Bloom: Where Undisclosed Ads Go To Thrive
They’ll Pay Anyone to Lie to You Substack: https://theinternetcommentarydesk.substack.com/
Bloom Nutrition is marketed as a “Women’s Health and Wellness Supplements" brand. They sell everything from energy drinks to multi-vitamins, but you may know them for their “Greens and Superfoods Powder Blend.” And if you're still sitting there wondering, “Girl, what are you talking about?” Well, just think back to your ForYou page for a minute. Have you ever seen an influencer start their video by mixing some green powder (not matcha, that’s made differently) into some water and taking a sip, while trying to pretend it tastes good? If the answer was yes, well then, congratulations, you, like the rest of us, have been exposed to the Bloom undisclosed ad hellscape (if the answer’s still no, there are pictures throughout this post).
Bloom was founded by influencer Mari Llewellyn and her husband Greg. Mari stated that her inspiration for founding this brand was when she hit rock bottom and made the decision to turn her life around. With the help of her husband, she was able to lose 90 pounds, and now she wants to help other women achieve similar goals. She said she created these products to “help everyone bloom into their best selves.” Tacky, I know. Her products claim to help with gut health and bloating (I am not convinced, but do you?), and she claims they help with overall energy and wellness.
Despite what I think, Mari has been successful with her green powders and energy drinks going viral on TikTok (aesthetics will sell anything, and trust me, she has the perfect colour scheme). Influencers and regular everyday people alike claim to use her products all of the time, and some say that they’ve seen real benefits (we’ll discuss this bullshit later, don’t worry). Clearly, this brand is successful, but what happens when you are exposed for paying influencers for undisclosed ads?
A while ago, Kiki Chanel (the best YouTuber calling out influencers and their BS) made a video discussing Bloom, and I watched every second of it because she exposed something important. She provided example after example of influencers doing undisclosed ads for Bloom. Most of them are being paid to simply put the product in their videos; it doesn’t even have to be the star of the video, for all they care, it could be somewhere in the background. And I do agree with all of Kiki’s critiques; she's right to call this out. These influencers are blatantly lying to their audiences and need to be held accountable.
This new strategy from Bloom strays from the traditional influencer brand deal. The brand deals we all know and sit through (or skip because let's be serious, I’m not buying any of that shit) follow the pattern of: influencer and brand make a deal, the influencer features the product in their video, discloses it as an ad, and praises it to no end, and they get paid. The crucial point here is that these brand deals were disclosed with a “this video is sponsored by (insert brand here),” influencers made sure that they were not breaking any laws (yes, there are laws) and that their viewers knew they were being paid.
Bloom contrasts the traditional brand deal with their marketing strategy. In my opinion they believe that if consumers see their product enough, in the background of videos, it will do two things: make them believe the influencer really uses it, because they’re not directly advertising it, and give them enough exposure to the point where consumers will simply say “hey, I’ve seen this brand a lot recently, let me try it.” This creates an ethical and legal problem where this brand and its favourite influencers are misleading their audiences and losing public trust.
In Canada (I’m Canadian, leave me alone) and the United States, there are laws in place (the Competition Act and the FTC) that clearly state that all advertisements must be disclosed by the advertiser. In basic terms, influencers need to explicitly say “this is an ad” or something along those lines to be in compliance with these guidelines. If they do not comply, it can result in large fines or further legal action. This seems to be something that’s easy to follow, but these influencers are willing to risk their whole careers and possible legal action all for a payout from Bloom (I truly wonder what their advertising budget is).
Not only is what they're doing technically illegal, but it's also unethical as they are voluntarily lying to their audiences. There have been many accounts of Bloom being “the best drink ever” from a variety of influencers, but let’s be honest, they’re lying to you. If you take a look at the product reviews under their most popular product, their greens powder, there are many reviews that outright say, it tastes awful. On top of this, there have been influencers themselves who say it tastes bad. And when it comes to the ones who are lying to you, I encourage everyone to take a close look at their faces the second they taste the drink; you’ll find that most of them seem to be trying so hard to pretend it’s good while their face tells a different story (allegedly, in my opinion).
Other reviews tell horror stories of consumers trying the product and then experiencing health complications. One customer said that while they felt good for a little while, eventually they experienced gastrointestinal issues and had to stop taking these supplements. They cautioned others, saying that while the product claimed to promote gut health, it could actually be detrimental to the gut. There are many of these reviews under the products, and while some can say that everyone reacts differently, it is still worth noting that these are the potential side effects of taking an influencer-made supplement.
Now, while we can read the thousands of reviews of this product and make general assumptions based on that, it’s important to look at what the experts have to say, since they have a more informed opinion than we normal folk. Diana Gariglio-Clelland, R.D., is a registered dietitian nutritionist who wrote an article about Bloom’s greens powder back in 2024. Her overall consensus was that it’s fine to take Bloom and that it can be a convenient source of fruits and veggies, but she also pointed out several issues with the product. One of her main concerns was that the greens powder uses proprietary blends, which means consumers don’t know exactly how much of each ingredient they are getting per serving, making it hard to gauge the actual benefits of the product. As a result, some ingredients may be present in amounts that are too low to effectively deliver what the product promises. On top of this, third-party testing results have not been published for Bloom’s products. This is a problem because while Bloom claims their products are tested, they don’t make the results public, which leaves consumers in the dark. There is probably nothing wrong, but it creates a level of secrecy that could easily be avoided if they just released the results. Lastly, and possibly the biggest thing to take away from this, is that these greens are not a replacement for a healthy diet. Paired with a healthy diet they could be beneficial, but they do not replace real fruits and vegetables. Overall, these issues led Diana Gariglio-Clelland, R.D., to conclude that Bloom is fine as a supplement, but nothing more, and that it isn’t anything necessary.
So while Bloom might be considered a decent supplement, it’s important to look at the company and the way the product is marketed. It’s not a miracle product, it won’t replace real food, and it’s probably not going to change your life. But if you only watched TikTok, you might think it would. And that’s the problem. Most consumers are not researching the ethics of a company or wondering whether the video they saw was secretly an ad; they’re just being influenced by social media and a company that may not have their best interests at heart.
So I would encourage everyone reading this to look a little closer the next time you want to buy something, just because you keep seeing it in the background of influencers’ videos. Because you might not just be seeing a product, you might be seeing a very carefully planned marketing strategy built on undisclosed ads. Stay safe out there.
Sources:
Gariglio-Clelland, D., & Gariglio-Clelland, A. D. (2024, September 16). Bloom Greens Review: Thoughts from an R.D. (2026). BarBend. https://barbend.com/bloom-greens-review/
Kiki Chanel: Why Are Influencers Still Promoting Bloom?
Bloom Nutrition
