Americans have fallen in love with countless beauty products over the decades, only to watch them disappear from shelves.
Why? Scientific investigations have revealed that some ingredients in those products were unhealthy for humans and everything from carcinogens to environmental hazards caused those beauty products to be taken off shelves.
Several other brands went extinct because they couldn’t keep up with new formulas or trends. Others went bankrupt or got bought out by bigger companies with more funding.
Read on to discover 10 such beauty products that are actually banned or no longer sold in the United States.
Becca Shimmering skin perfector (original line)
I feel like there was a certain heft to a Becca compact that screamed high-end. The moment you opened it you knew you were about to shine beautifully.
Champagne Pop was a cult product for a reason, it worked on everybody. I cannot express how sad it is that the brand fizzled out in 2021.
I’m happy we still have the formula as part of Smashbox Cosmetics, but it just isn’t the same without the OG Becca name or that deluxe packaging.
Johnson’s Original talc baby powder
Johnson’s Baby Powder was everywhere for generations. In fact, nearly every American baby had been smelling like Johnson’s Baby Powder since the 1890s.
Johnson’s Original won people over because they used it on babies but also loved using it themselves to soothe their skin or as a dry shampoo. Their baby powder was used by everyone. Unfortunately, Johnson & Johnson faced years of litigation and growing concern that talc could be contaminated with asbestos, which causes cancer.
In an effort to distance themselves from future risks to their brand, Johnson & Johnson voluntarily discontinued their talc baby powder nationwide in 2020.
Neutrogena Fresh foaming cleanser
If you grew up as a teenager in the ’90s or early aughts, chances are you had this blue pump bottle sitting on your bathroom sink at all times. It was our generation’s guilty pleasure: a “one and done” miracle.
This product dissolved waterproof mascara effectively in a single step without requiring a second stinging cleanse. The drugstore chain Neutrogena sold massive amounts of this product for many decades, until suddenly, it didn’t.
As beauty became dominated by the “Clean Girl” aesthetic and doctor-esque, dermatologist-approved products, Neutrogena pivoted hard. They revamped their entire lineup to focus on scent-free products with clinical packaging.
The Fresh Foaming Cleanser quietly disappeared from shelves during that product purge. Ever since, we’ve been dying for them to come out with something similar that smells like a breeze and wipes off makeup with relative ease.
Revlon ColorStay Whipped foundation
For makeup that needed to survive whatever you threw at it for 12 hours straight, Revlon’s ColorStay Whipped was a cult classic. Loaded into a glass jar with a pump was thick, bouncy mousse that provided full coverage while feeling almost weightless on your skin.
Devotees of the product were loyal fans despite Revlon struggling to produce ColorStay Whipped at a reasonable cost when compared to your typical liquid foundation.
The beauty industry shifted towards lighter skin tints with minimal coverage resulting in Revlon discontinuing the product. This is one of those rare “holy grail” products that was just too expensive for the mainstream.
Max Factor Pan-Stik foundation (U.S. version)
Max Factor Pan-Stik was the cornerstone product that introduced Hollywood glamor to every woman. It was developed by the man who literally wrote the book on “makeup,” Hollywood legend Max Factor. The Pan-Stik was used by stars such as Elizabeth Taylor as well as housewives across America in the 1950s to conceal every single flaw.
Available at drugstores across America for more than 6 decades, in 2015, parent company P&G made the corporate decision to discontinue Max Factor from the American consumer market and focus on their efforts in Europe and Asia.
For Americans interested in picking up this “secret weapon,” it is now only available through expensive international shipping or specialty professional makeup stores.
Maybelline Dream matte mousse (original formula)
When I look at a small glass jar container, my mind automatically thinks of Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse. It was ‘the’ war paint back in the mid-2000s.
Remember that distinct ‘poof’ sound the container made when you opened a fresh jar? That air-whipped texture looked amazing until you realized you slapped a little too much on like spackle.
Maybelline has products on shelves with the “Dream” somewhere in the title now, but it ain’t it. They swapped that thick, cloudy mousse texture for something thin and “natural” that just won’t satisfy that 2004-yearning.
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick
Bite Beauty was a Canadian cosmetics company known for its creamy, highly pigmented Amuse Bouche line of lipsticks, as well as for its clean, food-inspired formulas. Bite Beauty gained popularity at Sephora for its recognizable packaging and long-lasting lipstick formulas.
After discontinuing their original Amuse Bouche line in 2019, Bite Beauty reformulated and reintroduced their products as 100% vegan in 2020. They also added new ranges of lipsticks.
The new formulas were met with polarized reviews from longtime fans of the previous formula. Bite Beauty remained open for a few more years. In 2022, Bite Beauty announced that it would be shutting down after ten years in business.
Clinique City Block Sheer SPF (original version)
City Block had a very distinct way it felt. It felt like velvet laid across your face.
I’m legitimately annoyed when companies “re-create” something that already exists and was perfect. City Block was the best primer, everything that came after has been settling for second place.
Hard Candy nail polish (original 1990s line)
Before the digital age, Hard Candy became the first “viral” beauty brand. Alicia Silverstone wearing their polish on Letterman in ’95 blew everything up.
Each bottle came with a matching plastic jelly ring. Sky blue polish captivated us while we all eagerly anticipated those rings to show up. I detested how Hard Candy lost its originality after LVMH ownership transitioned to Walmart distribution in 2009.
The brand deteriorated from a high-end grunge trend into a mundane fast fashion product.
Bonne Bell lip smackers (original flavors and packaging)
For many of us growing up in the 90s, Bonne Bell was almost a religion. The cosmetic company was established in 1927, but hit their big break in 1973 when they created Lip Smackers, the first flavored lip balm.
From Dr. Pepper to Cotton Candy, Lip Smackers were every girl’s favorite purse accessory for forty years.
The emergence of larger franchises that sold affordable yet fashionable accessories placed this family business into direct and severe competition. By 2015 Bonne Bell had filed for bankruptcy, and was purchased by Markwins International.
Lip Smackers exist today, but the classic Bonne Bell factory shut down forever, along with those beloved 70s and 80s formulas and packaging.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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