Last year, Mielle Organics’ rosemary mint hair and scalp oil sparked an online frenzy, with TikTok users gushing over its reportedly remarkable results in prompting hair growth. But when it went viral again earlier this month, it was for less celebratory reasons.

On Sept. 2, TikTok user Danesha Mo’Nék posted a video in which she alleged her hair fell out after using the oil, alongside the brand’s shampoo and conditioner. The video garnered more than 70,000 views — and a stitched version by another content creator reached more than 4 million — prompting dozens of comments and videos from people alleging they’d had a similar experience with Mielle’s products. Some claimed to have developed bald spots, scalp irritation and thinning hairlines after using the oil.

In a Sept. 9 response, Monique Rodriguez, Mielle’s founder and chief executive, gave an impassioned speech to the brand’s “amazing community” in a video shared on both her personal Instagram account and Mielle’s official page.

“We’ve always taken great care in ensuring the cost and the quality of our products and that commitment has never wavered,” she said. ”If you have any doubts, I encourage you to explore our labels.”

The rosemary mint oil “is trusted by our team,” a spokesperson for Mielle told BoF in a statement, adding: “We constantly evaluate the quality of our products for compliance and safety … We take consumer feedback seriously and can share that none of the negative experiences alleged have been medically confirmed as health issues caused by our products.”

It’s not the first time a haircare brand has come under fire for claims that its products caused harm — or that a CEO turned to social media to tackle the issue. Last year, Olaplex’s then-chief executive JuE Wong took to Instagram in an attempt to debunk allegations its products resulted in hair loss, breakage, and scalp injury. DevaCurl, a premium brand for curly-haired women, faced backlash in 2020 after a viral YouTube video from influencer Ayesha Malik claimed the products were causing hair loss; a stream of lawsuits soon followed.

Rodriguez, who is one of a handful of Black women to build, scale, and sell a multimillion-dollar beauty brand, faces a more complex challenge than her predecessors.

Mielle, which she sold to P&G in January 2023, caters to Black and multicultural women, a group with a historically fraught relationship with beauty brands. Decades of “hair trauma” — resulting from pressure to conform to white beauty standards through heat styling and harsh chemical relaxers — has made Black women especially sensitive about their hair, from how it’s styled to the products they use and who makes them, said Kayla Greaves, a beauty expert and consultant.

Rodriguez’s sale of Mielle to P&G — much like SheaMoisture and Carol’s Daughter’s sales to Unilever and L’Oréal in 2017 and 2014, respectively — was met with scepticism from Black consumers who worried a white-led conglomerate might alter product formulations. Rodriguez addressed those concerns on Instagram last year, explaining the value of the brand’s new “partnership” and noting that there were no plans to change product formulations.

Still, much of the backlash this month focused on the new ownership, with some labelling Rodriguez a sellout.

“As Black people, we historically have not had a lot of options when it comes to hair care,” Greaves said. “Mielle was a brand that people really loved, because it was very high quality [and] affordable … and was Black-owned … so we held it very dear.”

As brands have argued in the face of these complaints, many factors, from hormonal changes to stress to genetics and lifestyle factors, can contribute to hair loss. But even unproven claims can cause lasting reputational harm. Today, the first page of results in a Google search for DevaCurl — which paid a $5.2 million class action settlement in 2021 — surfaces Reddit posts and articles about the allegations.

How Mielle navigates the coming months, including paying attention to the sensitivities and nuances of its core demographic of Black consumers, will determine whether this is a short-term setback or a threat to the brand’s long-term viability.

“If this were my brand, I would take it really seriously, and over plan and over-execute,” said Scott Markman, founder and president of MonogramGroup, a global branding agency. “You’re not completely in charge of this moment — and when this kind of issue is out there, it can spread and become amplified.”

A Plan of Action

When negative allegations gain traction on social media, companies should act swiftly, creating a months-long strategic plan that includes new marketing efforts and even in-person meetings with affected customers, Markman said. Engaging directly with customers, listening to their concerns, and demonstrating empathy can go a long way in rebuilding trust, experts say.

Like Rodriguez, brands might begin by addressing concerns on the platform where the backlash started or is most prevalent, such as Instagram, with “transparency and authenticity,” Markman said. But if they choose this approach, leaders should avoid sounding overly defensive or emotional, as this can alienate consumers — particularly when the issue is as personal as hair loss, Greaves said.

“Don’t have an emotional reaction to this, but have a factual reaction to it,” she said. “Be as transparent as possible, but take the emotion out of it.”

Companies should be cautious not to stop at social media, a common and “naive approach” of brands born in the digital age who assume backlash begins and ends in that channel, said Markman.

In fact, the next step is often to redirect the conversation off of social media and offer more discreet options for feedback. This can include setting up a dedicated email address for complaints or creating a phone hotline where calls are consistently fielded, Markman said.

In addition to its CEO’s social media commentary, Olaplex — which succeeding in having a class action lawsuit brought by 100 alleged customers dismissed by a judge last year — posted the results of independent third-party lab tests on its website (still available today) to demonstrate its products are “safe and effective.”

As part of its recovery, Mielle also has to play the long game in managing scrutiny around its acquisition.

In its statement, the brand said no changes have been made to its formulations under P&G. However, experts note that it’s common for large companies to tweak formulas, often for cost savings. Even minor adjustments to ingredient percentages can significantly affect a product’s performance, said Nausheen Qureshi, a biochemist and cosmetic scientist. Meanwhile changing manufacturing facilities or processes, even with the same formula, could alter results, she said.

Mielle should address accusations of this kind head-on, investigate any changes, and communicate the findings to consumers along with a plan to rectify any unforeseen consequences, Markman said.

If legal challenges arise, they could add another layer of complexity. Mielle might need to tap into P&G’s crisis management and legal resources, but Markman cautioned that as a smaller entity within a massive conglomerate, overextending those resources could make Mielle a dispensable liability. (BoF could not find any evidence of pending litigation against the brand.)

“If this gets the attention of P&G finance people, and they have to put a lot of money behind recovery … that can be a bigger problem for Mielle,” he said. “I’d rather over invest in strategy and tactics that are faster, less expensive and more controllable at the brand level.”

Before the Fallout

Still, the most crucial step hair care brands can take to avoid this sort of blowback happens long before the fallout begins: conducting clinical trials and tests to document product safety and effectiveness, Qureshi said. (For its part, Mielle said on Instagram that its products have undergone “rigorous and frequent” testing by “internal and third-party independent labs” and its rosemary oil and shampoo were “dermatologically tested for skin safety,” with no issues.)

Dermatological tests (such as the ones on Olaplex’s website) which provide evidence that a product won’t harm the scalp or surrounding skin, are a “standard and cheap” starting point, Qureshi said. However, hair brands should aim to go further by investing in ongoing (and more expensive) lab tests and clinical studies that examine a product’s impact on shedding, moisture retention, and the hair’s growth cycle.

“All brands — regardless of what they’re doing or the type of product — should be putting them through appropriate tests that go beyond telling us how good the product is or isn’t,” Qureshi said.

The objective of this white paper is to equip the international fashion, luxury and beauty industries with strategic insight on executing effective TikTok strategies. From brand identity and community engagement to organic and paid campaigns, creator collaborations, commerce solutions, user-generated content (UGC) and a host of other commercial considerations, BoF has analysed and investigated best practices from across the industry and interviewed independent experts, brand executives and TikTok leaders.

Finding Brand-Consistent Content Creators

Over 60 percent of users agree that TikTok creators make them more interested in trying a new product, according to a study by Lumen in 2022, commissioned by TikTok. However, choosing the right content creator is critical — 55 percent of TikTok users say they are more likely to trust brands after learning about them from TikTok creators, according to a study by Material for TikTok in 2022.

“Creators are always closer to the nerve of what is going to [be a] hit with people,” says McCorquodale. “They always have a better instinct for what is going to drive audience engagement; what’s going to drive interest.”

McCorquodale cites second-hand marketplace Vinted’s approach, noting the role that content creators have played in its success as a platform by “making the process of doing their Vinted — sending clothes to their buyers on Vinted — look habitual and easy. [...] That is how you will get consumer adoption, in my opinion.”

“[Creators] are the experts on the platform. They help brands natively tap into trends and the various communities and story tell in a way that is bespoke to these unique communities,” says Cleary.

Sixty-six percent of TikTok users also like when brands partner with a variety of creators and 42 percent agree content from a variety of creators makes the brand feel more relatable, according to a study conducted by Alter Agents for TikTok in 2023.

“It’s about finding your people [...] in new ways, [like how] a fashion critic could drive you to a brand,” adds Craft. “Folks like Charles Gross, who talks about Hermès, may be your entry point into wanting to explore a conversation with a luxury brand.”

“You have the borrowed equity of the creators. You have a different voice within different communities on TikTok,” says Wallengren. “That’s been our strategy with TikTok — that more bespoke niche, [with] multiple tones of voice. A lot of the time, [we’re] working with people over and over again.”

For merchants who use TikTok Shop, its affiliate programme also gives brands flexible options to work with creators, while giving creators a new way to monetise their creativity. Creators boost product discovery, educate and inform, as well as inspire audiences to try new products with recommendations and reviews.

A top motivating attribute in driving purchase intent is the creator’s knowledge about what they are sharing, according to 47 percent of TikTok users in the Material study from 2022.

McCorquodale suggests brands should focus on creating “consistent” and, subsequently, “believable” content with creators. She adds, “If they’re doing some kind of haul content [with] high street brands and then all of a sudden, they get sent luxury beauty or fashion, it doesn’t sit within their platform. It’s not believable that they would ever buy it — that creates friction.”

If [brands] have found the creator and the community they want to speak to, hand them a high-level brief and let them tell the story their way. That’s where the magic happens.

—  Vanessa Craft, global head of content partnerships, TikTok

Believability breeds trust and engagement in marketing assets, which relates back to the power of creators and their engaged communities.

“I would say it’s less about follower count these days and it’s more about, are they the right fit? Do they fit the values? Do they help embellish the idea that we have? Can they look at it from a different perspective?” says Wallengren.

McCorquodale recommends doing background checks on creators, which “doesn’t mean talking to their talent manager,” but rather checking public resources like regulators’ “name-and- shame lists”. Brands should also ensure they are using commercial content formats, like Get Ready With Me or What I’m Wearing, so their audience is accustomed to brand and product recommendations. “You need an audience which has a history of being receptive,” she says.

Mitchell shares how Good Culture will also evaluate influencers by checking influencers’ engagement rates on platforms like Creator IQ before working with them. “Typically, between 3 to 5 percent is what we are happy with. You’ll be surprised [that many have] around 1 or 0.5 percent engagement, particularly the bigger you get.”

To resonate with a TikTok community, brands should be already operating in this area offline for it to feel authentic.

Grant cites Miu Miu, which launched a campaign in June 2024 called “Summer Reads Project”, tied in with Miu Miu- branded takeovers of newsstands in major global cities where visitors were gifted books selected and celebrated by the brand.

“If it supports existing campaign work in other spaces, then it makes more sense. If they then wanted to enter the BookTok space, it makes more sense than if they’d led with that, because what are they doing in the book space?” says Grant.

Empower and Amplify Content Creators

Today, brands are placing the creative control back in the creative’s hands to ensure more authentic resonance with their audiences.

“In the past, you would hand an influencer a brief and you would say, ‘Here’s your script. Now say the script and do it this way.’ But that’s not how it is anymore and it’s definitely not what we coach,” says Craft. “If [brands] have found the creator and the community they want to speak to, hand them a high-level brief and let them tell the story their way. That’s where the magic happens.”

For the debut of creative director Sabato de Sarno in September 2023, Gucci asked Amelia Dimoldenberg — who became popular conducting awkward interviews in her YouTube series Chicken Shop Date — to interview other guests. Notably, she asked questions in her interviewing style, boosting engagement by appealing to her usual audience as well as Gucci’s.

“You have to have confidence in the creator’s ability to create singular videos, which have a consistency in quality, a narrative and that would make sense for your brand,” says McCorquodale. Dimoldenberg was invited to do the same at GQ’s Men of the Year awards, the Golden Globes and the Oscars on the red carpet.

When working with a content creator, consider posting the same or complementary content on the brand page as well as the creator’s channel, to endorse the affinity.

Craft also suggests recruiting freelance creators to sit in creative decision-making meetings. “Have them be in the room when you’re having conversations with the marketing team, with the roll-out — get them in-house.”

Grant adds: “They’re worth the figure you pay them — they have the results to show you that. Let that guide whether you engage with them and trust them.”

Seed Positive Brand Sentiment by Crowdsourcing Engagement

Brands that already have a large following can organically crowdsource creative output. For example, E.l.f. created a competition called #eyeslipsfamous, billed as an opportunity to make three people famous. The winners’ content was stitched with in-house experts reacting to their looks and pinned to E.l.f.’s main page. The hashtag generated over 3,000 entries with which E.l.f. could engage — or leave as UGC.

TikTok also offers services designed to engage and boost brand performance via creators: Branded Mission, which allows brands to brief creators and crowdsource the best content based on that brief, drives participation from creators. The top-performing videos can then be turned into ads and improve brand affinity with media impressions.

This is potentially an extremely powerful tool for marketers. By briefing creators at scale and amplifying the resulting content through paid investment, businesses can weight the conversation around their brand and products in their favour, creating an ecosystem of content that will affirm purchase intent and further brand discoverability.

Alternatively, the TikTok Creative Exchange is a tool that takes the legwork out of finding a creative strategy team and their talent. Brands submit a brief for a project and will be matched up to a recommended partner and their creative specialists or content creators, who then deliver the content from concept to production.

Engage With User-Generated Content and Audience Comments

Working with multiple creators can be unaffordable for many brands — but TikTok generates ample UGC, offering brands access to an array of content with which they can engage.

“The true UGC will come from the prosumer,” says Grant. “As a content consumer, you might not actually ever see the original campaign, but you’ll see someone talking about the product who’s an everyday prosumer of content [...]. It breathes new life into stories, products and campaigns in different ways.”

For example, following the Maison Margiela SS24 couture show during Paris Fashion Week, models walked the runway with makeup looks designed by Pat McGrath, featuring what became known as “glass skin”. Hundreds of beauty influencers and makeup artists recreated the look, trying to establish how McGrath achieved the effect before the makeup artist revealed it herself. In so doing, McGrath’s products were repeatedly discussed and the Margiela show constantly re-surfaced on content platforms.

Grant argues that content imitation typically has the bigger impact: “You only know the value of the original by how much it is imitated or how much it is referenced or spoken about.”

By design, TikTok distinguishes itself from its competitors by facilitating and empowering co-creation to further the reach of original content — all content can be remixed and recycled to give it new life and relevance, facilitated by formats like the stitch and duet functions.

Craft also sees value in interacting with audiences in the comments section to facilitate a “two-way conversation” and “meet the people where they are. You can comment on creator videos that are fans of yours [...] or even critiquing your brand.”

This approach will feed into the sense of community building on the platform — 76 percent of users agree that brands that post or reply to comments on TikTok feel part of the community, according to research in 2021 conducted by Flamingo. It can also directly translate into sales, with 57 percent of users looking at the comments sections when considering a product or service on TikTok, according to a study conducted by Marketcast, commissioned by TikTok in 2022.

Best practice has established an expectation that brands engage with audiences to show the value they see in speaking to and learning from their audience.

“It’s very much us tuning in and actively listening because we don’t know what is going to resonate. We don’t have a crystal ball; we’re not going to make assumptions. We’re going to ask the question, ‘What do you want from us?’,” says Marchisotto.

Some brands effectively demonstrate just how much they are listening to their communities on content platforms. On X in June 2024, a user shared an image of a tomato cut in half, writing: “This tomato is so Loewe I can’t explain it.” The post quickly went viral and was reposted by Loewe’s designer Jonathan Anderson.

Realising the opportunity to push this meme’s moment further, Anderson revealed a prototype of the “Tomato Bag”, captioned “meme to reality” just three days after the first post was shared on X.

Marchisotto adds, “Tapping into the cultural zeitgeist is about speed. If your organisation removes the obstacles that slow things down, then you are able to move in tandem with your community and make them see you as their neighbour, rather than some distant figure.”

Engaging with community feedback can feed directly into product innovation, with audiences sharing what they want or need from brands. The Ordinary, for one, gathered consumer feedback on TikTok and Instagram which inspired a reformulation of their Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum. Luggage and lifestyle brand Béis alternatively posts from design meetings, asking the community to “weigh in on colourways or patterns,” as the founder Shay Mitchell previously told BoF.

“When our social media team says, ‘People are screaming for bronzing drops’ [...] I let the C-suite hear directly the rallying cry from the community so we could collectively fast-track the production of bronzing drops,” says Marchisotto. “When a community sees that level of involvement from the highest seats of decision-making power, they know that they’re not only being listened to, but acted upon.”

This is a sponsored feature paid for by TikTok as part of a BoF partnership.