Screenshots of a post by Yara on her Facebook page in April show her comparing Naturium to cult skincare brand The Ordinary, saying its products have "higher quality ingredients and feel nicer on the skin".
In screenshots posted by YouTuber Kenna, Yara tells a fan she found out about the brand from a "PR mailer" and offered followers a discount code to use if they wanted to buy any of the products.
In a Facebook comment Ms Yara claimed she had been sent the products by a PR person. Photo / Youtube
But in a YouTube video last week Yara announced that Naturium was "my skincare brand", sharing reactions from other influencers to the news that she owned the brand.
In the clip, Yara said that she didn't disclose the fact that she owned Naturium before because she "didn't want it to be an influencer brand" and wanted to get "honest and true feedback from everyone".
But fans weren't happy with her reasoning for the nondisclosure, slamming Yara for misleading them.
Several pointed out that Yara could be found in breach of US law, as the country's Federal Trade Commission stipulates that influencers must disclose any relationship they have with a brand.
I’ve lost so much respect for Susan Yara both as a skincare addict and as somebody who works in marketing. I know she’s trying to be clever getting unbiased feedback but there’s rules and regulations we all have to follow and this just seems a bit underhanded...
— Oh no, not Billy... (@BecauseImBilly) June 22, 2020
As someone who loved Susan Yara, I'm extremely disappointed that she has been misleading her viewers into believing that her skincare line, @NaturiumSkin, does not belong to her. This is against FTC guidelines. YOU MUST DISCLOSE AFFILIATION for a reason! https://t.co/6rNDxAQqPC
In response to the backlash Yara released a tearful nine-minute video in which she apologised profusely to fans over Naturium.
Yara said that she hadn't been a "formal founder" of Naturium until a few weeks ago.
"The first thing I want to say is that I am very, very sorry for any disappointment, for any upset that you might be feeling, for any distrust that you might have for me right now," she said.
"This was never my intention when I put my announcement video up over the weekend."
Yara said that it was only when she saw others "put it all together" and show her promotion of Naturium over the past few months that she realised "how bad" it looked.
"I think that your disappointment is justified and I realise that I have made some pretty bad mistakes."
