What happened to James Charles' Painted makeup brand? FDA controversy explained as YouTuber faces backlash from Kevin James Bennett

James Charles has been facing serious backlash for his recently launched makeup brand, Painted. Allegations against the influencer state that his brand's product, "Create a Paint" contains pigments that the United States Food and Drug Corporation had deemed dangerous to use around the eye.

In the past week, Emmy Award-winning makeup artist Kevin James Bennett leveled a slew of serious allegations against the beauty influencer through multiple Instagram posts. Bennett's allegations were regarding the safety of James Charles' Painted products and he warned netizens against making purchases from the brand. It is important to note that several of the brand's product bundles are currently sold out.

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"THESE COLORS ARE NOT SAFE TO USE AROUND THE EYE" - Bennett accuses James Charles' Painted of breaching FDA regulations

James Charles, who boasts 23.9 million Youtube subscribers and 21.4 million Instagram followers launched his own vegan, cruelty-free beauty brand, Painted on August 7, 2023. While several bundles including the Master Set and the Artist's Set bundle were sold out, several individuals complained about the product prices, which turned out to be exorbitant after taxes and shipping costs. Free U.S. standard shipping was only available for purchases above $50.

On August 2, a few days before the official launch of the brand, makeup artist, Kevin James Bennett shared an Instagram post, explaining a few allegedly disturbing claims made by James in a brand reveal video on Youtube.

Bennet brought up that the influencer mentioned that he was still making changes to the formula of the product until July 29.

The makeup artist called it "problematic" as the changes being made required new rounds of stability testing before going into production, which in this case was impossible.

"Standard stability testing is typically 12 weeks, and products with SPF require a minimum of 16 weeks. In a pinch, a lab can perform 'Fast Stability,' where a formula is tested under extreme conditions for only 4-6 weeks. Fast stability is not allowed for SPF products," he said.

Two days later, in another post, Bennett mentioned that he knew the manufacturer of James Charles' products and claimed that they were well known for their products having quality control and product contamination issues.

He revealed who the manufacturer was as he shared screenshots of one of Charles' TikTok videos, where their name, Prisha Cosmetics, was visible on employee labcoats. In another post, he stated that the manufacturer had multiple lawsuits against them, all in the public domain.

On the day of the brand's launch, Bennet put out another Instagram post and reminded people about James Charles' previous underage s*xual solicitation allegations. Bennet stated that by buying his products people showed that they were "comfortable supporting predatory behavior."

Back in 2021, Charles was accused of allegedly grooming minors and engaging in inappropriate conversations with them. He then even made a video titled Holding myself accountable and admitted to sending flirtatious messages to underage boys. However, he claimed that he thought they were over 18 and not 16.

On August 8, Bennett claimed that James and his manufacturer, Prisha Cosmetics breached FDA regulations by creating cosmetic products with colorants that were not approved by the FDA for use around the eye. He doubled down on the accusation by stating that the website also offered instructions on how to use those products as an eyeshadow.

"There's NO DISCLAIMER on the PAINTED website to alert consumers that THESE COLORS ARE NOT SAFE TO USE AROUND THE EYE. Instead, they feature two images of the unapproved colorants used around the eye," he said.

The screenshots Bennett posted highlighted a few ingredients from the "Left on Red" shade of Painted's Create Paint. The ingredients were Red 28 Lake (CI 45410) and Red 36 Lake (CI 12085). The ingredients were not exclusive to the red shade but were present in all the shades of the brand. Regarding the use of the product, the website states:

"Use a Painted Crease Brush to cut the crease. Set with eyeshadow for increased pigmentation and wearability. Tap a small amount onto the lid and blend out for a smokey eye."

Left on Red (Image via Painted)

Bennett concluded by accusing James Charles of thinking that he was above the law and stating that he would be filing a complaint with the FDA and that netizens were free to join him.