Can Creators Talk About a Product's Downsides?

Yes. A brand wants two things: viewers who believe the review is real and buy, and buyers who find the product matches the video.

A feed of pure praise can weaken both. The authors of a 2026 study, covered below, read their results to mean that a creator who only posts praise tends to look sponsored, even without a disclosure. And a product sold on inflated expectations disappoints the people who use it. So step in only when a creator gets a fact wrong or makes a false claim, and let her honest take stand.

In short

• US shoppers trust creators who mention downsides. In a 2025 survey, 79% said honest reviews, even when they aren't positive, make them trust an influencer.

• Candid creators make stronger recommenders. Viewers who saw a beauty creator advise against one product were more willing to buy her next pick. On sponsored recommendations, the effect was weaker.

• Ask creators to mention their skin type and how long they used the product, and a downside becomes information viewers can use to judge fit.

Which reviews do shoppers believe are real?

The ones that include the downsides. BBB National Programs, home of US advertising self-regulation, commissioned a survey of more than 3,720 US consumers in February 2025, and 3,484 of them were women. Asked what builds their trust in influencers, 79% chose honest reviews, even if they aren't positive about the product, ahead of transparency about the brand relationship at 71%. On the distrust side, 80% named an influencer who isn't genuine, honest or transparent, and 71% named content that promotes an unrealistic lifestyle or body image.

In January 2025, Bazaarvoice, a ratings and reviews platform, surveyed more than 8,000 consumers in six countries, including the US. 52% said they distrust creator content that feels overly promotional, and 43% said authenticity comes from creators who acknowledge a product's pros and cons. Morning Consult surveyed 2,003 US adults in September 2026. A sponsored post seemed most authentic when the creator said what they liked or disliked, appeared to use the product and explained why they chose the brand.

On retail sites, shoppers go looking for negative reviews. In a 2021 PowerReviews survey of more than 6,500 US consumers, 96% said they look for negative reviews at least sometimes. When Northwestern University's Spiegel Research Center analyzed retail site reviews with PowerReviews, purchase likelihood peaked at average ratings of 4.0 to 4.7 and fell as ratings approached 5.0.

Does a candid creator make viewers want to buy?

Yes, according to a 2026 study in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. The researchers ran a pilot and four preregistered experiments with 1,456 participants in all, and the four experiments used US adults aged 18 to 40 who follow beauty influencers. Some viewers first saw a creator advise against buying a sunscreen in an unsponsored video. Others saw her recommend it. The first group was more willing to buy the next product she recommended, from a different brand. The researchers call this kind of content deinfluencing.

Seeing her advise against something made viewers less skeptical of her motives, so they trusted her more, and that trust carried into the next recommendation. Brands that shy away from creators who post deinfluencing content, the authors concluded, are missing out.

When the next recommendation carried a sponsorship disclosure, purchase intent moved the same way, but the path from lower skepticism to higher trust wasn't statistically significant. Any post a brand pays for or gifts product for needs a disclosure, so the trust has to come from what the creator posts on her own. Pick creators with a record of candor.

A sponsored post for the brand she had advised against is a different story. When a creator who had advised against one of a brand's products then posted a sponsored recommendation for that brand, viewers grew more skeptical of her motives. The authors note it may look as if the brand paid her to stop the complaints. They advise against partnering with a creator who recently criticized your products unless you've supported her before, and favor long-term relationships that survive occasional complaints.

Ghent University researchers tested a single downside in a sponsored Instagram post for an energy bar, in a 2020 International Journal of Advertising experiment with 414 participants. The disclosure made people more likely to see the post as an ad, which lowered the influencer's credibility and attitudes toward the brand, but only for the all-praise version. Among disclosed posts, the two versions were rated about equally credible, so the downside didn't cost measurable credibility. Without a disclosure, the all-praise post scored highest, but any post a brand arranges carries one.

Kelly Shah-McDonnell, vice president of global connected commerce at e.l.f. Beauty, talked about affiliate creators at Syracuse University's 'CUSE Creator Con in October 2026. They earn a commission on what they sell, so the better the content, the better the chance of a sale. And what, she asked, drives a sale more than telling an audience "this is my true opinion of this product"? She told creators to say how the product feels to them and "don't tell the product page story." Content over-manufactured through a paid deal, she added, doesn't always pay off.

Asked how e.l.f. gives creators room while protecting the brand, she said the company doesn't script or over-brief creators. "We really want the authentic you, whether you like it or not," she said. If a creator with oily skin picks a foundation that doesn't work for her, saying so is fine because it's authentic. She'd like the creator to add that it may suit people without oily skin.

Ahead of its Notewrks launch at Ulta Beauty, fragrance company Snif asked creators not to promote the scents unless they actually liked them. Its research found younger fragrance shoppers quickly discount recommendations that seem overly scripted or uniformly positive.

What changes for the buyer when the downside comes first?

Expectations can come closer to reality. A shopper who hears the downside first can weigh whether the product fits their skin and routine before buying. The 2026 authors suggest, though they didn't test it, that critical content can temper expectations and lead to more careful purchases.

In online stores, inflated expectations come back as returns. A 2018 study in Information Systems Research followed two years of transactions at a North American specialty retailer. Products whose displayed rating ran above their actual average were returned more often. More reviews, and more reviews marked helpful, meant fewer returns.

In BAZZAAL's October 2026 count of Ulta reviews, 9.1% of 428 K-beauty cushion reviews mentioned oxidation. That's about four times the 2.2% for some 71,800 foundation reviews from brands already at Ulta. Oxidation is when a base darkens or turns orange after it's applied. Eighty percent of the K-beauty reviews were for one product, TIRTIR's Red Cushion, so the number leans heavily on it. If a creator says, "On my oily skin, this turned a little darker by the afternoon," viewers can plan for it when they pick a shade.

How much should the brief control?

A BAZZAAL brief names one concern the product solves and one shot the video must include, then asks creators to say the rest in their own words. It also covers how to use the product, claims to avoid, how to disclose and when to post. An over-written brief or a shared script makes every video look like an ad.

If downsides worry you, ask creators to mention their skin type and how long they used the product. "Too heavy" becomes "too heavy on my oily skin," and viewers can tell whether it applies to them.

Leave room for the downsides. One line does it: "Mentioning a downside won't affect future collaborations."

For its March 2026 Skin Base skin tint, the beauty brand Refy paid 12 creators and didn't ask to approve their videos. It picked people who would give an honest review, including one who had reviewed a Refy brush and lipstick negatively. Early sales ran 200% above forecast, according to Refy's head of brand. If a creator didn't enjoy something, she reasoned, they could explain what else it could be used for.

Glossy noted in an October piece that the figure doesn't isolate the effect of skipping approval. Its May piece reported that none of the 12 videos was explicitly negative. In that May piece, a brand consultant described an unspoken rule that paid creators don't tear a product apart, and Refy's head of brand wondered whether the trust made the reviews a little kinder.

Under claims to avoid, list untrue statements about what the product does. The FTC's Endorsement Guides hold brands responsible for unsupported claims in creator posts. Their skincare example: an influencer saying a lotion cures eczema.

Set posting deadlines that leave time to use the product. Skincare needs at least two weeks of use before a creator has something real to say, and tight deadlines push the most careful creators out first. For products with claims like brightening or firming, ask creators to say how long they've used it.

What should a brand do when a post mentions a downside?

Check the facts first. If the creator used the product the wrong way or got something checkable wrong, such as an ingredient, the size or whether it's fragranced, ask for a correction.

If she made a false claim about what the product does, ask her to fix it or take it down. The FTC expects advertisers to remove and halt deceptive claims when they find them.

If it's the creator's own experience, leave it. Lines like "too heavy on my oily skin" and "the scent was stronger than I expected" are her experience, and there's nothing to correct.

When a brand asks to have a post with a downside taken down, BAZZAAL recommends leaving it up and treating it as customer feedback. A complaint still means someone cared enough to try the product, and constructive criticism is worth hearing out.

We explain it along these lines: "Nothing in this video is factually wrong. It's how the product felt on her skin. Taking it down could draw more attention than the comment itself. We'll track whether the same downside shows up in other posts and answer it in the next brief and on the product page."

Instead of a takedown, you can ask the creator to add a usage tip in a comment or a follow-up video. The FTC's guidance here is about consumer reviews. It says asking people to change or delete negative reviews could mislead readers, while asking them to add an update is fine.

A bad review has even raised sales. Researchers at Wharton and Stanford published a 2010 Marketing Science study of novels reviewed by the New York Times. After a negative review, sales fell 15% for well-known authors and rose 45% for lesser-known ones. Their experiments suggest the negative impression fades over time while awareness of the book remains. The effect depended on a gap between the review and the purchase, so it won't carry straight over to buy-now shopping. Still, a K-beauty brand new to the US is closer to the lesser-known author.

Few shoppers want reviews that are all praise. In PowerReviews' August 2022 survey of 12,866 US consumers, only 6% said a perfect five-star average is ideal. And 54% said a review that's too extreme, positive or negative, makes them suspect it's fake.

Deleting criticism can backfire when people notice. A 2024 study in Psychology & Marketing ran four experiments on brands that deleted negative comments from their own pages during a crisis. People who saw signs of the deletion were less willing to forgive the brand and more inclined to spread negative word of mouth. The study didn't test creator posts.

Collect the downsides creators mention. Those that repeat across posts become your to-fix list. Answer them in the next brief's usage notes and on the product page. Before launch, use them to decide what to fix first. The 2026 authors also urge brands to treat deinfluencing content as a source of consumer insight.

The brand chooses which posts get ad spend. e.l.f., for one, puts ad money behind affiliate videos that are already working. BAZZAAL runs a seeding post as an ad only with the creator's consent and a separate usage rights agreement.

The Endorsement Guides bar ad edits that distort an endorser's opinion. If trimming a video for an ad drops the downside and changes how her verdict comes across, the edit can cross that line. Keep the part where she names the downside when you can.

Do US rules allow creators to mention downsides?

Yes. Under the FTC's Endorsement Guides, an endorsement has to reflect the endorser's honest opinions and experience. The FTC's guide for influencers says that if you're paid to talk about a product and thought it was terrible, you can't say it's terrific.

A brand runs into trouble when it requires praise. In the Guides' example on incentivized reviews, a disclosure is enough when reviewers know they can write negatively without consequences, and not enough when positive reviews are required or reviewers worry about losing out. The same principle reasonably extends to creator deals. A post that mentions downsides still needs the disclosure. Gifted seeding follows the same standard, since the Guides treat free product as a material connection. Brands that gift product should ask for disclosure and monitor posts for at least a few months.

FAQ

How do you find creators who will be candid?

Look at recent posts for a record of naming pros and cons, and for videos where they told followers not to buy something. Check that the creator's skin type matches the one the product targets. If a creator recently criticized your brand and you have no history together, send product and build the relationship before offering a paid post.

Is there a line to put in the brief?

Try this: "Tell us what you liked and what you didn't, along with your skin type and how long you used it. Mentioning a downside won't affect future collaborations."

Can a brand review posts before they go live?

Yes. For paid posts, the FTC recommends pre-approval. Check whether the claims are true and whether the disclosure is there. Don't ask creators to rewrite the downsides they noticed. Even Refy, which skipped approval entirely, covered the product's use, ingredients and claims in the brief. If you skip approval, keep monitoring what goes live.

Is there data showing downsides raise actual sales?

We haven't found public field data on that yet. The evidence so far is surveys and experiments that measure trust and purchase intent. To check it on your own campaigns, compare posts that name a downside with posts that don't on saves, comments asking about skin type and affiliate conversions.

Related reading: How Do You Choose Creators for a US Seeding Campaign? · What Does Ulta Look for in K-Beauty Brands? · What Does It Cost to Pay a Creator for Usage Rights?

Sources

1. BBB National Programs, National Advertising Division, with The Benchmarking Company. Influencer Trust Index: Consumer Insights 2025. Published June 26, 2025. Survey of more than 3,720 US consumers, February 2025. Drivers of trust and distrust in influencers.

2. Bazaarvoice. Shopper Preference Report 2025 press release. March 12, 2025. Savanta survey of more than 8,000 consumers in the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia and Canada, January 2025.

3. Business Insider. Audiences don't trust creators to come clean about brand deals. Nov. 6, 2026. Morning Consult survey of 2,003 US adults, Sept. 23 to 24, 2026.

4. PowerReviews. The Ever-Growing Power of Reviews. May 19, 2021. Survey of 6,538 US consumers. Seeking out negative reviews, suspicion of perfect ratings.

5. PowerReviews. How Fake Reviews Destroy Consumer Trust. Oct. 12, 2022. 12,866 US consumers surveyed in August 2022.

6. Spiegel Research Center, Northwestern University. How Online Reviews Influence Sales. June 2017, page 8.

7. Valeria Penttinen, Robert Ciuchita, Susanne Pedersen. Let me deinfluence you! The impacts of deinfluencing content. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2026. Pilot and four preregistered experiments, 1,456 participants in all; the four experiments used US adults aged 18 to 40 who follow beauty influencers. Deinfluencing defined as organic posts that discourage buying a product. Trust and purchase intent, sponsored and same-brand conditions, the authors' reading that all-praise creators look sponsored, expectation and consumer-insight implications.

8. Marijke De Veirman, Liselot Hudders. Disclosing sponsored Instagram posts: the role of material connection with the brand and message-sidedness when disclosing covert advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 2020. Experiment with 414 participants using a sponsored energy bar post. The disclosure penalty appeared only for one-sided posts; among disclosed posts, two-sided ones were not rated more credible.

9. Nachiketa Sahoo, Chrysanthos Dellarocas, Shuba Srinivasan. The Impact of Online Product Reviews on Product Returns. Information Systems Research, 2018. Two years of transactions at a North American specialty retailer.

10. Jonah Berger, Alan Sorensen, Scott Rasmussen. Positive Effects of Negative Publicity: When Negative Reviews Increase Sales. Marketing Science, 2010. Weekly sales of 244 hardcover novels reviewed by the New York Times, 2001 to 2003. Effects depended on a gap between publicity and purchase.

11. Junyun Liao, Yaohua Ye, Raffaele Filieri, Peng Du, Ying Jiang. Why did you delete my comment?. Psychology & Marketing, 2024. Four experiments on comment deletion during a brand crisis.

12. Glossy. Refy's no-approval creator campaign for Skin Base. May 1, 2026. Twelve paid creators, no approvals, sales 200% above forecast, no explicitly negative posts. A consultant on paid creators' unspoken rule and the head of brand's reflection.

13. Glossy. Beauty creators want brands to go off-script. Oct. 5, 2026. The Refy figure doesn't isolate the brief's effect.

14. Glossy. Snif's Notewrks Ulta Beauty launch. July 24, 2026. Creators asked to promote only scents they genuinely like; Snif's research.

15. Syracuse University Center for the Creator Economy. e.l.f. Beauty & Connected Commerce: A Fireside Chat with Kelly Shah-McDonnell. Recorded Oct. 23, posted Oct. 29, 2026. Boosting videos that work 12:31, no scripts and the oily-skin foundation example 13:37, affiliates and "my true opinion" 17:08, boosting affiliate content with paid 21:04.

16. Federal Trade Commission. 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Revised effective July 26, 2023. Sections 255.1(a), (b), (d), 255.1(h) Example 5, 255.5(a), 255.5(b)(6).

17. Federal Trade Commission. FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking. June 2023. Reviews with negative points, free product and monitoring, pre-approval of paid posts. Asking for updates rather than changes or deletions to negative reviews.

18. Federal Trade Commission. Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers. Published 2019, updated December 2024.

19. BAZZAAL blog. Creator Seeding at Scale, July 24, 2026, Will Sales Keep Up If Your Brand Posts More TikTok Shop Videos?, Nov. 5, 2026, and US K-Beauty Marketing Glossary, Oct. 27, 2026. What goes in the brief.

20. BAZZAAL blog. Five Reasons Creators Turn Down Brand Deals. Aug. 22, 2026. Two weeks of use in skincare, and why tight posting deadlines push careful creators out first.

21. BAZZAAL blog. Can an AI Tool That Finds Creators Run Your Whole Seeding Campaign?. Nov. 6, 2026. Consent and usage rights for seeding posts.

22. BAZZAAL blog. What Does Ulta Look for in K-Beauty Brands?. Oct. 19, 2026. Oxidation mentions in Ulta reviews, 9.1% against 2.2%. In BAZZAAL's raw count, 428 K-beauty cushion reviews, 80% for TIRTIR Red Cushion, against 71,847 foundation reviews for brands already at Ulta.