Sydney Sweeney has found herself in not one, but two controversies in recent months. Before the Euphoria star grabbed headlines with her American Eagle ad that drew heavy backlash, she was already at the centre of heated conversation over her racy side hustle. Earlier this year, Sweeney partnered with men’s grooming brand Dr. Squatch to launch a limited-edition soap made with her own bathwater. Branded Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss, the bar drew criticism but still sold out in seconds. Now, in a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Sweeney opened up about the frenzy and how closely she tracks the public’s reaction to her work.
Also read: Can’t we say ‘good genes’ anymore? The backlash to the Sydney Sweeney jeans ad explained
Sydney Sweeney on bathwater soap pushback
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, her first interview in months, Sweeney explained that fans had been jokingly asking her for her bathwater online, and instead of ignoring it, she thought it would be interesting to turn it into an actual product. “I’s important to have a finger on the pulse of what people are saying, because everything is a conversation with the audience.” She described it as “weird in the best way” and said the soap not only turned heads but also worked just like other Dr. Squatch products.
In the same interview, Sweeney hinted that her bathwater soap was sparked by Jacob Elordi’s viral Saltburn moment. In the 2023 film, there’s a popular scene where Barry Keoghan’s character drinks Elordi’s bathwater, a moment that blew up online, sparked countless memes, and even inspired a candle called Jacob Elordi’s Bathwater that fans couldn’t get enough of. Sweeney saw the frenzy and the idea, but when she put out her own version in soap form, the backlash was instant, especially from women who flooded her comments with criticism. Speaking to the outlet, Sweeney said, “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.”
The soap was made with ingredients like sand and pine bark extract, mixing it with her bathwater. Only 5,000 bars were made, priced at $8 each. Some fans found it hilarious and harmless, joking that “at least it might make men shower,” while others felt it was too much.
But that wasn’t the only campaign of hers that rubbed people the wrong way. This summer, she was featured in a major American Eagle ad built around the line “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The slogan played on the words “genes” and “jeans,” but it didn’t land well. Critics accused the campaign of glorifying her white traits, blue eyes, and slim frame as the beauty ideal, with some even tying the tagline to old eugenics language. A few went so far as to brand it “Nazi propaganda.” American Eagle defended the ads, insisting the message was strictly about the denim, but the backlash blew up online and even drew comment from Trump’s camp, where communications manager Steven Cheung slammed it as “cancel culture run amok,” and Trump himself supported her. When asked about the controversy in a recent interview, Sweeney dodged the question.
