L'Oreal apologises for Singles’ Day promo as influencers threaten to cut ties

L'Oreal has apologised for claiming one of its products to have been the cheapest of the year, as some consumers later found that it was a false claim, according to some media reports. 

Chinese state media CGTN said L'Oreal apologised on Thursday for its "complicated" Singles' Day promotion, just a day after two Chinese influencers suspended their cooperation with the French beauty and cosmetics brand. According to reports, some influencers, including Li Jiaqi and Viya, sold L'Oreal's facial masks on livestreaming platforms during the shopping festival which was touted to be the biggest discount of the year during pre-sale events. However, some consumers later discovered the same masks were sold cheaper through L'Oreal's own livestreaming event.

Li and Viya sold a combined ¥18.9 billion (US$2.96 billion) worth of goods on 20 October. However, on Wednesday, both of them announced their suspension of partnership with L'Oreal until the issue is solved. They said they would also compensate consumers if the company did not offer satisfactory solutions within 24 hours.

On his Weibo, Li said he believed that customers trusted livestreaming events because of the efforts made by influencers and brands. He said that he believed L’Oreal would pay attention to customers’ demands and legitimate rights and interests, adding that he believed L’Oreal would settle the incident.  

A day later, L'Oreal apologised to customers for the "too complicated promotion mechanism". The brand explained on Weibo that during the Singles’ Day promotional period, customers can use a ¥200 voucher after spending ¥999. However, from September to November, the company also rolled out the same discount. As such, some customers who had the voucher could purchase the face mask at a lower price, compared to those who did not use the voucher.

To compensate customers who had not received the ¥200 voucher after buying products worth more than ¥999, L’Oreal said it will offer an additional ¥200 voucher to them.

The CGTN report also cited data from Sina Group-backed complaint platform Black Cat that the number of collective complaints regarding "L'Oreal false promotion" had exceeded 30,000.

Moreover, in a Reuters report, L'Oreal said it had already conversed with the to two influencers to come up with a  constructive and satisfactory solution to address the complaints in relation to Singles’ Day promotion