A Comprehensive Guide to the Viral Sol de Janeiro Spider Theory

While many were busy becoming one with the couch over the holiday break, drama was brewing in the beauty community. No, it wasn't your typical influencer-filled spectacle, or even another moldy lipstick launch. Instead, it centered new claims about a beloved product that is sure to make your skin crawl.

On Dec. 26, comedian Samantha Ruddy posted two photos on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, with the caption: "They're doing spider science over on the Sephora Reddit." Both were screenshots from the review section of Sephora's website that seemed to imply the new Sol de Janeiro Delícia Drench Body Butter ($48) entices arachnids. "Scent attracts wolf spiders," one reviewer wrote. "Loved this product, until the spiders came," wrote the other.

If you know what wolf spiders are (if you don't, TLDR; they are horrifying), then you can understand why this immediately set off alarm bells in some folks' minds. "Screaming, crying, throwing up at this information," one X user responded in Ruddy's thread. "What a wonderful gift for a friend or relative that I hate," said another.

As the comments surrounding the body product got significantly more panicked with each passing day, Redditors seemed to further investigate the claim. Cosmetic chemist Javon Ford even stepped forward to clarify a few things about the formula. Read the timeline of events ahead, including Sol de Janeiro's response to the claims. Hold on to your hats — you're in for a wild ride.

Under the subsection of one-star reviews on Sephora is where you'll find the initial claims of the cream attracting creepy crawlers. "If you're scared of wolf spiders- watch out for these lotions lol," the review read. "I wanted to love them sooo bad, but one of the ingredients is like kryptonite to wolf spiders! When I put it on instantly one will come out."

Aside from the fact that kryptonite is typically not something other sentient beings want to approach (red flag), the review was pretty convincing. This propelled someone on Reddit to claim that they did a deep dive into the ingredients.

On Dec. 27, a Reddit user who goes by the name Marchingkoala took matters into their own hands, claiming under the Sol de Janeiro thread on the app that they further researched cosmetic ingredients that attract spiders. (This wording is important, and we'll circle back to it later.)

After looking into a study published by the Journal of Chemical Ecology, they wrote, "There is a two component female produced pheromone of spider. It basically signals for sexual communication. The chemical analysis reveals that 'farnesyl acetate, diisobutyl phthalate and hexadecyl acetate of the spider webs exhibited higher relative abundance in sexually receptive females.' Also, 'Two choice behavioral essays verified that the blend of farnesyl acetate and hexadecyl acetate attracted males.'"

After stating that he was tagged in the thread more than 40 times in 24 hours, Ford clarified that the study originally cited actually referred to skull spiders and not wolf ones. In addition, he noted that the specific ingredients that were called out — farnesyl lactate and cetyl acetate — must be combined in a specific ratio to create the reaction needed to entice the spiders, which is unclear from the ingredient list on the cream. Ford also explained that there is no way to be sure if these compounds are present in the formula to begin with. "The Redditor claims cetyl acetate is common in cosmetics to thicken the formulas, but I've never used that ingredient before in my life," Ford says. "This doesn't mean that it's not there, but we're assuming that it is."

For good measure, Ford posted a similar review that the original poster on Sephora wrote about a conditioner that they used also attracting spiders, saying that it is much more likely that this person has a spider problem than the cream itself attracting the animal.

After a few days of what can now only be described as the creation of sheer and utter chaos, Sol de Janeiro entered the chat. "We didn't think we would wrap 2023 becoming an urban legend but [sic]," the brand posted on its Instagram Stories. "All of our products, including our new Delícia Drench Body Butter and Cheirosa 59 Perfume Mist are free from farnesyl acetate, diisobutyl phthalate, and hexadecyl acetate. So while they may attract a lot of attention from people they won't from arachnids."

Remember how vague the initial Redditor's comments were when discussing the chemical ingredients that can attract spiders? Well, it turns out that was for a reason.

In an edit to the original comment, user Marchingkoala clarified a few things. "Since this is gathering some attention, let me say that I do not know that the product in question contains above chemicals," they wrote. "Both of them are very commonly used in skincare in general and we, as customers, do not know what's actually in the 'fragrance' part of the ingredient list. So, it could potentially contains above chemicals or not. As a consumer who does not have access to the full list, I will never fully know! I've discussed this with other redditors in comments but one nice redditor suggested I put it up here too."

If there is one thing to learn from this saga, let it be this: never trust unsubstantiated claims from the internet. It might save you a few unnecessary heart palpitations.