Actress Sydney Sweeney has partnered with men’s grooming brand Dr. Squatch to launch a provocative limited-edition bar soap — and it’s making headlines for one bold reason: it contains drops of her actual bathwater.
The product, named Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss, sold out within seconds of going live online at noon on June 6, with all 5,000 bars priced at $8 disappearing almost instantly.
Described as an exfoliating, medium-grit soap with a woodsy scent inspired by Sweeney’s Pacific Northwest roots, Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss combines pine bark extract, sand, and a touch of earthy moss, along with a literal splash of the actress’s bathwater.
According to Sweeney, the idea for the unconventional collaboration stemmed from fan jokes and viral internet commentary after she starred in a 2024 Dr. Squatch ad campaign, where she appeared soaking in a bathtub. Leaning into the moment, she pitched the product concept herself to the team.
“You kept asking about my bathwater after the @drsquatch ad… so we kept it,” she wrote in a joint Instagram post with the brand. “Introducing Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss! A very real, very limited-edition soap made with my actual bathwater.”
Leaning into the viral moment, Sweeney pitched the idea herself. “You kept asking about my bathwater after the @drsquatch ad… so we kept it,” she wrote in a joint Instagram post with the brand. “Introducing Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss! A very real, very limited-edition soap made with my actual bathwater.”
Fans flooded social media after the launch, frustrated by long virtual queues and frozen checkout pages. Demand was so intense that the Dr. Squatch website briefly crashed under the pressure, with some users reporting wait times of over 250 minutes. Others claimed they never even saw the soap available live. Responding to the frenzy, Dr. Squatch wrote: “Nah, it was there. People just bought it in .0001 seconds.” Within hours, the bars appeared on resale sites like eBay, priced from $119 to as high as $2,000.
Sweeney, who has frequently spoken out about being hyper-sexualized in Hollywood, appears to be reclaiming the narrative — turning internet fixation into a product she controls. At the New York premiere of her upcoming film Echo Valley, she addressed the buzz surrounding the launch. “I think that it’s more fun to see everybody else talk about it,” she said, confirming it was her idea to repurpose leftover suds from her earlier shoot with the brand. When a reporter noted the product might at least get more men to shower, she replied with a grin: “I mean, honestly though.”
The collaboration has drawn a mix of reactions online. Some fans and critics have praised the idea as cheeky, self-aware, and empowering. Others argue it toes the line of fetishization and reflects a broader issue of commodifying women in celebrity culture.
The collaboration has triggered a split reaction online. Some fans and critics have applauded the move as cheeky, perfectly self-aware, and empowering that plays into Sweeney’s image with wit and control. Others argue it borders on fetishization and reflects a concerning trend in celebrity culture. They see it as another example of how women in Hollywood are commodified and oversexualized.
Still, Sweeney stands firm in her vision. In a press release, the Euphoria and Anyone But You star called the project “weird in the best way,” emphasizing the humor and surreal charm behind it. “I wanted to create something memorable,” she said, adding that the campaign also aims to promote natural grooming alternatives.
Whether it’s seen as satire, a savvy branding move, an uncomfortable gimmick or a bizarre cultural artifact, Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss has undeniably made a splash, one that’s left fans foaming for more. With the internet still in sudsy debate, it stands as one of the most talked-about — and sold-out — celebrity merchandise drops of the year.
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