It’s SO Much More Than Just “Rosemary Oil”

Graphic by Anika Dua

In such a “TikTok'' fueled age of influence, we so desperately need to relearn how to gatekeep, specifically within the terms of our communities.

This brings me to the controversy surrounding Mielle Organics’ Rosemary oil that arose this January. Alix Earle, a popular white influencer, posted a TikTok detailing her top purchases of the month. Within her video, she revealed that she purchased Mielle Organics' Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil. And due to the dubbed “Alix Earle Effect”, this product instantly sold out everywhere, from the in-person shelves to online.

So you might be wondering what exactly caused outrage over this rosemary oil. Mielle Organics is a black-owned hair-care line specifically catered towards natural hair. As it is very difficult to find products that actually work for natural hair, miracle products such as rosemary oil were kept secret for good reason. The natural hair section within stores is already so minuscule compared to the vast amount of hair products catered towards straighter hair types.

Popularizing such a product that was a staple in natural-haired communities could make it more difficult for people who readily use the product to obtain it. People of Color also fear that once a product gets viral, the company could modify it making it nearly unsuitable for the hair type that it was created for, (cough-cough, Shea Moisture.) But luckily, Mielle Organics released a statement stating that they do not plan to change the product even with the unexpected popularity.

However, the outrage is more than ever justified as this isn’t the first time that items catered towards our communities became a huge trend and essentially lost all of their cultural significance. New trends have been emerging from TikTok, such as the “Clean Girl Core”, Hair Oiling, and the “Brownie Lips” which has quickly risen to fame over the last year. These trends go so much deeper than just a new trendy item of the month. Slick-Back buns, Brown Lip-liners, and Hair Oiling are all big staples of the Latinx, South Asian, and Black communities that we have seen cultivate over the decades.

These staples were mocked back then, but are now seen as trendy all because of an influencer’s power. People of Color have created these trends only to have them reduced to “ghetto and trashy.” Hence, it’s almost demeaning when people decide to appropriate it and not even dare to acknowledge its history. It would be so much easier if influencers, whose literal job is to influence, used their reach to educate their followers on the products that they promote. It is too often that the trend cycle renders culture into measly trends. It could all be avoided once you acknowledge the historical impact surrounding your “trend of the week”.