Over the last couple of years, two Euphoria cast members have made headlines over bathwater. I’m, of course, talking about the viral bathtub scene from Saltburn that involved Jacob Elordi and the viral soap Sydney Sweeney released earlier this year that was infused with her bathwater. Now, the Anyone But You actress is reflecting on the reactions people had to her product, and her statement about it involved a reference to her co-star’s infamous scene from the 2023 movie.
When Sweeney launched “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss” with Dr. Squatch, a company that sells "natural manly soap," earlier this year, people obviously had thoughts about the batwater soap. Some praised her for leaning into how she can be sexualized by others, saying things like “honestly props,” while others found the product “disgusting.” During an interview with WSJ, the actress was asked about the internet’s reaction to her soap, and she 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.
Earlier this year, when asked about fan reactions to the soap, Sweeney noted that she is very aware of what people are saying about her and that it’s “fun to see everyone else talk about it.” It certainly got people talking, and the conversation was definitely similar to the discourse that happened when Saltburn came out.
While Sweeney’s Dr. Squatch ads and this Saltburn scene are very different, the fact that they both involve bathwater in a suggestive way makes the comparison hard to ignore.
For context, in Saltburn, the sexual bathtub scene involves Jacob Elordi’s Felix masturbating in it, and then Barry Keoghan’s Oliver drinking what was left of the bathwater after Felix leaves. While the film’s director, Emerald Fennell, said the scene was “the sexiest thing” she’d seen, others didn’t agree. And what followed was a wild and viral debate online and some interesting marketing moves made to capitalize on the moment (like selling a Saltburn vinyl that included the milky-looking water).
As the film continued its rollout, Keoghan defended the Saltburn scene, as some people loved the moment while others wondered why his character would do what he did. While Sweeney noted that she thought girls seemed to love this sequence – and some people did – it was also the cause of a huge debate online that contributed heavily to the film’s overall virality.
Sweeney’s soap is not as obviously sexual; it relies on the innuendo of it all. However, it’s also unashamedly suggestive.
It’s worth noting that it sold out in seconds when it went on sale, and is now being sold for $1,500 on the resale market. The company, Dr. Squatch, has also been acquired for $1.5 billion, and while she wouldn’t say if she has equity in the company, when asked if she was thinking strategically, the Immaculate star said, “Yes, very.”
So, both moments have caused a stir online, and it seems like that was what she was suggesting when she referenced her co-star’s Saltburn scene while discussing the online reaction to her soap. They each caused a commotion, and there were for sure polarizing reactions to both, as some loved the moments while others hated them.
Now, as we move on from both things, you can look forward to seeing both Sweeney and Elordi in Season 3 of Euphoria. In the time since Season 2 dropped in 2022, their stars have both risen exponentially, and they’re both clearly unafraid of a provocative moment. So, I’m sure that as they continue to work, the world will keep talking about them.
