'For a mere $48, I can send my enemies a cream that has them attacked by spiders': Sephora customers claim lotion is irresistible to spiders, entertains the internet

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Dec 29, 2023 12:00 PM EST

I think that a lot of people underestimate how crazy the beauty industry is. They will throw almost any random ingredient at the wall of the moisturizer-buying public just to see what sticks. This frequently isn't a good thing — women used to paint their faces with lead makeup, for God's sake. However, it does sometimes have some unexpectedly amusing side effects.

Say what you like about retinol, but it isn't likely to contribute to the bizarre phenomenon that certain skincare lovers on Reddit are attributing to a certain brand of lotion. A number of unfortunate customers have claimed to find that a $48 Sephora-stocked body butter is like catnip to spiders.

When people started to take their strange findings to the internet, it wasn't long before the whole situation became a minor viral hit. Supposedly, the ingredient list contains chemicals very similar to those produced by female spiders. Read with care, arachnophobes.