Canadian singer Tate McRae has drawn criticism from fans on TikTok for a promotional video featuring the budget skincare brand Neutrogena. In the clip, McRae stated the products were part of her post-show skincare routine and used them to remove stage makeup. However, viewers quickly pointed out what they perceived as a lack of genuine product use.
Critics noted that the lid appeared to still be on the moisturizer and that McRae's hand obscured the makeup wipes from making contact with her skin. Online comments included observations like, "Refusing to actually use the product you're marketing... interesting choice," and "Literally not even using the wipe her hands are in the way of the wipe."
Further comments questioned the effectiveness of the makeup removal, with one user stating, "So we wiped our makeup off but still manage to have a full smokey eye and full coverage." Another commenter remarked on the perceived effort, saying, "Think about how much she got paid to do this and this is the effort she gave."
A representative for Neutrogena was contacted for comment, according to reports. The incident follows recent news of McRae's reported split from boyfriend Jack Hughes, with reports suggesting he ended the relationship.
McRae has previously spoken about the impact of public scrutiny on her private life, telling Rolling Stone magazine that the attention after ending a previous relationship was "scary and overwhelming." She expressed a dislike for situations being misrepresented and acknowledged that artists express themselves through their work, stating, "he's going to write songs and I'm going to write songs, and that's our way of expressing ourselves."
In the same interview, McRae described the toll that fame and attention have taken over the past year, saying she felt she had "aged 10 years in the past year" and did not recognize herself.