We are very sorry, but many of the darker shades have been discontinued from the Neutrogena Cosmetic line and are no longer available for purchase. Unfortunately, they were not selling as well as we had hoped they would. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. You can be assured that we will share your concerns with the proper authorities on the Cosmetics team, as they are always interested in consumer feedback when developing products for the line.
An understandable explanation. After all they're a corporation, they have the bottom line to think of.
I get invitations from them every so often to participate in some survey or other. Normally I take the time to fill them out, as I do use their skincare line. But today, in light of where my mind has been at now and over the past few weeks, I couldn't bring myself to click the link in the the 'we'd love you to participate in a survey' email. Instead I wrote this:
To Whom It May Concern:
I like your skincare products. I really do, and normally this would be enough for me to want to participate in your survey.
But I won't. Here's why: You don't produce makeup for my skin color. You probably will never produce makeup for my skin color because I'm not part of a profitable demographic. I'm a reasonably well off African-American woman and apparently there's not enough of me for you to make a profit off developing makeup for my skin color.
I understand. Really I do. You're a big company and have shareholders to think of. Normally I would be able to accept this reasonable fact but today I can't. I just can't.
So I won't participate in your survey today. Possibly not tomorrow either. Maybe if you try again in a few months, or years, I'll have once again accepted the Way Things Are and will take your survey. But not today.
Regards,
I doubt anyone other than some hapless intern will read my response, but it made me feel a fraction better after writing it.
