Before stirring the hornet’s nest with her ad for American Eagle jeans, Sydney Sweeney faced backlash online for another advertising campaign which was for a bath products company, which started selling a limited-edition soap that contained her actual bathwater. Now, the actor has responded to the controversy, making it clear that she has no regrets.
Sydney Sweeney has defended the limited-edition line of bar soaps made from her bathwater.(Instagram) Sydney Sweeney reacts to the backlash
In June, the Anyone But You star faced backlash for her partnership with Dr. Squatch. At the time, Sweeney released a limited-edition line of bar soaps made from her bathwater. The product, officially called Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss, sold out in seconds.
The Emmy-nominated actor opened up about the backlash she received for her bathwater-scented soap with Dr. Squatch in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. She defended her decision by comparing herself to her Euphoria co-star Jacob Elordi.
“I think it’s important to have a finger on the pulse of what people are saying, because everything is a conversation with the audience,” said Sweeney about navigating internet feedback.
The limited edition soap, Bathwater Bliss, was marketed to men, but Sweeney noted that it was women who ended up having the most to say about it.
“It was mainly the girls making comments about it, which I thought was really interesting… They all loved the idea of Jacob Elordi’s bathwater,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney was referring to the candle that was branded Jacob Elordi’s Bathwater, which was released in January 2024 amid the social media attention around Saltburn, which starred her Euphoria co-star. In the film, directed by Emerald Fennell, Barry Keoghan’s character becomes obsessed with Elordi and drinks the bathwater of Elordi’s character Felix.
More about the backlash
Sweeney, who had teamed up with the men’s hygiene brand in 2024 for a body wash commercial, followed up the collaboration in May with Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss.
“When your fans start asking for your bathwater, you can either ignore it or turn it into a bar of Dr. Squatch soap. It’s weird in the best way, and I love that we created something that’s not just unforgettable, it actually smells incredible,” Sweeney said in a press release at the time. The soap’s marketing theme received mixed reactions on social media, with some social media users dubbing it a “gimmick” and some questioning the item’s cleanliness.
Sweeney’s bathwater soap isn’t the only ad campaign of hers that’s raised eyebrows. In July, she became the face of denim brand American Eagle’s newest campaign, which featured wordplay praising Sweeney’s “great jeans.”