Heitu's concealer promo was flagged 'suggestive' — a makeup brand for women offended women

On September 3, 2024, Heitu — a budget makeup brand operated by Anhui Heitu Cosmetics — trended on Weibo alongside Flortte (花洛莉亚) when both brands' promotional images were flagged as '擦边' (borderline suggestive). The hashtag #黑兔擦边 climbed to #1 on Weibo's hot search. The product at the centre of the controversy was Heitu's dual-color highlighter (双色提亮膏), whose promotional imagery and ad copy were perceived as sexually suggestive and disrespectful toward women.

The backlash targeted the audience mismatch: Heitu's core consumers are women aged 18-24, and the ads were created for exactly that demographic. Critics called the imagery 'a traffic grab' — a desperate move by a budget brand in a contracting market. Over a dozen affordable makeup brands had shut down in the previous year, and the Xinhuanet report framing noted that some brands were resorting to sensationalised marketing out of survival panic.

By September 5, Heitu had removed the disputed promotional images from its flagship store, though the product itself remained on sale at a post-coupon price of 36 yuan with over 1,000 units sold. Customer service stonewalled: 'temporarily unclear, will report to relevant staff.' Crisis PR specialist Zhan Junhao called the strategy short-sighted, noting that for a brand whose core consumers are young women, suggestive advertising is especially unwise.