TikTok is out of control (in both good and bad ways). Anyone who has used the app for longer than three minutes knows this. While it’s a great platform to discover new things, at its heart it’s an addicting endless wellspring of weird and random content, where the strangest and most outlandish stuff gets rewarded.
Spectacle is always king on TikTok which would explain everyone’s recent obsession with Pink Sauce, the latest viral condiment that comes with as much controversy as it does hype.
Created by Veronica Shaw, better known as Chef Pii, the “sauce” (it’s really more of a condiment) caught the internet’s attention in early June when Shaw posted a TikTok of herself drizzling the pink product on fried chicken, which instantly prompted thousands of people to offer their best guess on what it is, why it’s pink, what it might taste like, and where they could get their hands on it.
Flash forward just a month later, and Chef Pii is already selling Pink Sauce for $20 a bottle… with mixed results.
https://www.tiktok.com/@chef.pii/video/7113345095700778286?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6898812867513959941
The mixed response comes from the fact that this rollout has been kind of a disaster. In addition to misspelled ingredients on the label (vinegar spelled “vinger,” which makes you worry with regards to the general oversight of the product), and weird discrepancies like claiming each bottle contains 444 servings per container (a point Shaw later clarified as an error that seems to have connections to her obsession with angel numbers), several people on the internet have complained that their pink sauce has arrived open, smelling rotten, or a completely different shade of pink than what Shaw has been advertising in her videos.
According to the Pink Sauce website, the sauce is made from sunflower seed oil, chili, garlic, honey, vinegar, garlic, pitaya, pink Himalayan sea salt, lemon juice, milk, citric acid, less than 2% of dried spices, and dragon fruit, which is how it gets its pink color. Though some people online are skeptical of the ingredients list as well.
Glamour points out that Shaw was quick to address issues customers have had with the product, crediting the color change to a reformulation, taking full responsibility for damaged products, and offering refunds or replacements for the approximately 50 packages that were affected.
“The Pink Sauce has only been a product for 20 days, literally…,” the chef tells Glamour. “We have been going through trial and error just like any other business.”
To be fair to Shaw, the turnaround time of this Pink Sauce, all things considered, is pretty astounding. But Shaw and her team could’ve let this one marinate a bit more to really nail a proper product. TikTok has taught us that we need to strike while the viral iron is hot, but that’s not always the best practice when it comes to releasing something into the real world.
People have also been calling into question the safety of Pink Sauce, most notably the owner of Metal Honey Foods, Sarah Murrell, who posted a TikTok of her own advising against eating the sauce and explaining the extensive safety process that you need to go through in order to prepare a sauce for commercial release and how improperly stored food can result in foodborne botulism.
https://www.tiktok.com/@metalhoneyfoodshbic/video/7122679342387186990?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6898812867513959941
Today reports that as of now, Pink Sauce production has been paused as Shaw works out all the kinks and addresses the many issues. As much of a setback as this is, Pink Sauce didn’t get popular because of the controversy it’s facing, so once the necessary steps are taken to give this a proper release, we may be looking at the internet’s new favorite, controversy-free condiment.
And we’ll be first in line to try it! Or you know, second. Maybe 20th. But once the satisfied customers start outnumbering the dissatisfied ones, we’re in!
