Is your body butter attracting spiders? Here's what experts say about the TikTok-viral theory
08.01.2024 - 15:02
/ ok.co.uk
Ever wondered if your body cream could turn you into a spider magnet? Sure, we've all heard about pheromones drawing in potential romantic interests, but what about those eight-legged creatures? It sounds like the stuff of nightmares, but a TikTok, X, and Reddit theory suggesting that certain body care ingredients can attract spiders is currently going viral. And just like that, beauty enthusiasts, amateur arachnologists and even esteemed experts have found themselves tangled in a web of curiosity and speculation.
The whole topic started to gather attention after Sol de Janeiro launched a new scent to the body butter collection, the Delicia Drench Body Butter, £21 here for 75ml.
While the product received (and keeps receiving) positive reviews from shoppers, some claimed that a few of the ingredients present in the body butter were probably attracting wolf spiders. The issue piqued further interest when spider lovers on Reddit delved into the matter, bringing up a scientific study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, which revealed that specific chemicals, including farnesyl acetate and hexadecyl acetate, that are known to be present in some beauty products could attract female spiders.
The findings of this study have been debated, however.
Cosmetic surgeon Dr Rouzbeh Kordestani and Dr Neil Sadick, a clinical professor of dermatology, both agree that this is just an urban legend and that there's not enough evidence to support the idea that certain skincare products attract spiders. But what did the review that kickstarted this interesting debate say? A user going by chemkats, bought the Delicia Drench Body Butter in Sephora and wrote: "If you're scared of wolf spiders — watch out for these lotions lol.
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