Sally Hansen responds to change in Pacific Blue

If you're not a nail polish fanatic and/or you missed my original post about this, please click here if you'd like to get up to speed on the recent change to the much-loved Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear shade, Pacific Blue.

Since the change, there have been literally hundreds and hundreds of posts on Instagram by fans all over the country (and world), expressing sadness and disappointment over the recent change to both the formula and color of this iconic shade. Don't believe me? Search the #pacificblue hashtag on Instagram to see for yourself (you can also scroll through the #pacificblue hashtag here if you're on a desktop and/or do not have Instagram. There is also a secondary #savepacificblue hashtag here).

Today, Sally Hansen issued an official response to this change on their Instagram page. I wanted to share it here with you in case you're not on Instagram:

image source: Sally Hansen Instagram page

I'll try to keep this brief, but here are my thoughts on this issue...

Sally Hansen is not the first brand to change the color and/or formulation of an existing product, and they won't be the last. We've seen this before with nail colors from other brands, as well as in other color cosmetics such as lipstick and eyeshadow. I think what is most upsetting to fans of Pacific Blue is that Sally Hansen decided to keep the original name, Pacific Blue, even though the new shade is much darker, more sheer and it also contains shimmer. In other words, this is not the Pacific Blue that we know and love (as I stated in my original blog post) and thus, it should probably have a different name.

In their response above, Sally Hansen said that they made this change to keep the color "fresh and on trend" and I don't doubt that. Sally Hansen does a remarkable job at quickly bringing on-trend shades to the drugstore level, and they churn out impressive limited edition collections like nobody's business. But I also think it's important to keep in mind that there could be other internal reasons for this change that may have added to the complexity of the issue. Perhaps a supplier of theirs is no longer making one of the ingredients required to create the original Pacific Blue? Maybe there's a larger strategy in place for the entire Xtreme Wear line? We just don't know, and those types of strategies and business decisions are privately made within every company, not just Sally Hansen.

Obviously, my own personal wish is that the original Pacific Blue be returned to the marketplace in its original glory for all eternity. But keep in mind that this may not happen, and there may be several reasons for that. If it does NOT happen, I hope that Sally Hansen will consider officially discontinuing Pacific Blue and then change the name of the "new" Pacific Blue to something else, just to avoid confusion moving forward. There will always be references to the original Pacific Blue within the nail community and, from a selfish blogging perspective, I don't want to have to add an asterisk to Pacific Blue with a footnote explaining old formula vs. new formula every time it is referenced. Also, I've heard from @youngwildnadpolished on Instagram that the colors and formulas for the Xtreme Wear shades Mellow Yellow and Coral Reef have also changed (but the names have remained the same). So it would be nice if Sally Hansen changed those names as well, moving forward.

And just to be clear, I have absolutely no anger toward Sally Hansen for making these changes. If you saw my original post, it was more of a tongue-in-cheek "eulogy" rather than an anger-fueled rant. In the five years that I've been writing this blog, I've seen many, many beloved products come and go. That's just the nature of the beauty industry, and I'm getting better at accepting these types of changes as time goes on. But that doesn't mean I can't express my shock or sadness, of course.

PS: For those asking, "Why is there such drama and outrage over a shade that already has a million dupes that you can easily find everywhere??" please allow me to respond to that:

I've had several polish lovers personally tell me that Sally Hansen Pacific Blue was the shade that ignited their passion about nail polish. Since its debut in 2009, it has become known as "the one that started it all" in terms of vibrant blue polishes at the drugstore. It has inspired countless dupes and lookalikes since 2009, but there is NO shade that is 100% identical in both color and formulation. Pacific Blue is a "one-coater" (perfect opacity after just one coat) and it is not a "stainer" (it does not stain your nails or cuticles after removal, which blue polishes are known to do). Many of us consider it the perfect blue polish, and even though there are several shades out there that are similar, nothing can really take its place. I understand that some of you may be thinking, "All this over a $3 nail polish?" And I get that. In the grand scheme of things, it does seem a little over the top. But I know that everyone reading this post has probably developed a sentimental attachment to a beauty product at least once in their lives, whether it be a certain shade of lipstick, a brand of mascara, etc. And if that lipstick or mascara were suddenly taken away, and you had the power to communicate your displeasure over social media, would you do it? Many, many people have done so when it comes to Pacific Blue, and I for one am thrilled that Sally Hansen has responded to this. Whether Pacific Blue comes back to us or not, I think it's great that we had our voices heard and acknowledged. 

NOTE: I have not spoken to anyone at Sally Hansen or Sally Hansen's parent company, Coty, about this issue. All of the opinions expressed in this is post are solely my own opinions.