Black women are criticizing white influencers like Alex Earle for promoting the popular hair oil

Black women have criticized white influencers for promoting the popular oil treatment, which is often used on natural hair.

Alex Earle and Danielle Athena, both white, are among the social media stars who have been promoting Mielle Organics’ scalp and hair-strengthening oil in recent weeks.

But their endorsement, which led to sell-outs across the country, was met with backlash from members of the black community.

Dozens have expressed frustration that a product created specifically for their hair is no longer readily available when options are already limited.

Alex recommended the product to her five million TikTok followers in December as part of a tour around her favorite merchandise in 2022.

The 22-year-old, from New Jersey, said she experienced “tremendous hair growth” after using the oil, and only a short time later, there was a massive sell-out in stores.

Alex also added Mielle Oil to her Amazon storefront which means she gets commissions from sales.

But the influencer was quickly inundated with complaints from the black community urging white women to be more aware.

The comments also reflected the mood as one social media user wrote: “Mielle oil is about to get even harder to come by!”

Another added, “Now I have to buy as much Mielle oil as I can before they change the formula and price.” Be strong sisters.

A third said, “When you look at Millie, it literally means ‘products for black hair’… I don’t get it.”

But she wasn’t the only star who’s been called out for their hair oil endorsements in recent weeks.

Esthetician Danielle Athena ended up deleting her TikTok video after it was met with a barrage of backlash earlier this year.

Her clip opened up a flood of criticism, with some women expressing their distaste despite the oil being advertised by the black-owned brand as “for all hair types.”

Law student Ronelle Chela was among those who spoke out about the use of oil by white women.

In a clip posted to TikTok, the 23-year-old said, “There’s a lot of controversy surrounding white women buying rosemary oil from Mielle Organics.”

I really need to know something. You go to the website, you see it’s made by a black woman and they really emphasize how it works for black women.

Now you know there are not many products on the market for us. Same thing on their amazon page, there are pictures of black women and they focus on black women in their marketing.

“You go into the store, you have to walk a walk to the ethnic hair section and you’ll notice that this section is much smaller than all the others.

“Knowing all you know, it doesn’t seem a little strange that you keep buying the product and then go online and blow it up and tell everyone to buy it.

“And if it’s not weird, why not?”

Speaking this week to The New York TimesRonell said, “At one point it was sold at every Target in New Hampshire.

I was frustrated because, as a black woman, there aren’t a lot of options to begin with. The natural and ethnic hair care aisle is very limited.

Users are concerned that the trend may lead to an increase in the price of the product or lead to changes in the formula.

But, Millie’s owner, Monique Rodriguez, spoke at the time about the dispute and confirmed that the company would keep the formula the same.

“We have no plans to change the formula for rosemary oil or any other products,” Rodriguez wrote on Twitter.

“There have been some recent comments on this post about it but I can personally guarantee you that we are not making any component changes.”

Monique, who founded the company in 2014, told the publication, “I understand black women’s frustration and I understand why they want to protect an item.

I think everyone should be able to use whatever product they choose if it works for their hair. I will not discriminate against any race that should use it.

Manufacturing giant Procter & Gamble bought Mielle Organics in January, and Monique, who still serves as CEO, hopes it will help increase distribution and make the products more readily available.