Why some want to boycott Estée Lauder amid Trump’s Greenland threats – National
As US President Donald Trump continues his campaign to buy Greenland, there is talk on social media about whether consumers should boycott cosmetics company Estée Lauder and its affiliates.
As of Jan. 15, and especially on the weekend of Jan. 17 and Jan. 18, there were events posted on social media pushing this new Estée Lauder boycott, according to Google Trends statistics.
Some of these posts, including on Reddit, X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky feature users responding to a report published by the Guardian on Jan. 15 that the American businessman Ronald Lauder, heir to the Estée Lauder company, was an alleged advocate of Trump’s plans during his first time taking over Denmark.
US-based Estée Lauder is the flagship brand and parent company of Clinique, MAC Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone London, Aveda and Tom Ford, among many others.
While it remains to be seen whether the boycott calls will yield results, it comes amid a broader trend of patriotic consumers spending their money, including the Buy Canadian movement in response to the US trade war and arguments that Canada should become the “51st state.”
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“Consumers operate today with a huge lack of trust, and when situations like this arise, it reinforces the lack of trust in society and creates an environment where consumers feel the need to fight back in any way they can and punish companies for violating that trust,” said Doug Stephens, retail analyst at Retail Prophet.
“The extent to which the American economy depends on Canadian consumption, you could argue that our purchasing power is stronger and more formidable than our military might. Donald Trump seems to have forgotten the extent to which US businesses depend on the global market to succeed.”
John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, was quoted by The Guardian in that report describing a 2018 meeting with Lauder, when Trump was in his first term.
“Trump called me to the Oval Office. He said a prominent businessman had just proposed that the US buy Greenland,” Bolton told The Guardian, noting that Bolton said the “businessman” was Lauder.
Trump continued his demands that the US be given ownership of Greenland while at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday and said that although Greenland is a member of NATO, Denmark and its allies have not done enough to ensure security in the Arctic region.
Estée Lauder has not made a public statement, and has not confirmed its association with or compliance with the wishes of Ronald Lauder’s so-called Greenland partnering with Trump.
Global News asked the company about its response to what is said in The Guardian’s article and whether it is aware of calls on the Internet from other consumers to boycott.
No response had been received at the time of publication.
Stephens says boycott calls may not be easy to dismiss.
Stephens says: “No case is being taken for what is now an international event that could affect the lives of millions upon millions of people across Greenland, Canada, Europe.
“So that’s why consumers are so angry and fighting back in any way they can.”
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