Skincare brand Bioré and an influencer who used their school shooting experience to promote their products have since apologised for the sponcon.
Last week, Cecilee Max Brown (@Cecileemaxbrown
The New York Times(Source: Instagram / @Bioréus)(Source: Instagram / @Bioréus)
Bioré goes viral following sponsored post by an alleged school shooting victim that promotes their deep cleansing pore strips. pic.twitter.com/G0rfc6D7Nb
That Biore team deserves all the fire it’s about to catch for that ad because WHY are y’all running paid social using a school shooting survivor referencing said shooting as talking points in an ad for PORE STRIPS???
Gun Violence Archive,Mental health resourcesIf you need mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 orchat online. Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 orchat online.If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
on TikTok) and Bioré faced an immense amount of backlash after the alleged school shooting survivor used her experience to promote Bioré’s pore strips in a mental health campaign.
On Sunday, the skincare brand posted an official apology to its Instagram, where it addressed the content of Brown’s video.
Bioré wrote: “Our consumers have told us that mental health is one of their biggest priorities and that it is so important for us to be able to provide meaningful support to them around this issue. This time, however, we did it the wrong way.
“We lacked sensitivity around an incredibly serious tragedy, and our tonality was completely inappropriate. We are sorry.
“This is our mistake, and we own it. We let our community down by not providing better guidance.”
A day later, Brown shared a statement to her TikTok account, which she previously made private due to the backlash
Brown apologised for her sponcon video and claimed she didn’t mean to desensitise school shootings and gun violence.
“This partnership was not intending to come off as the product fixing the struggles I’ve have [sic] since this event. Rather partnering with a brand to spread awareness of what me and so many students have been dealing with,” she wrote.
“I did not mean to desensitise the traumatic event that took place as I know the effects that it has had on me and the Spartan [Michigan State University] community. I take accountability for this and will ensure to be smarter in the future.”
According to, a Bioré representative has been in contact with Brown and claimed the company will continue to provide her with support. The representative declined to say how much the influencer was paid for the now-deleted post.
Comments on Brown’s TikToks are still disabled, but Bioré has enabled comments on its account days after turning them off.
Many folks have chucked in their two cents under Bioré’s statement, with some saying both the company and the influencer are to blame for the sponcon.
The controversy first began when Brown’s collaboration with the skincare brand went viral. In the video, she spoke about her anxiety and how her mental health was impacted after she experienced an alleged school shooting.
In the video, Brown said: “Life has thrown countless obstacles at me this year. From a school shooting to having no idea what life is going to look like after college.”
Right after she said this, the influencer went right into the Bioré campaign, saying: “In support of Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m partnering with Bioré skincare to strip away the stigma of anxiety.
“We want you to get it all out. Not only what’s in your pores but most importantly what’s on your mind too.”
After she showed the skincare products, the influencer detailed her struggles with mental health.
“I will never forget the feeling of terror that I had walking around campus for weeks in a place I considered my home. With countless anxiety attacks to crying alone in my room at night,” she said.
“My message to you guys is that it’s okay not to have it all together. Life continually changes, and your thoughts will too. Do things that make you happy and know everything will work itself out.”
Since the influencer dropped the video, the brand has seen an immense amount of backlash, with some folks accusing Bioré of capitalising on school shootings. People flocked to the Bioré Instagram account, condemning the brand and Brown’s video. They also called out the brand for disabling comments on their social media pages.
One person wrote: “How can [you] use gun violence to promote your products? This is just absurd.”
Another person wrote: “Turning off comments doesn’t shield you from accountability. using mass shootings as a ~relatable selling point~ is absolutely vile.”
(), shared his thoughts about the situation in a vid.
“This is not some sort of satirical product placement, but it may be, in fact, evidence that we are living in ‘The Bad Place’,” he said.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I was exaggerating when I said they were using a school shooting to sell beauty products, but she references it three times in a 50-second video.”
Other folks took to Twitter to call out Bioré.
According to the as of May 23, the US has seen 236 mass shootings this year. Tragically, 21 people have died as a result of these shootings.
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