Beauty brand Smith & Cult has been widely criticised for naming their new eyeliner ‘Wax Spastic’.
London-based beauty blogger Talonted Lex, took to Twitter after being sent the new product from the brand’sr press team.
“How many people saw and approved the name ‘Wax Spastic’ for your new eyeliner? Genuinely stunned,” she wrote on Monday 19 June.
Many other social media users are not impressed either:
Smith & Cult have now apologised and removed the product from sale.
“We fully understand the offence caused by the name of our product, and wholeheartedly apologise,” a spokesperson from Smith & Cult told HuffPost UK.
“We have immediately removed the item from sale.
“Although the understanding of the word in US is very different, we have to take responsibility and recognise that as an international brand we must do better, and will take urgent steps to do this.”
UK-based disability charities have been left unimpressed.
“We are pleased that Smith & Cult have recognised the offence caused by this name,” Richard Lane, head of communications at disability charity Scope, told HuffPost UK.
“It’s a term that should be consigned to history and has no place in the modern world.
“At work, in the playground and in the street attitudes continue to have a massive impact on the lives of disabled people.
“We should be seeking to break down barriers rather than building them up.”
Ciara Lawrence, Mencap campaigns support officer, told HuffPost UK she would like to meet with the beauty brand, so that something positive can come out of this situation.
“Makeup is meant to make you feel confident and happy, but calling makeup this name is utterly offensive and disgusting,” she said.
“It’s calling people like me with a learning disability a second class citizen, it’s bullying.
“Though I am happy they are no longer selling this item, it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. In this day and age they knew what the reaction to something like this would be and they were looking for that.
“Now they have that reaction and have had media attention from that, I would like to invite Smith & Cult to do something positive and come and meet with me and other people with a learning disability.
“To learn how using offensive language to sell makeup makes us feel, and to work together towards making beauty inclusive to everyone.”