For the past couple of days, Tarte Cosmetics has had its feet held to the fire by social media users, once again, for one of its lavish brand trips where it invites a group of beauty influencers to an all expenses paid vacation to a paradise location.
The makeup brand on Feb. 29 flew out 30 influencers via private jet to Bora Bora for a four-day trip where they were showered with gifts such as bathing suits, clothing, luggage, cosmetics, and indulged in champagne, caviar, cocktails etc. They also were able to enjoy activities such as snorkeling, jet skiing and parties by the pool.
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Bora Bora trip backlash
As the influencers documented their experience on the trip via TikTok and on YouTube, users on social media made it known loud and clear that they weren’t having it.
In a Reddit post titled “The insufferable Tarte trip has begun,” users claimed that the trip was “tone deaf” as the brand chose to invite influencers who appear to be financially well off.
“This makes me not want to buy tarte. It shows how tone deaf the brand is, sending all of these influencers to a trip that they can actually probably afford,” wrote one user.
In a separate Reddit post that discussed a TikTok from influencer Halley Kate who showed off in the video what her room on the trip looked like, which was set up by Tarte, users blasted the brand for the amount of gifts they were providing influencers on the trip.
“Does anyone else find the amount of s--- that they're gifted kind of...disgusting?” wrote one user.
“I don’t get these trips,” Do they really f—--- think we want to be watching these already rich influencers go on a free f—--- luxurious vacation while we’re sitting at our 9-5 jobs barely being able to afford groceries ?” wrote another user.
@halleykate @tarte cosmetics theres no way this is real
♬ original sound - halley
Tarte founder responds to criticism
As the backlash on social media grew, Tarte Cosmetics founder and CEO Maureen Kelly finally addressed the controversy while speaking with The New York Times, clearing up a few misconceptions.
Kelly claimed that Tarte does not purchase the gifts that were given to guests on the trip and instead, they were donated by companies, mostly female-founded, looking to elevate their brands.
She also claimed that the amount of money the company spends on its Tarte brand trips “costs way less” than what a company would pay for a Super Bowl ad time slot.
“I find it so interesting that people don’t get outraged when they see the Super Bowl commercials or those Times Square billboards,” said Kelly while speaking to the Times.
Previous Tarte brand trip controversy
This is not the first time Tarte has landed in hot water for one of its brand trips. Last year, for its Tarte F1 Miami trip, which was centered around a Grand Prix event, the brand was accused of mistreating Black influencers.
A beauty influencer named Bria Jones took to TikTok, in a now deleted viral video, to claim that she was invited to go on the trip but canceled once she found out that Tarte scheduled her flights to leave the day before the Grand Prix race took place which wasn’t the case for the other influencers invited on the trip.
“I would love to go on a Tarte trip, and trust me, I'm so grateful, but I have more Integrity than to get all the way to Miami and realize that I'm being treated like a second tier person or like I'm being rigged. It just feels like a sorority situation and I'm not doing that,” said Jones.
Kelly, in a now-deleted video on TikTok, responded to Jones’s viral video claiming that it made her “sad.”
"I wasn't thinking what's going on in the track; I was just thinking how can we get the most people to have this fabulous experience?" said Kelly.
Another influencer, with the TikTok username shawtysin, who was also invited to a Tarte brand trip last year, claimed that she “felt some type of way” when she found out that her room was smaller than the other influencers on the trip.
“I'm a brown minority Creator in this influencer content creator TikTok era, and a lot of the times, I get the short end of the stick whether it's getting paid less for the same advertisement or not getting paid at all,” she said.
@richlux713 Influencer shawtysin talks about tarte cosmetics brand trip. shawtysin tartecosmetics tartebrandtrip richlux
♬ original sound - RICH LUX
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