what does the sephora spider cream say about society at the moment?
send thoughts and prayers to the Sol de Janeiro social media team.
Not everyone's brain is smooth enough to grasp the surrealism of the internet. This can be seen in how an online Sephora comment about a cream called Sol de Janeiro Delícia Drench Body Butter went viral, claiming it attracts wolf spiders, creating a super specific brand crisis. (I would not want to be on the PR team for it during the holidays...)
As any advanced-level internet shitposter would, they got the joke and the assignment, adding to the creepy-crawly narrative in a Reddit-esque 'pass-the-telephone' style. Each comment built upon the last, adding to a growing saga of paranoia. This quickly turned the Sephora.com review section into a social media forum of sorts, which is DOPE.
Then, the internet did what it does best: it took this and ran with it, spreading it to all corners of social media and gossip outlets such as TMZ. People claimed their swatch tests indeed attracted spiders. Others shared their supposed spider sightings after using the cream. Some even tossed in pseudo-scientific jargon, saying the cream contained spider-attracting ingredients like farnesyl acetate, diisobutyl phthalate, and hexadecyl acetate.
It was the perfect intersection of cultural obsession and universal fear: skincare meets spiders.
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The brand responded on their Instagram story with slight humor but was highly restrained.
In their shoes, I’d have taken it much further. This PR “nightmare” was actually a golden opportunity to connect with their Gen Z audience, transforming traditional brand responses into something that resonates with their absurdist humor.
Here are some ideas they could have explored:
Lean into it to the max by conducting live swatch tests with influencers alongside spider repellent in sugar glass cases that you can break in case of an arachnid emergency.
Invite Doja Cat to be a brand ambassador, playing off the spider on her 2023 album cover, Scarlet. Or Zendaya, beloved in Spider-Man.
Reach out to the Goth community, telling them this cream was made just for them.
Survey their 2.6 million combined Instagram and TikTok followers to see if they'd be interested in a spider silk skin product.
Do a brand collab with Terminix.
Instead, they opted for a standard PR statement. A missed chance to go viral and display self-awareness, which Gen Z adores.
Oh well.
It was only a matter of time before our skepticism of big brand media spilled over from war and politics into something as superficial as beauty commerce. What does this say about our reality? Perhaps it's our tendency to find humor amidst a humanity that is hurting. Creating our own small whirlwinds to laugh at. Or maybe it's about asserting control in a world that feels increasingly out of our hands.
What will come next?
Anyways, here'a link to the cream if you'd like to conjure your childhood nightmare fuel: CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK.
xoxo,
#CursedContent
this is absolutely hilarious, I had no idea!