Jones Road anymore. There's no room for hate in my wallet, and Meghan Markle's brand is one that pushes values that do not align with my own: polarization, faux charity, lack of humility, and the trading and betrayal of family and friends for money and influence." Another added, "I definitely thought less of Bobbi Brown for associating with Meghan Markle. It made me think Bobbi's brand is on the decline, willing to risk associating their own brand with Meghan's well-known toxic brand by posing for photos. Appears desperate. Brands are all about appearances. Do I want Bobbi Brown cosmetics with a desperate side of Meghan Markle influence? No."
Bobbi Brown, who founded her eponymous cosmetics brand in 1991 and sold it to Estée Lauder in 1995, worked for the line until 2016 before leaving to establish Jones Road in 2020. Known for bridging the gap between makeup and skincare, Jones Road has faced challenges amid the recent controversy.
Bobbi Brown and Meghan Markle's professional relationship dates back to 2016 when they collaborated on a photoshoot for the cover of Tour. They created a video in which Brown showed Markle how to apply makeup in a moving Uber. In 2018, Brown shared a post on Instagram in honor of Meghan's 39th birthday, recounting an anecdote about the first time Meghan mentioned Prince Harry, referring to him as "a fellow she was dating from the UK." During the early days of Meghan's relationship with Harry, she also partnered with Bobbi Brown for the Bobbi Brown x Uber Retouch campaign.
Despite their past collaborations, the recent fallout has left a significant mark on their relationship and the beauty industry as a whole.
