Monique Rodriguez, the founder of hair care brand Mielle Organics, isn’t letting the once Black-owned brand fall from grace without a fight.
On Saturday, Nov. 23, Rodriguez posted a “very important message” on her Instagram, calling out the influencers who sparked what the founder is calling the defamatory claims that Mielle’s products caused damage to their hair.
After thanking all of the “mavens and mavericks” who stuck by the brand’s side during the trying times, she revealed something about the original TikTok creator who started the hair care “witch hunt.”
“That creator has been paid by one of our competitors,” she said of the creator, who Rodriguez said “falsely” claimed the brand’s Rosemary Mint Oil formula had changed, making her hair fall out.
She claimed the creator was “earning a commission” by going on a smear campaign against Mielle’s products while promoting the other brand’s products. Rodriguez then said the creator’s videos had since been “removed because people deserve to know the truth” and know if there are “hidden motives” behind the spread of misinformation.
“Yes this creator was earning a commission to promote a competitor’s product by spreading misinformation about our products for their own personal gain,” she explained, noting that she tried to handle the matter “quietly” before being transparent with fans online.
The 39-year-old entrepreneur went on to ensure her followers that Mielle’s products were made with care and asked them to spread the message of the revelation.
After adding thoughts on moving with integrity and telling the truth, Rodriguez ended the video by emphasizing the importance of “standing on business.”
The comment section of her video proved the brand owner has solid supporters of the multi-milliondollar brand.
“I said this when it first started cause I’m a publicist & crisis manager. It was easy to tell it was a calculated smear campaign,” said one person.
One person commented, “I wish you would have gone lower and released the name of the tik toker and the competitor. Some people don’t deserve grace,” in response to Rodrigiuez’s “when they go low, we go high,” statement in her video.
This one person gave a glowing product testimony. “Your Rosemary mint line is the reason my hair is healthy and growing. People, unfortunately, are trifling. But, I’m glad the issue is being addressed.”
And this follower another stated, “This is SO NASTY!!! Ugh! There’s space for everybody to win. This is so low. I hate it. Sorry Mo!”
Although there was an outcry of support for the products, some commenters said Mielle’s snatched their edges instead of laying them.
One disgruntled user said, “No…. I experienced this personally with my.daughter with the mint oil. Her hair fell out. She is off it now and only on castor oil and her hairline is coming back. This is close if not gaslighting. Something is happening and I my daughter have been loyal customers but after this I refuse to go back. I feel betrayed by the brand and product. I am a black women in tech and know it’s important to stand up for each other but if something failed or went wrong black or white step up and own up. I am not coming back.”
Another had a similar review, “My hair most definitely fell out & thinned out I still have leftover products that I refuse to touch.”
One person wasn’t convinced there was any maliciousness with the videos. “There is no sabotage, I have first-hand experience. Your product made my hair come out. When I filed a complaint I was told it was because the formula changed. Something isn’t right @mielleorganics.”
The reactions to Rodriguez’s newest video seemed to go over much better than her September post.
In the video, Rodriguez responded to these allegations emphasizing that the formulas of Mielle products have not changed since the brand’s acquisition by Procter & Gamble. She assured consumers that the products are made with healthy ingredients and formulas designed to deliver safe and effective results.
Aside from the claims of hair thinning and clumps of hair falling out, many weren’t feeling the owner’s attitude and lack of transparency.
“You said a whole lot of nothing to answering these allegations as a person who has purchased your products for years. Time for transparency. We dont need the history,” said one person regarding the alleged change of ingredients since the merger.
This comment echoed the same sentiment, “I used the products before she sold the company to Proctor & Gamble (P&G) who own many products in most of the USA… Disappointed it’s no longer Black Owned.”
Despite the fall-out from the numerous videos of creators claiming Mielle’s was behind their hair disasters, the Black hair community is still split on if they want to continue supporting the brand.
