A spa company whose name is Indigenous for beautiful has been called out
Social media users have slammed a luxury spa brand whose name is Indigenous for beautiful for having overly white skin treatments, with little available for women of colour.
Confidential
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A luxury spa has been accused of cultural appropriation due to its “non-inclusive” products.
Endota Spa, which offers high-end skin treatments at over 100 spas across the country, has been criticised for using Indigenous culture for branding purposes but selling makeup that only caters to fair-skinned people.
The brand offers limited shades for its foundation, concealer and mineral powder — with the darkest tone being a beige hue.
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The word “endota” is Indigenous for “beautiful” and the brand logo resembles Aboriginal artwork, which has garnered criticism on Endota’s Facebook page.
“Apparently, endota is Indigenous for beauty, yet in your makeup range your shades are specifically for white women,” one person wrote.
“You don’t even cater to Indigenous skin. Shame, shame, shame. White privilege much?”
In response to the criticism, the company said it is reviewing its products.
“We are currently reviewing our capsule colour range and will be looking to expand the colour selection,” Endota wrote.
Confidential has contacted Endota Spa for comment.
Indigenous model Darrylin Gordon told Confidential that Endota’s “non-inclusive” products are offensive.
“It’s so offensive and disrespectful to Indigenous culture,” The Ms Australia World 2020 national finalist said.
“It really does affect your self-esteem when you want to look and feel great but makeup doesn’t cater to your skin colour.
“If you’re profiting off of an Indigenous name and you’re not catering to dark skin then that’s a problem. This happens a lot.”
Endota Spa, which has a reported $60million annual turnover, was founded in Victoria in 2000 by mother-of-two Melanie Gleeson.
She previously told Forbes that her business has strong ties to Indigenous culture.
“I was raised to respect our environment and the heritage of our country. I wanted to ensure that whatever I did in business reflected this, too,” Gleeson said.
“When we were looking for an appropriate name for the first spa, we came across ‘endota’ which is an Indigenous word, meaning beautiful.”
Branding expert, Nicole Reaney of Inside Out PR, said the criticism surrounding Endota is not surprising, particularly given the current political climate.
“When selecting a brand name, organisations need to evaluate every interpretation and be prepared to embody its meaning in many contexts,” Reaney said.
“A number of makeup brands over the years have faced public backlash for limiting shades. And now more than ever - every organisation is under review and community groups are speaking out.
“It appears Endota has formed partnerships with Indigenous communities according to past interviews and recognises the meaning behind its name. Given this, it is a shame it needed the public to bring this issue to its attention. Endota provided the right response on social media and it would be in its interests to expedite this expanded range in current times.”
Originally published as A spa company whose name is Indigenous for beautiful has been called out