--- title: "Experts Say Popular Body Lotion Not Attracting Horny Spiders" description: "That viral review of a body butter that seems to attract wolf spiders has garnered headlines being debunked -- but not everyone's convinced." date: "2024-01-07" modified: "2024-01-07" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/body-lotion-wolf-spiders" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "beauty" - "memes" - "social media" - "spiders" --- # Experts Say Popular Body Lotion Not Attracting Horny Spiders ![That viral review of a body butter that seems to attract wolf spiders has garnered headlines being debunked -- but not everyone's convinced.]() *Application, cream, suncream, uv filter, summer, allergy \Image: Kinga Krzeminska / Getty Images\* After a dissatisfied customer seemed to allege that an expensive body butter was making them irresistible to wolf spiders, sleuths of all stripes sought to investigate their claims. Spoiler alert: there was a lot of sound and fury, but the consensus — with a few dissenters — seems to be that the claims don't hold up. The debacle began during the sleepy week between Christmas and New Year's Eve, when a Redditor [took to the r/Sephora subreddit]() to post a screenshot of a review allegedly left by a disgruntled body butter-purchaser. Their claim is now iconic: that the "Delícia Drench™ Body Butter for Intense Moisture and Skin Barrier Repair," manufactured by the luxury skincare brand Sol de Janeiro and sold for $48 at Sephora, was attracting wolf spiders, which are [mostly-harmless arachnids]() that don't spin webs and are found almost everywhere around the world. ![A screenshot of a one-star Sephora review for a body butter that allegedly attracted wolf spiders. It reads: "If you're scare of wolf spiders — watch out for these lotions lol. 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. Normally, I'll see one every like 3 years, used this and it was every day. I stopped using it and haven't seen one since."]() *Image via screenshot/Reddit.* "If you're scared of wolf spiders — watch out for these lotions lol," the reviewer in the screenshot wrote. "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. Normally, I'll see one every like 3 years, used this and it was every day. I stopped using it and haven't seen one since." Had that screenshot been posted on its own, it would have been a passing novelty, but soon after, an armchair expert who said they "[really don't like bugs]()" went down the scientific journal rabbit hole. That user then cited a [2009 study]() about spider pheromones that seemed to affirm the original review and mentioned three chemicals — arnesyl acetate, diisobutyl phthalate, and hexadecyl acetate — that are not, as [Sol de Janeiro]() has [repeatedly pointed out](), in the body butter's ingredients at all. As of press time, that poster had twice amended their comments to include disclaimers that they were mistaken. "Combine farnesyl acetate with hexadecyl acetate in \[the\] right dosage and it might bring all the thirsty boy spiders to your yard," the second Redditor wrote. "Because you may also smell like a thirsty girl spider." ![A Reddit comment about the body butter that makes one attractive to wolf spiders that reads "Hello. I just did a little dive into chemicals that attract spiders because I really don’t like bugs. Ao according to studies? 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”.]() *Image via screenshot/Reddit.* Not long after the post went viral, [actual experts]() [began cropping up]() to [debunk the claim](), making it seem very much like this is either an open-and-shut case of either a misinterpreted case of arachnids gone awry or, more conspiratorially, a distinctly bizarre bit of PR theater. Still, there are a lot of strange loose ends that none of those denials, explanations, or debunkings can account for. Was the original product review screenshot doctored, and if not, who posted it? And what about the [handful of other internet users]() who claimed that they, too, had either seen or [even been bitten]() by wolf spiders after using the luxurious lotion? ![Screenshot of a tweet featuring a person's calf with a circled bite. The post's texts reads: "No because @Sephora here's my wolf spider bite after using some of my wife's lotion and then changing her freaking tire."]() *Image via screenshot/Twitter.* Whether this is yet another example of viral hysteria or something altogether stranger, this strange debacle will likely go down in meme history as one of the stranger cosmetics-meets-nature incidents. That said, the arachnophobes among us might want to hold off this *particular* body butter, just in case. **More on memetic frenzies**: [*Local Officials Horrified by Woman Digging Huge Cavern Under Her House*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()