Honey Pot Owner Addresses Racial Backlash From Target Commercial
The first plant-based feminine hygiene product company was crafted in 2012 by a Black woman named Beatrice Dixon. Moments after it’s first commercial aired, it received racial backlash.
This company is different from its competitors because it was created by “humans with vaginas,” as the company’s Instagram bio reads. The products are both biodegradable and cruelty free. They are created using herbs and other ingredients from the earth. And a Black woman is the CEO and Founder.
Honey Pot Co has a variety of feminine products which includes pads, tampons washes, sprays, lubricants, and CBD-infused pain salves to treat menstrual cramps. These products are available online and in stores such as TheHoneyPot.co, Amazon, Target, and Whole Foods.
“The whole reason I started The Honey Pot Co was because I was suffering from bacterial vaginosis for months and couldn’t get relief. One night, an ancestor visited me in a dream and gifted me with a vision to heal myself. With her help, I created the Honey Pot Co to solve for what other brands wouldn’t, using the power of herbs,” Dixon tells customers via her bio.
Dixon started the brand in her kitchen and raised over $1 million in funding to scale it into what it is today. Honey Pot Co is predicted to reach $42.7 billion by 2022.
Her first commercial aired on February 4th 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23kUpB79cQk
She was immediately slammed by racists reviews.
In [the] Target commercial [that] aired in February Dixon says: ‘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, that means a lot to me.’“
Viewers, outraged, misinterpreted Dixon’s message, “Black girls are empowered using this product… I guess whites girls aren’t. I’ll be letting Target know about this racist company,” one TrustPilot review read. Some reviews even used racial slurs and the N-word.
Dixon points out that she ‘said nothing’ about Honey Pot ‘being only for black girls’. After all, limiting products to only Black girls will limit potential profits.
“Excellent products!!!! 5 STARS …I am a White Woman and I am utterly disgusted by White people on this thread. You’re Insecurity and inferiority are so transparent it’s ugly. You’ve always had the whole damn pie and start shaking in your raggedy boots when Black entrepreneurs own a successful business. You need to pipe down!” another TrustPilot user added.
Despite the backlash the company has continued to thrive. Sales have spiked 50 percent. And The Honey Pot is still on track to make over 42.7 billion by 2022. That only one decade after it’s creation.
Dixon explains how Black business owners face more hurdles and less support than other entrepreneurs. Which is why she is using The Honey Pot to encourage Black girls to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
“When things like this happen, things change,” Dixon said.
Target defended the Honey Pot Company and Dixon stating, “We’re proud to work with Bea Dixon and The Honey Pot team to highlight Bea’s journey to build her brand and bring her products to Target. 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.”
