Tarte, a cosmetics company founded in 1999, has grown its presence around lavish #TrippinWithTarte influencer trips. From Costa Rica to Bora Bora, Tarte has spent millions of dollars to promote their brand image through influencer marketing.
The most recent Tarte Bora Bora trip sent 30 social media influencers, along with their plus-ones, on a private jet to paradise. Unfortunately, this “paradise” is where the backlash began.
Before the trip began, influencers were given packages including a pair of Jordan sneakers, a Beis travel tote bag, a custom sweatsuit and the coveted Canon G7X camera. The camera alone cost the company $700; these packages exude the wealth of Tarte Cosmetics.
These influencers flew in the private jet slipping Veuve Clicquot champagne and eating caviar as they prepared for an all-expenses-paid vacation to the Four Seasons Resort in Bora Bora.
Surrounded by the lavish lifestyle, one influencer named Abby Baffoe decided to make a TikTok to showcase this unforgettable experience. Fergie’s song “Glamorous” played with lyrics, “If you ain’t got no money, take your broke ass home” as she casually fanned herself with her private jet ticket.
This TikTok, garnering nearly 2.2 million views, sparked outrage, with the comment section flooded with accusations of being “tone-deaf.” The sentiment echoed throughout the comments, with almost all expressing profound disappointment with the Tarte Cosmetics company.
“I’ve been influenced! To buy any other brand but Tarte. Good job Tarte!”
“Meanwhile I’m struggling to pay my electric bill.”
“Ouch … bye Tarte.”
The trip continued as the influencers arrived at their personal bungalow atop crystal-clear blue waters and a room filled with more free products. Record players, swimsuits, luggage and beauty products laid out perfectly waiting for social media content.
The outraged audience continued to comment on the influencer pages and bombarded Tarte’s social media expressing their grievances. The majority of comments stemmed from the idea that Tarte is already sending wealthy influencers on a free vacation, while their customers, the people who allowed them to spend this money, were left with nothing.
Tarte customers feel invisible, but their feed is flooded with videos of these influences, many of whom have never previously expressed their loyalty to Tarte products, got to spend their 4-night stay on a tropical island. Some realize they might have caught “influencer fatigue,” or are getting tired of cliché promotional videos. The over-saturation of influencer marketing has started to take its toll.
One TikTok creator Zoie Eckwielen said, “A lot of people in the U.S. are living paycheck to paycheck, and in this economy, you are spoiling the people to Bora Bora. That is so tone deaf to me,” in a video critiquing the marketing strategy of Tarte Cosmetics.
Maureen Kelly, the CEO and founder of Tarte Cosmetics, has continued these trips despite controversies in the past. The 2023 Dubai influencer trip received criticism for a lack of diversity, as well as a Miami, Florida trip where African American guests were allegedly not given the same luxuries as the white attendees.
Kelly said that these trips were a cost-effective promotional campaign: “We found the investment in these relationships to be more valuable in the long term than spending millions of dollars on one-off media campaigns.” Kelly responded to backlash highlighting that not all attendees were high-profile online creators, with two attendees having won their spots from a contest. She noted that she does not plan to stop these trips.
The Bora Bora Tarte trip has left many with increasing skepticism about the authenticity of influencer marketing. These promotional campaigns, which once seemed organic, have left customers outraged.
Caroline Murrz, a TikTok creator, remarked “Read the room, we’re in a recession. Nobody wants to see this type of content anymore, the content where people are flaunting their wealth … ” as she advocates for a shift in influencer marketing strategies.
The reliability of these influencers and their brands has diminished as they embark on trips that the average person could only ever dream of.
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