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Morphe x Jaclyn Hill Vault Palettes: A word on batch codes


Just a quick follow up post to yesterday's post.

ULTA Beauty is selling the Vault palettes individually for $15 each or all four for $60. If you go to Morphe's site you can buy all four for less ($49). That said, let's talk about batch codes.

What is a batch code? Cosmetics sold are usually tagged with some kind of batch code or lot # to identify the product. It can be viewed as a way to prove something is authentic as each code identifies when the product was made (which batch it came from). By law, companies are required to keep a list of these batch codes (if used) to identify products that are subject to recall. You'll see it on every single food item sold in the US. You'll even find it on skincare and on cosmetics but not all cosmetics will have a batch code but the biggest companies typically do (Urban Decay, MAC Cosmetics, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, etc).

For the most part, the code is useless to the every day consumer and not all codes can be broken down to determine when it was made. There are a couple of sites that you can use to identify when a product was made, but these sites are not complete and don't break down the codes for all brands.


So what does this have to do with the Vault palettes by Morphe? Everything.

When Morphe "pulled" those original palettes back in June many of us were skeptical considering the sheer number of palettes that were supposedly pulled. Couple that with the fact that it's now eight weeks (as of this post) since they were pulling the palettes to getting those new palettes made, shipped from China, distributed to ULTA, and then sold... all within those eight weeks. There's no way that all of the palettes were pulled and the only way to tell were by those batch codes.

Unfortunately, those who owned the original Vault, either purchased that that pop-up shop or were sent PR, didn't include the batch codes when posting photos or videos. The queen of swatches - Temptalia will typically take photos of the packaging so you can see the batch codes on products she's sent but she doesn't work with Morphe all that often and so she doesn't have those photos with the batch codes. Thankfully, a few people who sold their PR/pop-up Vaults on Poshmark did take photos but out of all the photos that I saw only one batch code on one palette was legible.

Original vault collection sold on Poshmark by mm0624
The only code legible in her photo is AB05A. Her palettes were first releases and her code matches the code on Dark Magic that I saw at ULTA yesterday. That palette along with two others were not marked V2 as the fourth palette - Ring the Alarm - was.

So what does this mean? It means that ULTA is selling the original palettes. Some palettes are marked V2 and have a different batch code.

Brittiany Bowman on Twitter bought her palettes at ULTA and the batch codes on hers are as follows:


  • AB06C - Bling Boss
  • AB03G (sticker) - Arm and Gorgeous
  • AB05A - Dark Magic
  • AB05K (marked V2) - Ring the Alarm

Another person, whose name I didn't catch when saving her photo (my apologies to her), bought three palettes and all were marked with V2.


Her palette codes are as follows:
  • AB05F
  • AB04F
  • AB06C - Bling Boss

I asked Morphe if they would release the batch codes along with the dates the palettes were made to put to rest which palettes are which. Of course, I haven't heard anything back from them and doubt I will. OR if I do hear back I'll probably be told that the information is a secret and can't be released OR that they don't keep such a list (which they're required to keep if their products are marked with a batch code).


Update: They won't release the batch codes (no surprise) and maintain the palettes sold at ULTA are a different batch. Problem is I'm skeptical and the import records show that the original palettes were imported into the US from Beautydom Commodity on May 22, May 27, and May 31. Then in mid-June, they imported eyeshadows from a different manufacturer. The only problem is there's no way for me to verify if these were the replacement shadows or something else as the manifest merely states eyeshadows. (Minor edit here: I said in mid-June they imported other shadows. It didn't occur to me until after I made that update that those wouldn't be the Vault palettes because the "pressing issue" came up at the END of June. So while I left my sentences, I've struck it out as it's invalid.)



Actually, I found more import records for May for the JH Vault palettes dating back to May 2.

May 2, 2018

May 9, 2018

May 16, 2018

May 22, 27, and 31

Now, what this all means is each of those palettes imported will have a different batch code because they're different palettes and/or they were made at different times. IF Morphe releases the batch codes along with manufacturer date it would REALLY clear up which are the "old" palettes and which are the "new" but my bet is that there are no "new" palettes and all the palettes being sold were to be sold in June.

I honestly do believe that the REAL REASON they stopped sales was because BECCA issued a cease and desist and they had to pay BECCA for use of the design as it's too close to Champagne Pop's design which BECCA owns the trademark to. Couple that with the fact Linda admitted she and Jaclyn were working on the original palette at the same time Jaclyn was working with BECCA on Champagne Pop and I'm sure the real reason for the sales stopped in June was because of BECCA and the quality issue was just an excuse. But like I said, only way to prove that is if they release those batch codes and manufacturing dates.
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