After seeing a growth in interest from Gen Z, Tabasco is launching its first-ever product collaboration with an influencer—a jalapeño dressing inspired by TikTok creator Christina Najjar, also known as Tinx.
The dressing is the culmination of several years of interacting with Tinx, who has made it known to her 1.5 million TikTok fans that she loves Tabasco, specifically the green jalapeño flavor. The dressing, which goes on sale today, will only be available online through Amazon.
The brand started interacting with Tinx on social media in 2021, drawn to her motto of “normalize hot sauce as dressing.” Late last year, they had her visit Tabasco’s factory on Avery Island, LA.
Tinx’s brand deals typically include high-end brands such as Clé de Peau Beauté, Viktor&Rolf fragrances, Lacoste and Fresh Beauty. Tabasco may not carry the higher price tags of such previous partners, but the partnership shows how a creator’s authentic brand passion can make a collaboration ring true.
It also helps that hot sauce is trending among younger consumers. In 2020, the hot sauce market was valued at around $2.75 billion, but is projected to reach nearly $5 billion by 2026, according to a report by Facts & Factors. The tabasco segment of the market is projected to grow the fastest in that time.
The report found that interest in the hot sauce category has increased due to the globalization of different cuisines. Younger consumers are seeing more diversity in food choices—Mexican, Indian and Asian—and opting for spicier condiments. A recent report by market research firm Mintel found that Gen Z and Millennials are most likely to prefer hot, extra hot and extremely hot spice levels in dips and sauces compared to other generations.
“Interest in the category is higher the younger you are—younger folks love hot sauce,” said Lee Susen, chief sales and marketing officer for Tabasco. “Instead of just putting it in their chili or on their eggs, they are far more experimental.”
Over the last two years, Tabasco has shifted focus away from platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, to TikTok for its organic reach. “For 154 years we have had varying degrees of an influencer strategy, we’ve used cookbooks, culinary schools, in the ’90s we worked with chef-influencers,” said Susen. “But the explosion of social media has given us a way to talk to folks engaging with hot sauce.”
That interest from younger consumers is showing up on the brand’s TikTok page—Tabasco currently has 520,000 followers, outpacing brands like Frank’s RedHot and Cholula. That has also led the brand to lean into its influencer strategy, partnering with creators including life hack creator Sidney Raz and chef Ali Hooke. With hot sauce being popular among younger consumers, and seeing Tinx organically talk about the brand, it made the partnership a natural extension, according to Susen. The brand plans to gift the dressing to other creators.
“I’ve been using hot sauce as dressing for years,” Tinx said in a statement. “A marriage of my two favorite things: crunchy salad and flavorful spice.”
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