A viral moment from Mielle Organics on social media sparks a debate on the ethics of procurement

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Picture this: An influencer posts a video on social media raving about your product and encouraging millions of their followers to start buying it.

Sounds like a dream, right? Well, for hair product company Mielle Organics, going viral on social media sparked a firestorm of controversy.

Mielle Organics is a well-known, Black-owned hair care brand founded in 2014 that initially gained popularity among the natural hair community—that is, without straightening treatments—as a symbol of anti-racism. One Mielle product in particular, the Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil, has gained popularity thanks to TikTok .

In late 2022, popular creator Alix Earle shared the oil as one of her “ Amazon Favorites of 2022 ” and TikTok users began expressing concerns about difficulties finding the product, the oil’s price increase at their local stores, and a possible formula change, leaving thousands of comments and reviews.

Monique Rodriguez, founder of Mielle Organics, responded to the concerns by issuing a statement saying the company had no plans to make any changes to the product.

It’s worth noting that while Earle wasn’t the first non-Black creator to post about the oil, uruguay phone number material there is a huge audience eager to buy what she recommends.

All of these events sparked a larger conversation about the accessibility of ethnic hair care products and who benefits most when these products go viral.


Who benefits when brands are acquired?

On January 11, it was announced that Mielle Organics would be joining forces with Procter & Gamble in an effort to expand its product line and increase community investment. While the acquisition should be cause for celebration, the news and timing of the acquisition generated mixed feelings among customers who have seen their trust shaken by similar situations in the past.

Following the acquisition of Carol's Daughter by L'Oréal USA in 2014 and Sundial Brands (Shea Moisture) by Unilever in 2017, shoppers became concerned about product effectiveness and felt that these brands were no longer aimed at serving the initial customer base that had made them popular.

These developments led to many customers feeling abandoned when their favorite brands were acquired, leading to distrust and skepticism.

The fact that the acquisition was announced while TikTok's initial pitch was still underway led some social media users to believe that the entire controversy had been orchestrated by the brand (although this has not been confirmed).


While we don't know the full details of what happened behind the scenes, Mielle Organics' pitch highlights the growing pains businesses can experience when they go viral on social media, and the importance of staying connected to a brand's current customer base while working to expand.


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