Deciem, the beloved “abnormal beauty company” best known for its millennial-friendly skin-care line the Ordinary, is living up to its tagline and doing something truly unusual this year: boycotting Black Friday.
On Friday afternoon, the company announced on Instagram that it will be having a mass blackout on November 29, meaning all Deciem stores, as well as the online shop, will be down for the entire day. The reasoning behind the decision is admirable: Black Friday turns all of us into seething consumerists, desperate to get the best deals on things we likely don’t even need. And Deciem doesn’t want to support that.
“Hyper-consumerism poses one of the biggest threats to the planet, and flash sales can often lead to rushed purchasing decisions, driven by the fear of a sell-out,” reads the Instagram caption. “We no longer feel that Black Friday is an earth or consumer-friendly event, and have therefore decided to close our website and stores for a moment of nothingness on the 29th November.”
The brand admits that its Black Friday initiatives have been profitable in the past. “In previous years, Black Friday at DECIEM meant an opportunity for some of our customers to secure savings across a few products from limited lines,” reads the post. Deciem doesn’t want any of its customers to miss out on products, but it also says it doesn’t want people adding acids and moisturizers to their shopping carts without thought. “We strongly believe that skincare decisions should be based on education rather than impulse, and hope that a month-long promotion will provide the time for research, reflection, and consideration,” the post continues.
Instead, Deciem will be offering a 23 percent discount “across every product from every brand” for the next month, which sounds infinitely better than any Black Friday deal. Perhaps more brands should consider following suit! Just a thought!
