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Topicals, a Black-owned skincare brand, said influencers who attended their brand trip in France experienced "racism and Islamophobia."
On Monday (April 1), Topicals shared a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying "Black and Brown creators from the UK and US" were harassed during the company's brand trip in the French Alps.
"This past weekend, we hosted our third brand trip in Megève, France with a group of Black and Brown creators from the UK and US," the company said. "At one of the establishments on our itinerary, we experienced discrimination, harassment, and were threatened to have law enforcement called on us."
"Experiencing racism and Islamophobia in this magnitude as a group of Black and Brown creators was horrific to say the least," the statement continued. "Nonetheless, our guests and team are good. And in true Topicals fashion, we took our business elsewhere — quick, fast, and in a hurry."
Ornella Rose Hollela, who is known as Nella Rose online, took to social media to share her experience on the trip.
The content creator said about 20 influencers were visiting a French spa when a staff member approached two Muslim women in the group who were dressed in modest swimwear. The staffer allegedly told the Muslim women that they couldn't enter the pool area and directed them to a gift shop that sold bikinis.
Nella Rose also said the group was approached by other employees who claimed that other people in the spa felt "uncomfortable" around them. In a TikTok video recapping the trip, Nella Rose included a clip that appeared to show spa employees arguing with the group as they were leaving.
"This is them calling the police on us," she said in her video.
On Monday, Topicals said the experience won't stop them from enjoying "the luxuries of travel and finer experiences."
"Just as any other group of people, we should be able to enjoy the luxuries of travel and finer experiences without the constant fear of hate," the company wrote on X. "As a Black-owned brand, we will not allow this to stop us. We will continue to place Black and Brown creators at the forefront of our branded experiences. Discrimination cannot and will not stop us."
The Black-owned skincare brand also pledged to donate $10,000 to Muslim and Black organizations in France "to help build local power and joy within marginalized communities."
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