Popular Black-owned feminine care brand Honey Pot has been facing backlash as it trended online after customers got wind of the formula changes in its products.
Consumers of the brand–predominantly Black women–took to Twitter to express their disappointment in Honey Pot for the changes. Many of them even claimed the company’s owner, Beatrice Dixon, sold her company to a non-black one.
“Dang Honeypot went from ‘Black-owned’ to ‘Black Founded.’ That explains the rebrand,” user @PennypRHOud said on May 13.
https://twitter.com/PennypRHOud/status/1525186607074230272?s=20&t=ouZYQfiIVC9bPLT3xqawOw
“After seeing posts about the Honey Pot changing up the ingredients, I just went to check a new bottle & an old bottle, and IM SICK we can’t have anything,” user @coilele wrote on May 14. She attached an image of two different Honey Pot foaming wash bottles–one with the original ingredients and another with the updated ingredients–to her post, which appeared very different.
https://twitter.com/coilele/status/1525674816942006272?s=20&t=ouZYQfiIVC9bPLT3xqawOw
“Honey Pot isn’t black-owned or organic anymore,” user @jordanpakr said.
https://twitter.com/jordanparkr/status/1525608932827402242?s=20&t=ouZYQfiIVC9bPLT3xqawOw
“I am not mad at Honey Pot for selling or thinking about selling her company. I do, however, think it was deceptive to quietly and drastically change ingredients and not tell your target audience. Especially when you marketed it, vagina owners who needed plant-based products,” wrote user @ashvaughn_.
https://twitter.com/ashvaughn_/status/1525625409404121090?s=20&t=ouZYQfiIVC9bPLT3xqawOw
Naturally, Honey Pot’s social media team uploaded a video of Dixon issuing a statement to the brand’s loyal customer base via their official Instagram page. In it, the businesswoman assured customers that she didn’t sell her company.
“The Honey Pot is still owned by my brother, myself, and my team,” Dixon said as she read a letter to followers. “We should’ve shared more communication about the updates…I am human, and this brand is me, through and through.”
Her point was reiterated in the post’s caption as well.
“I am a CEO, a Chief Innovation Officer, and [a] founder, but I’m also human. My team and I hear you, and it’s our priority to show up and create a space of trust and transparency. Let me set some things straight,” she explained. “1. We have not sold. 2. The wash formulation has evolved for a good reason. 3. We have and always will serve humans with vaginas best. Full stop. Thank you for your grace and patience as I address this matter. Please email me directly at beadixonceo@thehoneypot.co. I’m here for any questions [or] concerns and to provide any additional information.”
Honey Pot was founded in 2014 and has since become a multi-million dollar Black-owned company sold in popular stores such as Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. Its plant-based line of feminine care products, including menstrual pads, wipes, panty sprays, tampons, and washes, has been a hit since its inception.
“I was suffering [from] bacterial vaginosis for [eight] months when an ancestor came to me in a dream and gifted me with a vision to heal myself. With her help, I created The Honey Pot to solve what other brands wouldn’t – feminine care, powered by herbs,” Dixon said about the creation of her brand, via its official website.
According a Forbes, she was one of the first 40 women of color to raise $1 million in venture capital for her business.
