Jeffree Star Had 'No Idea' His Surplus Eyeshadows Ended Up at Dollar Tree After Liquidator Deal

Jeffree Star says he had 'no idea' his cosmetics would turn up at Dollar Tree after Jeffree Star Cosmetics sold surplus single eyeshadows to a liquidator.

The beauty mogul said he initially thought photographs of the products at the discount retailer were AI-generated because he had never seen the unfamiliar packaging or dealt with Dollar Tree. He later discovered the liquidator had arranged the retail deal without his knowledge.

Star said the company had ordered the individual eyeshadows several years ago, when the category was more popular, but declining demand left it with substantial excess inventory.

How Jeffree Star Eyeshadows Ended up at Dollar Tree

Star said he first saw photographs of the products circulating online while livestreaming and initially assumed the unfamiliar packaging had been generated by AI.

According to Star, Jeffree Star Cosmetics contacted a California-based liquidator about 10 weeks before his video to sell the surplus stock. He said the company was told the products would probably be sold overseas.

Instead, the liquidator subsequently did a deal with Dollar Tree, repackaging the single eyeshadows in new white cartons and putting a limited selection of shades on sale.

'Did Jeffree Star Cosmetics do a deal with Dollar Tree? No,' Star said, explaining that he had no knowledge of the arrangement between the liquidator and the discount chain.

'Unbeknownst to me, the liquidator did a deal with Dollar Tree ... and repackaged all of the single eyeshadows,' Star said in the video. 'I had no idea this deal was going down.'

He said he realised the products were genuinely being sold at Dollar Tree after initially seeing photographs of the unfamiliar packaging online.

Why the Dollar Tree Packaging Looks Different

The products were not presented as a new Jeffree Star Cosmetics retail partnership. Instead, the packaging states that the original products were repackaged and were not sold under licence.

Star showed viewers the wording on the back of the cartons, which identifies Brand Central Marketing LLC as the owner of the repackaged product and states that it is not affiliated with Jeffree Star Cosmetics. The notice also says Star, as the original trademark owner, had no involvement with the repackaged product.

The explanation addressed speculation online that Star had secretly entered into a deal with Dollar Tree. According to his account, the subsequent sale was arranged by the liquidator after Jeffree Star Cosmetics had sold it the surplus stock.

Jeffree Star Says the Deal Still Benefited His Business

Despite his surprise at seeing the products at Dollar Tree, Star said the liquidation deal itself had benefited his business because it allowed the company to sell stock that had been sitting in its warehouse.

'I did make a lot of money from the liquidator,' he said.

Star also suggested the unexpected appearance could expose his brand to shoppers who may not previously have encountered Jeffree Star Cosmetics, describing the attention as 'free promotion'.

'Now there's this controversy all over the internet, and everyone's talking about it,' he said.

While the Dollar Tree appearance came as a surprise to Star, his account indicates that the products reached the retailer through a separate liquidation transaction rather than a direct partnership between Jeffree Star Cosmetics and Dollar Tree.