Nikita Dragun’s lipstick launch isn’t going off without a hitch.
The YouTube personality has come under fire today following the reveal of her DragunGlass matte liquid lipsticks— the latest launch from her namesake brand, Dragun Beauty.
The DragunGlass lippies come housed in unique geometric packaging, however many believe the design has been ripped off from indie brand Opalescent Beauty‘s signature lip glosses.
In a tweet posted this morning, Opalescent addressed the comparison and explained how disheartening it feels to be ripped off by such a powerful influencer.
“The struggles of being an Indie Brand,” they wrote. “It took us a year to get our hands on the perfect component. One that made us stand out and aligned with our vision. Although it’s possible @NikitaDragun has never seen our products, due to her platform, we’ll look like the imitation.”
While many came to Opalescent’s defense, user Braxton Gary claims Nikita’s component is a stock option at many labs. He provided screenshots that allegedly show Braxton also considered using this component design for his makeup in production.
The DragunGlass component also appears to be almost an exact replica of the KKW Fragrance crystal range.
Opalescent explained that they did their due diligence prior to choosing a lip gloss component to make sure they “didn’t take away from anyone or follow in their footsteps.”
Regardless, many agree that someone on Nikita’s team should have done their research.
“110% know your brand is NOT a copy cat, but also 110% know there’s plenty of other component ideas she could’ve used for her brand & considering she has lots of $$ it would’ve been easy to do so,” wrote beautybybrittney. “Coming out with something original or different then someone else’s isn’t hard.”
Another fan agreed that Nikita has the resources to come up with her own original design.
Nikita Dragun has since responded to the backlash.
In a quote tweet, Nikita replied to Opalescent’s initial comparison, writing, “i’m going to have to disagree with u. the overall vibe is completely different. never heard of ur brand before today. being a CEO of an indie brand myself i understand there r many products in the industry that look the same due to stock packaging. wish u the best in ur business.”
Nikita followed up saying, “for context brands have the option to create a new component which takes a lot of time, money, and raises the price of the product. or choose from already existing components the manufacturer has created. then the brand customizes it in a way to make it different!”
Unfortunately, the cruelty-free brand does not have their design copyrighted, as they said they have put all their money into formula. While it doesn’t seem they intend on pursuing legal action, Opalescent wants consumers to know that they are not a copycat brand.
Follow Opalescent Beauty here.