A Sephora customer is going viral after claiming that a popular body butter attracts spiders.
In a product review of Sol De Janeiro’s Delícia Drench Body Butter shared on the retailer’s website, the customer said she saw several spiders when using the lotion.
“If you’re scared of wolf spiders — watch out for these lotions lol. I wanted to love them soo bad, but one of the ingredients is like kryptonite to wolf spiders! When I put it on instantly one will come out,” the reviewer wrote.
these reviews are getting out of control
byu/andreaclc inSephora
While the one-star review is no longer visible on Sephora’s website, several other reviews echoed the claim, and screenshots of the commentary went viral on X, TikTok, and Reddit.
Sol de Janeiro responded to the allegations on Friday claiming there was no truth to the matter in an Instagram Story.
“We didn’t think we would wrap 2023 becoming an urban legend,” the company wrote, per Fox Business. “All of our products, including our new Delicia Drench Body Butter and upcoming Cheirosa 59 Perfume Mist are free from farnesyl acetate, diisobutyl phthalate, and hexadecyl acetate.”
“So while they may attract a lot of attention from people, they won’t from arachnids (even though we love all creatures at Sol de Janeiro),” the company added.
Still, that didn’t stop Reddit users from chiming in, suggesting some chemicals used in skin care products like farnesyl acetate and hexadecyl acetate can attract spiders.
However, the chair of the Entomology Collections Committee at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Dr. Floyd W. Shockley, backed up the company’s claim in an email to The New York Times.
“It is HIGHLY unlikely that the skin cream company through random chance combined enough things in just the right proportion to mimic a spider compound,” Dr. Shockley wrote.
“What is more likely, given the time of year that all of this is happening, is that people are simply noticing more Wolf spiders indoors than usual because outside temperatures have dropped below the level they are comfortable in,” he added. “Wolf spiders prefer to hunt and live outdoors, but when it gets cold they come indoors to overwinter, thus increasing the likelihood of a spider-human interaction.”
Despite the hubbub, the product is available for purchase on Sephora’s website for $48.
