Brands and social media influencers: walking on thin ice

The global cosmetics giant L'Oreal has faced serious backlash at the beginning of March this year after approaching and then refusing an Instagram influencer with acne. Beauty blogger Kadeeja Khan was first approached on her social media account where she openly posts pictures of her struggles with her skin condition, while inspiring other people with her bold make-up looks.

The company initially contacted her, expressing their interested in working together. Following this however, L'Oreal sent her an email explaining that their company "can't be involved with people with skin issues". The bloggers took a screenshot of the email and posted it online where it blew up. The post was trending on Instagram and many people were upset - how can a brand only use examples of people with perfect skin when that is so rare?

"They are promoting an image of perfect beauty that simply isn't real" was Khan's comment. L'Oreal later released a statement where they apologised for any unpleasantness caused and explained that it was a misunderstanding - the photoshoot was intended to support a new hair colour launch, but the agency casted bloggers with skin concerns for this shoot.

This example goes to show of a 'misunderstanding' can turn into a PR nightmare that can effectively shape the perception of many consumers regarding that said brand. With L'Oreal's motto being "because you're worth it", Khan commented "...clearly, I wasn't".

References

Fisher, A. (2018) "Acne: not just for skincare campaigns". Mintel. Available here. [Accessed April 19, 2018]

Scott, E. (2018) "Beauty vlogger Kadeeja Khan was dropped from a L’Oreal campaign because of her ‘skin issues’ in a casting mixup". Metro. Available here. [Accessed April 19, 2018]

Moyes, S. and Griffinths, J. (2018) "Acne sufferer left ‘humiliated’ after L’Oreal suddenly drop offer to work with her because of her ‘skin issues’". The Sun. Available here. [Accessed April 19, 2018]