Ah, coconut oil. It moisturizes our hair, softens our skin and is an indelible aspect of the Black beautification routine. But the best part about it is that it can be bought for $5 at the beauty shop down the street.
But as with every other once sacred component of Black culture in 2017, it’s been gentrified.
Last week, The Root pointed out that cosmetics retailer Sephora is selling $38 Kopari Coconut Melt (read: oil). The product doesn’t claim to have the capacity to pay off any car notes or even promise flawless skin — I mean, where is the effort? And more importantly, why is it so costly?
Was it the strange decision to replace oil with melt?
According to the product description, the melt is a “premium, multitasking organic coconut oil that hydrates and casts a dewy glow from head to toe.”
But here’s where it claims to differ: “this is not your kitchen coconut oil … Kopari’s coconut oil is sustainably sourced from small family farms in the Philippines and made from fresh, virgin, and 100 percent organic coconuts.”
Now, the dig towards the perfectly satisfactory coconut oils to which we’ve become accustomed seemed unnecessary, especially since there still doesn’t appear to be any difference worth boasting. Most coconut oils claim to be organically sourced and are also made without parabens, sulfates and phthalates as Kapari’s melt also alleges.
Verdict: This product is reminiscent of the Balenciaga’s Chinese slippers, Neiman Marcus’ $66 collard greens and every other painfully profitable form of appropriation.
Thus far, 343 people have been brazenly foolish enough to not only buy the product but put their lack of coconut awareness on display for all the skincare product loving world to see through writing reviews. It’s a really concerning time to be alive, y’all.
