Morphe Makeup Suddenly Closes U.S. Stores Amidst Controversies, Viral Criticism on Social Media & More

Beauty retailer Morphe is beginning the New Year by closing all of its stores in the United States.

The beauty brand announced in a Tweet on Thursday that it will be closing every United States store location in 2023, adding that its non-United States stores will remain open for the foreseeable future.

“We have made the difficult decision to close all Morphe stores in the U.S. We are forever grateful to our store teams for their passion, talent and dedication over the years,” the Tweet read. “Customers can continue to shop Morphe online and at select retailers. Morphe stores outside the U.S. will remain open.”

Previously, the beauty brand announced it would shutter some of its U.S. stores due to the “broader beauty landscape throughout the last year,” according to a statement sent to Insider from a representative for Forma Brands, which owns Morphe. The statement confirmed that some locations would close, though an exact number was not disclosed.  The move coincides with other retailers making similar cuts, including Big Lots, Bed, Bath and Beyond, as well as potential cuts at retailers, including Kohl’s.

“Decisions that impact our people are incredibly difficult and we extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated Morphe store team members at the closing stores for delivering outstanding beauty experiences to countless consumers over the years,” the statement read.

In 2022, the New York Times reported that Morphe was falling out of favor with Gen Z — regarded as the top generation consumers are marketing towards today — due to its collaborations and collections with controversial figures in the beauty community, including Jeffree Starr and James Charles. The move also comes during a time when skincare is becoming a larger focus over makeup in numerous stores, as well as closures of retailers including Sally Beauty — which began closing 350 U.S. stores in Nov. 2022, according to Best Life.

Morphe was also revealed to have undergone several lawsuits from Shelby Wild, who alleged that the retailer did not properly support her haircare brand, Playa, once it was acquired by Morphe in 2020, according to Sports Keeda.

Collectively, all of these causes have likely led to Morphe’s mass closures this year.

WWD reported that Forma Brands was considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year.

However, the closures aren’t without their own controversies. On TikTok, numerous users claiming to be Morphe employees have detailed their claims of changes at stores in-person, as well as their store shutdown practices. According to one former manager in a video on the app, she claimed many employees at her location weren’t informed of the closure until days before it occurred, and were only given a severance pay ranging from one to three weeks of salary in value.

As Morphe’s closures begin, they’re sure to affect both their local and the wider beauty communities across the country. Below, you can discover which Morphe locations will be closing.

Morphe Store Closures

More updates to this story will come as more announcements are made in the future.

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