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July 22, 2025
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Unilever Buys Out Company Selling Sydney Sweeney’s Bathwater Soap

by Soban02

Showcasing a masterclass in marketing, Dr Squatch, an American personal care brand went viral in June for its soap which reportedly contained drops of actress Sydney Sweeney’s real bathwater. The company signed Sweeney as their brand ambassador in 2024, before releasing a limited 5,000 bars of soap branded, “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss”, which quickly sold out in a matter of seconds. The soap which was sold exclusively on Dr Squatch’s website for only $8, caused so much demand that the website crashed, with the company commenting, “Y’all crashed the site. The Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss launch has been insane! We seriously appreciate the Squatch-sized enthusiasm.” The soap itself, while not completely made of Sweeney’s bathwater, majorly comprises pine bark extract, exfoliating sand, and just a couple drops of the promised water. Regarding the unusual partnership, Sweeney stated in a press release, “When your fans start asking for your bathwater, you can either ignore it, or turn it into a bar of Dr Squatch soap.”

The heavily sexualized actress has often faced unsolicited comments, and has mentioned feeling a lack of control over the discourse surrounding her oversexualization, making many wonder whether this partnership was a move towards reclamation for the actress.
The company known for their cheeky ads and successful celebrity campaigns has cleverly leveraged the Gen Z market, gaining a dedicated following from younger male consumers whose facial skincare usage had reportedly jumped from 42% to 68% in the past two years. With celebrity ad campaigns such as Sweeney posing in a bubble bath as a “Body Wash Genie”, and Nick Cannon’s “golden balls” campaign where he promptly asked the consumers to put their balls in the company’s hands, the brand doesn’t seem to sell just hygiene products, but rather an alternate playful masculinity, a formula which has drawn the attention of Unilever.
The multinational consumer goods company now has its newest acquisition for an estimated $1.5 billion. Unilever head of personal care, Fabian Garcia said in a statement, “Building on its success in the US, we are excited to scale the brand internationally and complement our offering in the fast-growing men’s personal care segment.” This isn’t the first time that the giant company has bought out other brands geared towards a Gen Z audience. It had previously acquired Dollar Shave Club (DSC), another viral male grooming brand in 2016 for $1 billion. However, DSC has already been sold to a private equity after a reported underperformance, bringing up questions of whether a brand which relies so heavily on authenticity and creative culturally bound marketing can survive under a strict corporate structure.
While it is unsure whether the bathwater soap will be brought back, prospective buyers can find the product on Ebay, reselling for upwards of $2000.
This article is authored by Rishima Mosali from Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Pune. Intern at Deccan Chronicle

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