US beauty brand founder Susan Yara faces boycott calls after posting pictures in Tel Aviv

Susan Yara, founder of the popular US skincare brand Naturium, has faced calls for a boycott after posting photographs on Instagram that social media users said appeared to have been taken on a Tel Aviv beach.

While Yara did not disclose the location of the photographs, which she posted last month, followers said buildings visible in the background resembled the Hilton Hotel on Tel Aviv’s beachfront. Another apparent indication was the appearance of Israeli model Stav Netanel-Nagar alongside Yara in one of the images.

Yara rose to fame through her YouTube channel “Mixed Makeup” before launching Naturium in 2019.

The Instagram post drew criticism over her apparent visit to Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza, with some users urging consumers to stop purchasing Naturium products in line with the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which campaigns for economic, cultural and academic boycotts of Israel.

Several commenters said they would seek alternatives to the company’s products or would no longer buy from the brand.

“Can’t wait until you’re ready to care for human rights, Susan,” one user wrote, adding that they would unfollow Yara and her YouTube channel.

Consumers of the Naturium brand are calling for a boycott. After the creator & current face of the company Susan Yara posted pictures on a beach while vacationing in Tel Aviv. @elfcosmetics bought the brand in 2023 for an estimated 355 million. pic.twitter.com/qWFZzbdhWS

— Holly (@____Holly_) July 25, 2026

Yara also faced criticism from figures in the online beauty community. Esthetician Kamryn Jackson told beauty platform Glossyco that the apparent vacation was “willfully ignorant, tone deaf and inconsiderate” in light of the war in Gaza.

Netanel-Nagar, the model who appeared in one of the photos with Yara, told Israel’s Channel 12 that Yara may have anticipated the reaction and was not deterred.

“She is a friend of mine from America. I know her through mutual friends,” Netanel-Nagar told Channel 12. “All of these comments did not stop Susan from launching new products over the weekend.”

The Israeli model said she also became the target of hostile messages following the post.

“They circulated a TikTok video of me in (the Israel Defense Forces) uniform,” she said. “The story blew up because they shared a photo of me with a certificate of excellence that I received during reserve duty (in the IDF) and wrote that I had received it for killing children in Gaza.”

“I was subjected to an online pile-on on Instagram, and my account was blocked twice,” she added. “It has already been a week since the post, and it is difficult to describe the kinds of messages I am still receiving.”

Other influencers rallied behind Yara. Amanda Markowitz, a Jewish American actress activist, posted a video on Instagram expressing support for her and Naturium.

“Looks like we have a new product to support,” she wrote. “Zero percent surprised and 100% behind.”

The war began when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign against Hamas that has caused widespread destruction and a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Following the Hamas-led attack and the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Yara posted a statement expressing her “sadness for people in both Israel and Palestine.”

“The people who suffer the most in war are women and children,” she wrote.

The BDS movement has previously called for boycotts of several major beauty companies over alleged investments, business activity or operations linked to Israel.