On Tuesday,
Entertainment Tonight reported that Charlotte Tilbury had terminated its contract with Bella Hadid in November, a short eight months after the model became the face of the British beauty brand in March 2023.
“Hadid was released from her contract with Charlotte Tilbury,” an unnamed source told ET. “The model was notified in November and was given the reason of ‘force majeure’ in her contract.”
If you’re wondering what the hell “force majeure” refers to, the National Law Review definition is: “a contract provision present in most commercial contracts that excuses a party’s performance of its obligations under the contract when certain circumstances arise beyond the party’s control making performance inadvisable, commercially impracticable, illegal, or impossible.”
The end of Hadid’s contract arrived weeks after she posted on Instagram speaking out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. “I’ve been sent hundreds of death threats daily, my phone number has been leaked, and my family has felt to be in danger. But I can not be silenced any longer. Fear is not an option,” she wrote. “The people and children of Palestine, especially in Gaza, cannot afford our silence. We are not brave—they are.”
Hadid, who is Palestinian, is no stranger to making vocal condemnations of the state-sanctioned violence in Palestine, thus prompting speculation online that her contract was, in fact, terminated as a result. Tilbury has notably not commented on the ceaseless suffering in Gaza. Though the reason for Hadid’s departure from the brand has not officially been disclosed, according to the Daily Mail, sources familiar with the inner workings of the company alleged it was abrupt.
“Staff were expecting, and had been promised promotional materials featuring Bella Hadid as the front woman for the re-promotion of the Air Brush Flawless range,” the unnamed source said. “They had sent out videos and content to staff bragging about getting Bella Hadid as the face of the re-promotion because her endorsement sells out makeup products like hot cakes. Charlotte Tilbury dubbed this the ‘Bella Hadid effect’ but then all of a sudden, nothing.”
One week ago, Hadid announced her own wellness range, Orebella, which is reportedly set to hit shelves in May. While not much is known about the brand yet, its trademark filings included “scented lotions and oils for body and face” in addition to hair care products, candles, fragrances, incense, and “plug-in diffusers for aromatic oils.”
A representative for Tilbury told ET that Hadid’s contract had simply reached its end: “We’re thrilled that Bella is launching her own range later this year. We have always loved working with Bella and while her contract has come to an end, she remains a great friend of both Charlotte and the brand, and we look forward to creating more magical beauty moments together in the future.”
In an e-mailed statement to Jezebel, Siân Grieve, a rep for Tilbury wrote, “As a female-led business, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty continues to support Bella and looks forward to the exciting launch of Orebella later this year. It is absolutely not the case that any personal views held by Bella impacted our contract or relationship with her.”
Hadid herself has never publicly mentioned the Tilbury matter, and her representatives did not immediately respond to Jezebel’s request for comment. But if it’s true that Hadid’s support of Palestine is the reason her contract ended, well, there goes my beauty light wand collection.
