Ad rendering preventing in staging

Ad position: web_leaderboard_
search
Glossy Logo
Glossy Logo
Subscribe Login
  • Glossy+ homepage
  • My account
  • FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Log out
  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Glossy+
  • Podcasts
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Pop
  • Shop
search
Glossy Logo
Subscribe Login
  • Glossy+ homepage
  • My account
  • FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Log out
  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Pop
  • Glossy+
  • Events
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
  • Shop
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • instagram
  • email
Beauty

Tarte Cosmetics CEO announces brand is overhauling influencer program, apologizes

By Liz Flora
May 11, 2023  •  3 min read
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit

Tarte is in the process of “reviewing” its creator program to make changes for diversity and inclusion, said the brand’s CEO, Maureen Kelly, in a new TikTok video. 

“I take full responsibility for a TikTok video that I posted responding to claims by a respected and valued Tarte creator,” Kelly said in the video released on May 9. She was referring to her initial response to a controversy that ensued over the past week after a Black influencer spoke out about canceling participation in a Tarte brand trip, stating she had been treated like a “second-tier person” when the invitations were sent out.

@itsmaureenkelly

My message to creators

♬ original sound – Maureen Kelly

“My choosing a lighthearted approach to a topic that deserved a serious response was definitely a wrong approach. I should have used this as an opportunity to address the unequal treatment of Black creators within beauty creator programs. My post came across as me not taking the issue seriously and I’m really sorry for that,” said Kelly.

The TikTok post that Kelly apologized for was a “get-ready-with-me”-style TikTok video posted on May 5 in which she responded to criticisms over treatment of BIPOC influencers on two recent Tarte trips. This came after influencer Bria Jones (@heybriajones) stated in a viral TikTok video on May 4 that she had decided not to attend the brand’s trip to the F1 races in Miami, stating that being excluded from the main F1 race day made it feel like she was being “ranked” and the trip felt like a “sorority situation.” This came after controversy over the brand’s Turks and Caicos trip in April, when commenters on TikTok noticed that Sri Lanken influencer Cynthia Victor’s (@shawtysin) hotel room was smaller than those of other influencers on the trip.

@itsmaureenkelly

Thanks for listening 🤍

♬ original sound – Maureen Kelly

Kelly announced that starting now, the brand is reviewing its creator program to make sure it is “inclusive and equitable,” while “updating it regularly to make sure we reflect changes that happen within the beauty influencer market.”

“We’ll take immediate action whenever we find inequalities or errors within our program,” she said, adding, “We’re also going to be more transparent about how we work with our creators including how we choose them.”

She also stated, “I acknowledge that we have fallen short in issues of diversity, inclusion and equity in the past.”

In 2020, influencers spoke out about a range of inequalities they had been seeing in the industry, including pay gaps, a lack of diversity in campaigns and tokenism. Beauty brands and retailers responded with pledges and programs to address these issues.

According to a report by NBC, Tarte’s next steps will be hiring a DEI specialist and establishing a creator advisory group. A Tarte representative said via email that more details are not yet available.

The F1 trip incident sparked an outcry and drama on TikTok over the past week, with a deluge of videos being posted by influencers and regular users weighing in with their thoughts on the situation. This included several Black influencers who went on the trip and shared differing opinions about the decision to go, prompting a wave of stitched videos and debate on the platform.

Earlier this week, Jones deleted her original video and released a new TikTok video stating that there was “miscommunication on both ends” about the trip. She said that she’d talked with the Tarte team and that they were “on the same page.” She also called on her fans to stop harassing three other Black influencers who had gone on the trip and posted their thoughts about the situation.

Tarte’s influencer trips have been receiving a great deal of attention on TikTok, with the brand’s earlier Dubai trip sparking discussion over its lavish amenities and the costs associated.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
Ad rendering preventing in staging

Ad position: web_rightrail_pos1
Related reads
  • Marketing Playbook
    How Touchland uses social media to make hand sanitizer a sell-out moment
  • Member Exclusive
    How Chriselle Lim and Vanessa Hudgens revamped and rebranded their beauty businesses
  • The Glossy Beauty Podcast
    Scotch Porter founder Calvin Quallis: ‘Beards have staying power’
Ad rendering preventing in staging

Ad position: web_rightrail_pos2
Latest Stories
  • Fashion
    Brands call for end to UK’s shopping ‘travel tax,’ as tourists choose Europe
  • Fashion
    Asics, On Running and Represent are among the fastest-growing streetwear brands
  • Member Exclusive
    Research Briefing: Farfetch reportedly exiting beauty business, as luxury shoppers spend more on luxury goods
Ad rendering preventing in staging

Ad position: web_bfu
logo

Get news and analysis about fashion, beauty and culture delivered to your inbox every morning.

Reach Out
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Threads
  • Email
About Us
  • Advertise with us
  • Digiday Media
  • Custom
  • Masthead
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
©2023 Digiday Media. All rights reserved.