The brand has since responded to the claims.
Korean beauty brand TonyMoly has denied allegations of using a child for marketing after a video of a young girl went viral.
The video, which circulated widely on social media, shows a young girl crying with eyeliner smeared all over her face and hands.
The video sparked mixed reactions: Some netizens believed that the event was staged for viral marketing or simply for social media attention. Particularly, many noted how the eyeliner seemed well-applied, as if it had done by an adult. However, others were convinced the mishap is typical unsupervised child behavior.
In response to the controversy, TonyMoly released an official statement, emphasizing that they had no involvement in sponsorship, advertising, or viral marketing related to the video.
TonyMoly strongly denied claims of fabrication or covert advertising, calling such statements “clearly false.” They also stressed that using children for marketing is strictly prohibited and warned of legal action against the spread of malicious false information.