The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2026
The Lipstick Lesbians shipped an unfinished Flexi Powder prototype as a $34 product
Beauty duo Leaked Labs shipped an unfinished Flexi Powder prototype to pre-order fans; refunds and a reformulation promise followed the TikTok backlash.
Leaked Labs · The Lipstick Lesbians · 2026-03
What happened
The Lipstick Lesbians, the TikTok beauty duo of Alexis and Dr. Christina Basias Androulakis, launched their own cosmetics label Leaked Labs in early 2026. The debut product was the Amplify Flexi Powder, sold at $34 plus shipping, and fans who paid were given the product well before the official launch date.
What arrived was an unfinished prototype — a raw, gritty powder that did not work on the skin. Unboxing videos drew tens of thousands of views, and the brand's response was to offer refunds and promise the product would come back after reformulation.
The gap between the polished launch and the shippable reality, plus a slow acknowledgment of the fault, turned the moment into a front-page backlash story across beauty press rather than a product debut.
Why it happened
- The brand sold inventory before the product was finished, betting the prototype would pass as a shippable good.
- The refund-first response showed the fault was known, which made the launch read as a cash-in on fan trust rather than a genuine mistake.
- Charging $34 plus shipping for a product with no finished formulation spent the creators' reputation to raise launch-week revenue.
The lesson
Selling before the product exists spends fan trust as capital. Refunding the order does not undo the damage of shipping an unfinished good.
Aftermath
Leaked Labs offered refunds to buyers of the Flexi Powder and said the product would return after reformulation. The episode became a case study in the beauty press of a creator brand outrunning its own supply.
Sources
- Lipstick Lesbians' Leaked Labs offers refunds after debut launch backlash — Cosmetics Business
- The Lipstick Lesbians' Leaked Labs drama, explained — The Cut
- Lipstick Lesbians hit by TikTok drama over Leaked Labs powder — Daily Mail
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