Sydney Sweeney has addressed the controversy surrounding her limited-edition "Bathwater Bliss" soap, a collaboration with Dr. Squatch, that quickly sold out and has since been fetching high prices on the resale market. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, published August 20, 2025, Sweeney expressed surprise at the negative reactions, particularly noting that female fans were among the most vocal critics.
The "Euphoria" star's foray into the bath and body space began in 2024 with a suggestive body wash commercial for the men's hygiene brand Dr. Squatch. This was followed in May 2025 by the release of "Sydney's Bathwater Bliss," a bar soap that was reportedly infused with her used bathwater. In a press release at the time, Sweeney stated, "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". The soap itself contained exfoliating sand and pine bark extract, in addition to Sweeney's "real bath water". During an interview with GQ, Sweeney confirmed that during the Dr. Squatch shoot, she took a bath and they took the water. She wanted the soap to lean towards her home roots, so there’s this really outdoorsy scent of, like, pine and earthy moss and fir, but with some city bath water mixed in.
The marketing theme of the soap sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some users calling it a "gimmick" and questioning its cleanliness. Sweeney commented on this disparity in the Wall Street Journal interview: "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 was referencing a candle that was branded Jacob Elordi's Bathwater, which was released in January 2024 amid the social media attention surrounding Saltburn, which starred her Euphoria co-star.
Sweeney seems to be taking the controversy in stride. In the Wall Street Journal interview, Sweeney acknowledged being aware of the online feedback surrounding her projects and associations. She also seems to have no regrets about the soap. As a businesswoman, Sweeney isn't afraid to push the envelope, even if the fan mail isn't always glowing.
Sweeney's "Bathwater Bliss" isn't the only recent venture that has garnered attention. Her campaign with American Eagle, featuring the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes," also stirred controversy, with some accusing the brand of alluding to eugenics. American Eagle released a statement asserting the ad was solely about jeans, but Sweeney has declined to comment on the matter.
