Lessons in Apologizing From a Beauty Guru

At just 25 years old, James Charles is one of the titans of the beauty influencer sphere. With his personal Instagram account amassing 20 million followers and his YouTube channel boasting 24 million followers, he’s one of biggest names in the beauty industry.

He’s also, we acknowledge, a controversial character. But despite the scandals, admissions, and allegations, he knows how to deliver one heck of a corporate apology.

The Problem

In 2023, Charles launched Painted, his beauty line. His collection offers a variety of makeup palettes and tools, but the breakout product is a makeup sponge that rivaled The Beauty Blender, one of the industry’s most popular products.

The company has been successful, and this year, Charles expanded into the UK market. He came to market with a promotion that was meant to delight: mystery boxes of randomized sponge colors, some hiding a “golden sponge” redeemable for high-ticket prizes.

But the launch didn’t go as planned. Videos began to hit TikTok showing that all the randomized boxes contained sponges of only one color. When box after box appeared that way, it was clear that something went wrong with the “randomization” part of the process.

Charles, in response, took to social media to apologize and explain what Painted would do to correct the mistake:

@painteduk

Yes, we’ve seen the videos 😭 This is what happened, and how we’re fixing it 🤍🫶🏼

♬ original sound - Painted UK

Slow. Clap.

Instead of retreating, Charles went on offense with a full, structured apology. His public video did six things exceptionally well:

1. He admitted the error without hedging.

2. He transparently explained what went wrong. (A manufacturing mix-up.)

3. He avoided blame-shifting. He lauded staff performance and took ownership himself.

4. He fixed it publicly. New, randomized boxes would be shipped to affected customers, and they could keep the original, perfectly fine sponges without returning them.

5. He removed friction. No returns. No ticketing systems. Just an email, a replacement, and done.

6. He asked for another chance. He thanked his audience for support and asked them to trust the brand again.

Lessons for Your Own Playbook

Charles’ apology succeeds because he stops the narrative from spiraling. He doesn’t leave space for speculation. He meets backlash head-on: clearly, humbly, with action.

For communicators and brand leaders, here’s what to extract:

• Own the mistake immediately. Delay weakens credibility.

• Speak plainly. No jargon. No corporate spin.

• Protect your people. Let them do their jobs without being scapegoated.

• Overdeliver. Make things right, and sprinkle in some extra magic.

• Remove barriers to resolution. Don’t make it the customer’s job to fix your mistake.

• Invite trust back in. Acknowledge hurt, express humility, ask to rebuild.

TikTok makes missteps scale fast. The brands that survive aren’t those that hide. They’re those that show up, own up, and fix up.

P.S. - Here’s a throwback story of a CEO who apologized very, very poorly.