Sephora Sold Body Butter Isn’t Spider Seducer, Experts Say, After Viral Review

Topline A body butter sold at Sephora has gone viral after a reviewer alleged it attracted wolf spiders, but experts say it’s unlikely the product had the specific mix of compounds needed to attract spiders. A Sephora shop. Key Facts A customer left a one star review of Sol de Janeiro’s Delícia Drench body butter last week claiming it attracts wolf spiders, alleging the product caused an uptick in sightings from one every three years to one every day.

This review sent social media into a frenzy: An X user tweeted a screenshot from a viral, since deleted Reddit post alleging the redditor put the body butter on a piece of tissue at work and found several spiders after 10 hours. An X, formerly known as Twitter, user shared a picture Wednesday of an alleged wolf spider bite they claimed to get after using their wife’s Sol de Janeiro body butter.

One popular Reddit post cited a 2009 study , which discovered two compounds used in some cosmetics and found in the web of female spiders are pheromones —chemicals made by one species that affect the behavior of animals of the same species—to attract male spiders. The paper examines skull spiders, not wolf spiders, and states these two compounds (farnesyl acetate and hexadecyl acetate) must be combined in a specific dosage amount in order to attract male spiders.

This led Sol de Janeiro to respond in a post on its Instagram story Saturday, stating none of its products contain these compounds, and although the products “may attract a lot of attention from people, they won’t from arachnids.” Forbes has reached out to Sephora for comment. Contra Several experts have said the possibility of Sol de Janeiro’s body butter attracting spiders is unlikely.

Jayde Taylor, a dermal clinician at Australia based Flawless Rejuvenation, said in a TikTok post fragrances made for cosmetics are synthetically made, formulated for skincare and “not spider bait.” Javon Ford, a TikToker and cosmetic chemist for cosmetic brand Éclat Naturals, said in a post the evidence isn’t “adding up,” and noted there’s no evidence farnesyl acetate and hexadecyl acetate (also called cetyl acetate) are found in the body butter.

“It is HIGHLY unlikely that the skin cream company through random chance combined enough things in just the right proportion to mimic a spider compound,” Floyd W. Shockley, the chair of the Entomology Collections Committee at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, told the New York Times.

Key Background Wolf spider, scientifically known as Lycosidae, is a family of over 250 spiders in North America, though there are many more worldwide, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. These spiders are often brown, gray, black or tan with long legs and black body markings, like stripes.

They are athletic and instead of spinning webs to catch their prey, they chase after it. They can grow to be one quarter of an inch to two inches long and are the most common spider species in the world. Although it’s possible to be allergic to them, wolf spiders aren’t dangerous and their bites aren’t poisonous, WebMD reports .

Their bites may cause mild pain, swelling or itchiness, but the issues should subside within minutes. Signs of a more severe reaction include fever, nausea or vomiting, cramping, dizziness or headache, a rash, trouble breathing, weakness or uncontrollable shaking or sweating. Big Number 2,300. That’s how many species of spiders there are around the world, according to Brittanica.

Further Reading What You Need to Know About a Wolf Spider Bite (WebMD).