Skincare company under fire for pairing MSU mass shooting with nasal strips in TikTok campaign
Backlash after skincare company links MSU shooting to nasal strips
Bioré Skincare made many people upset after it paid an influencer to make a sponsored ad selling their nasal strips in an attempt to honor mental health awareness month. However, they linked the trauma from the MSU shooting into the conversation, causing backlash online.
(FOX 2) - A skincare company is receiving backlash after it paid a social media influencer to advertise their new nasal strips, linking the care they provide to helping overcome the trauma from a mass shooting.
The influencer is a graduate of Michigan State University. In the video which was posted on TikTok, Cecilee Max-Brown talked about the "countless obstacles" from the recent year, "from a school shooting to having no idea what life is going to look like after college."
In support of Mental Health Awareness Month, she said she was partnering with Bioré Skincare to "strip away the anxiety."
The ad campaign has received strong backlash online from other MSU graduates upset the company was conflating the tragic shooting which left three students dead and several others injured with selling a product.
In response to the backlash, the brand said it "lacked sensitivity around an incredibly serious tragedy, and our tonality was completely inappropriate. We are so sorry."
"We believe that our platform allows us to connect with those willing to share their mental health challenges. It's part of the expert-backed concept that sharing mental health journeys helped not just the sharer to feel heard, but others to feel seen. We are committed to continuing our mental health mission, but we promise to do it in a better way," read a statement on Facebook.
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Bioré also asked that people direct their anger at them and not toward the influencer.