They're Colonizing Our Products!

“THEY’RE COLONIZING OUR PRODUCTS," is what I heard a creator say when I clicked on a TikTok video, one of many that have gone viral over White women using a product primarily formulated for Black women’s hair.?

A video initially posted by @alixearle, a White female influencer with over 3 million followers, recommends Mielle Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil, as a must-have product for hair growth. It hasn’t taken long for her followers to raid mass retail *multicultural hair products aisles and then post their own videos showing how they use it.??@alixearle and her followers, most of whom appear to be White women with Type 1 to 2, straight or loose wavy hair textures, post that they are applying the oil and then washing it out.??Black female users on TikTok , especially those who follow Mielle , have chimed in, loudly, with their displeasure of White consumers using?a product formulated and marketed as a solution for Type 3-4, curly, kinky, coily textures. In other words, a product made mainly for Black women’s hair. Grazia reports that #rosemaryhairgrowthoil has 15.6 million views on TikTok.

If you think?Black Twitter?responds harshly when it’s upset, on this issue, Black TikTok is a worthy rival. Based on thousands of comments, Black women, both users and non-users of the Mielle hair oil, are appalled over what they see as yet another form of White appropriation of something that is part of Black culture. In this case, a product that is?for us/by us.?Mielle Organics is the fastest growing, top selling U.S. brand in ethnic/multicultural hair care. It won the 2022 Multicultural Beauty Industry Elite award for Hair Care Brand of the Year. Founded and operated by Monique & Melvin Rodriguez, from its inception the brand has provided solutions for tightly curled and coiled hair textures. While some items within the range of their various collections, like shampoos & conditioners, can be effective on straighter hair textures, the vast majority of the products, particularly their award-winning Rosemary Mint hair oil, is a darling staple among women with afro-textured hair, because of the benefits it provides. The concentration of natural oils in the product are ideal for curly and tightly coiled hair and is directed to be used as a leave-in treatment, since Black hair and scalp thrive from oil moisture.??However, especially at this concentration, these oils significantly weigh down straighter textures and may clog pores.? While Mielle's oil product label shows directions for use as both a leave-in scalp treatment and a rinse-out pre-poo remedy, White women posting on TikTok are using it on their scalp, then washing it out. A number of non-Black women commented that the product has caused some hair loss or is too oily for them, but many claim desired growth results.??

Documentary after documentary, blog after blog, article after article, podcast after podcast, and commentary after commentary have covered the very personal and intimate connection between Black women and their hair. And yet, it appears that general market consumers are oblivious, and in some instances completely dismissive of that connection. Many White users posting videos respond defensively or flippantly to the comments of Black users telling them their hair type is not right for the product. This is why this issue has created a viral frenzy on TikTok.

Real or perceived, let’s unpack Black TikTok’ers frustrations:

Gatekeeping: Black women want their products gatekept. To paraphrase many of the recurring comments, “It’s not for you!”??Hair texture is one of the biggest racial differentiators. From hair styles to hair products, out of necessity, Black people have become marvelously creative and inventive with ways to care for the very unique needs of afro-textured hair. Needs that have long been ignored and dismissed by the general market, and distinctions that have historically been weaponized against Black people to foster a sense of inferiority (i.e., straighter hair is “good hair”).??Mielle’s oil (and a few other multicultural brands I saw while researching this) was formulated?by?a Black woman?for?Black and Brown women as a remedy that benefits issues??associated?with?those women. That is why White women creating out of stock problems at the retail shelf and then incorrectly washing it out, when Black women need the leave-in protection and benefits, is seen as an insult.??Further, Black women express concerned that their access to a staple product in their care regimen they’ve been using for over a decade now feels threatened.

Price Hike: Black women on TikTok feel that sudden new demand for this product will drive up the price.??On top of general concerns of high prices during these difficult economic times, the frustration expressed is that when the general market gets hold of something made “for us,” the price goes up. The end result? People who need it the most will be priced out of the market.?

Formula Changes: Numerous comments expressed concern that Mielle might eventually modify or dilute the oil formula to make it work for Types 1 and 2 textures. Some comments suggest that this is Shea Moisture all over again, inferring that when general market consumers discovered the brand, the company may have changed its original hair care formulas to work better for straighter textures.

Many of the Black TikTok creators posting their opinions start out by clarifying that all women – regardless of race – have the right to use what works for their hair. But they go on to say for White women with straighter hair who may least benefit from the Mielle hair oil to suddenly?discover,?trend,?and, in their opinion, improperly?use?the product made for Black women’s hair rubs them the wrong way. Some, very politely (and some, not so politely) attempt to educate White women on the issue.

The flipside of this situation is that all beauty brands desire new consumers. Seemingly without any attempt to market or connect with this new end user, Mielle is likely experiencing an unexpected uptick in sales and an increase in orders from its retail partners. As a brand known for empowering and helping educate the curly & coily-textured hair community on proper use of its products, it is uncertain, at this time, whether the brand plans to respond to this new attention.?

*In the mass, drug, grocery and specialty beauty retail??hair and skin care segments, IRI categorizes products made for and primarily sold to Black and Brown consumers as “multicultural” and “ethnic.”