Beauty and personal care brand Kreyol Essence LLC has removed social media content from multiple platforms after competitor Mielle Organics LLC, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble (P&G), identified undisclosed influencer relationships in a fast-track advertising challenge.

Mielle Organics brought the challenge through BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD). The case centered on content created by hair influencer Laura Benoit across TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

The NAD inquiry focused on whether Benoit properly disclosed her financial relationship and material connection with Kreyol Essence in her promotional content. 

“Although Kreyol Essence had already made efforts to remove the challenged claims before the filing of the challenge, NAD found that the challenged advertising continued to appear in the marketplace after the challenge was filed,” a news release reads. 

Through the Fast-Track SWIFT process, an expedited procedure for single-issue advertising cases, NAD determined that Kreyol Essence failed to properly disclose the material connection with Benoit. In response, Kreyol Essence voluntarily requested the influencer remove posts that lacked appropriate disclosure of the financial relationship.

For compliance purposes, NAD will treat the discontinued claims as if they had been recommended for discontinuation. Kreyol Essence has stated it will comply with NAD’s recommendations.

The case highlights ongoing scrutiny of influencer marketing disclosure practices in the beauty and personal care sector, where competitors Mielle Organics and Kreyol Essence operate. Earlier this year, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that social media posts by fashion influencer Grace Beverley failed to disclose their commercial intent as advertisements properly. 

This scrutiny is already present in other content niches as well. For instance, the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) implemented a rule requiring social media influencers to disclose payments received for political content.