A domestic cosmetics brand has sparked controversy after posting photos on social media featuring pouches that resembled women's underwear.

The post was eventually deleted, ending in an apology.

This is the photo that was uploaded to the brand's social media.

Cosmetics and earphones are placed inside pink, yellow, black, and light blue mesh pouches.

The issue was that the shape of the pouches looked reminiscent of women's underwear.

Online communities saw criticism from women, who make up the brand's primary customer base.

Criticisms included comments such as, "There are so many crimes like illegal filming, yet they are using women's underwear as a prop," and "This is marketing that completely fails to understand customer needs."

However, there were also reactions noting that accessories styled after underwear are actually trending overseas.

As the controversy grew, the brand explained, "The pouch was a personal item used for the photo shoot, and it was never planned or intended to be offered as an actual promotional gift."

They added, "We will thoroughly review the appropriateness and expression methods of props used in future content to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again."

(Photo courtesy of Tooq Instagram)