The Honey Pot owner Bea Dixon said that sales for her herbal feminine cleanser company have jumped by 50% since trolls left negative comments and ratings about her products following the airing of the company’s Target ad.
Target chose to highlight The Honey Pot as a featured company for their Black History Month “Founders We Believe In” series. In the ad, Dixon talked about how important it is for her company to do well so that the next black girl with an idea can have better opportunities.
“The reason why it’s so important for Honey Pot to do well is so the next black girl that comes up with a great idea – she can have a better opportunity,” said Dixon during the 30-second ad. “That means a lot to me.”
While her words were inspirational for some, others deemed what she said as “racist.”
Negative comments were left about Dixon’s company on Trust Pilot by white women who felt like her ad was only geared towards black women.
“Black girls are empowered using this product… I guess whites girls aren’t. I’ll be letting Target know about this racist company,” wrote one reviewer, according to Buzzfeed.
“I was an avid fan and enthusiastic user of HoneyPot products. But recent marketing efforts with Target have highlighted a racially motivated component to the company that I am not only uncomfortable with, but outright disagree with,” another reviewer wrote.
“Racist company. Black fragility on full display,” another troll wrote.
Dixon told Buzzfeed that sales have since doubled. “I said nothing about our product being only for black girls,” she said. Honey Pot’s website says that its products are “made by humans with vaginas, for humans with vaginas.”
Black Twitter was not letting The Honey Pot go down without a fight. They left positive reviews and comments about the company and many people have purchased products from Dixon’s company.
Target is choosing to stick by Dixon and The Honey Pot. The retail giant released a statement to USA Today saying, “We’re aware of some negative comments about the campaign, which aren’t in line with the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from guests who love and have been inspired by Bea’s story.”
Check out The Honey Pot’s ad for Target below.