"How Could a Child Apply It Like That?" Tonymoly Denies Viral Marketing Allegations

Video of Child Covered in Eyeliner Goes Viral on SNS
Some Raise Suspicions of Viral Marketing
Tonymoly Denies Any Sponsorship or Advertising

Tonymoly has refuted allegations of "child marketing" after a video of a young child covering their face entirely with black eyeliner went viral on social networking services (SNS).

Recently, a video of a child drawing graffiti on their face with Emo cosmetics went viral on social networking services (SNS), raising suspicions of 'viral marketing.' SNS

Recently, a video showing a young child applying gel eyeliner all over their face and then bursting into tears in surprise became a hot topic on SNS. In the video, the child’s aunt wrote, "From now on, don’t leave my sight even for a second," alongside the footage.

In the video, the child is seated in front of a mirror, with their entire face covered in black eyeliner. When the child saw their reflection and began to cry in shock, the aunt, also surprised, said, "Why are you scared when you did this yourself?" After the aunt cleaned the child's face, the child was seen smiling again.

Viewers reacted with comments such as, "How did they apply it like that?" and "It looks waterproof." The aunt explained, "I can’t believe they opened the pouch, unscrewed the cap, and applied it," and added, "It seems the child scooped out the gel eyeliner with their finger and used it like lotion."

However, some raised suspicions that the video was a case of viral marketing using a child. A few users commented, "It doesn’t make sense that a child could apply it so thoroughly," and questioned, "Isn’t this child abuse?"

As the controversy grew, Tonymoly stated, "The claim of viral marketing is clearly false." On November 19, through its official SNS, Tonymoly said, "Regarding the currently trending Instagram video, we have not engaged in any form of sponsorship, advertising, viral marketing, or planning," and explained, "We became aware of the content during routine brand monitoring, and our only action was to leave a comment offering to send a new product to replace the one that could no longer be used."

The company further emphasized, "Marketing that exploits children is strictly forbidden within our company," and warned, "We will take legal action against malicious and persistent dissemination of false information."