Another day, another Sydney Sweeney story. This time, it’s not about Euphoria Season 3 or whether she’s dating Glen Powell, but bathwater soap. What’s happened, and why is the star under fire?
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Sweeney in films like Madame Web, Immaculate, and Anyone But You, with the star’s latest Apple TV+ movie Echo Valley flying under the radar.
Instead, she’s announced she’ll start selling her used bathwater after fan demand, following in the footsteps of successful influencers.
Granted, this isn’t exactly what it seems – and it’s all thanks to her existing partnership with Dr. Squatch. But the move is already being slated, so here’s a breakdown of what’s happened and why Sweeney is under fire.
Sydney Sweeney bathwater soap under fire for “shameless grift”
In a nutshell, Dr. Squatch is releasing a limited-edition men’s soap called Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss in collaboration with Sydney Sweeney.
The product is set to launch on June 6, 2025, with only 5,000 bars planned to be released. So far, it’s not known how much they will sell for, but given the fan demand, it’s not expected they’ll remain on shelves for very long.
In an Instagram advert shared by both, Sweeney stated, “Introducing Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss! A very real, very limited-edition soap made with my actual bathwater.” She had previously starred in ads for the natural soap company playing the ‘Body Wash Genie.’
Here’s where the idea came from – according to Sweeney, after her ‘Dirty Little Boys’ ad, in which she appeared in a bathtub, fans couldn’t stop asking about her bathwater. “Fans always joke about wanting my bath water, I was like, ‘This is just such a cool way to… give them what they want.’”
Dr. Squatch stated that after they released the ad, they opted to keep the water from the bath. Hey presto, there’s your product.
However, the move has got mixed reviews, with some fans blasting it as a “shameless grift.”
“Shame. Thought she was above this sorta grift. Hope she gives all proceeds to charity smh,” one fan responded, with a second adding, “How down bad must you be to buy a bar of soap containing someone else’s bathwater. Also, this won’t actually contain her bathwater, it’s just marketing.”
“Did she jump into a pool to make it or fill up and empty multiple tubs? What is the concentration of Sydney Sweeney per bar of soap? How high is she on the ingredients label? Is Sydney Sweeney approved by the FDA for commercial distribution?” another replied.
Regardless, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this marketing move.
Who is Belle Delphine?
Internet personality and cosplayer Belle Delphine first broke the internet back in 2019 when she started bottling her bathwater for thirsty fans and selling bottles for $30 a jar.
The product was called Gamer Girl Bath Water, generating a similar level of controversy at the time. However, she was forced to stop when PayPal froze her account on the grounds of a police violation.
“Since it’s been a couple years now I can finally share the biggest L I’ve ever taken. Not only did I not earn any money selling my bathwater, I in fact LOST money doing it. @PayPal without any warning closed my PayPal account and took the $90,000 that I earned from selling my bathwater,” she wrote in a now-deleted post on X/Twitter in 2024.
“There was nothing I could do, I tried phoning them up and they just said ‘sorry, nothing we can do!’ I knew it would be a better news story to say that I made ‘sOoOo much money’ from selling my bathwater so I just kept this secret…
“Ultimately I’m still glad I did it since it was a really funny time on the internet when it happened, and I still did mail out all the bathwater people bought from me (which I did all by myself) sooo… f**k PayPal I guess?”
Facebook/Belle DelphineShe elaborated on this in a 2024 episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast, clarifying, “I didn’t think anything of it. My plan wasn’t to become big or popular or anything like that. I just wanted enough money to move out of my mum’s place.”
It was later confirmed she was able to get her money back, saying in a statement, “If I didn’t have any [social media] following, they wouldn’t have given my money back. Which is so sh*tty because what are all the normal non-social media users meant to do in this situation? I followed all the normal protocols and was roadblocked and gave up.”
Could she sue?
While some fans have wondered if Belle Delphine could sue Sydney Sweeney and Dr. Squatch for selling used bathwater, realistically, there’s not enough grounds for her to do so.
Instagram: Belle DelphineThe concept of selling used bathwater isn’t an original or trademarked idea, with Sweeney’s soap product not resembling what Delphine tried to do in the years before.
“Copying Belle Delphine AND contributing to the patriarchy bro we are never making it out,” one fan wrote, with a second adding, “Belle Delphine walked so Sydney Sweeney could run.”
A third weighed in, “I thought we’d have moved past this sh*t since Belle Delphine but apparently not.”
For more Sydney Sweeney, read about the rejected Euphoria Season 3 storylines. You can also check out the new TV shows to stream this month and the full 2025 series release calendar.
