(NewsNation) — Actress Sydney Sweeney addressed backlash for her bathwater soap project, though she’s keeping mum on the blowback from her recent American Eagle ad.
Sweeney, 27, partnered with Dr. Squatch in May to create and sell a soap made with her bath water, “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss.” Despite outrage online, it sold out in seconds, according to the company.
“It was mainly the girls making comments about it, which I thought was really interesting,” Sweeney said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Wednesday.
She likened her soap collab to co-star Jacob Elordi’s standout bathtub scene in the 2020 film “Saltburn” — which inspired a questionably scented candle.
When it came to the risqué scene and products surrounding it, “they all loved the idea of Jacob Elordi’s bathwater,” Sweeney said.
A billboard of actress Sydney Sweeney is seen outside an American Eagle store on Aug. 01, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) 
Sydney Sweeney at Lionsgate’s “Americana” Los Angeles Special Screening held at Desert 5 Spot on Aug. 03, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) 
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Glen Powell, left, and Sydney Sweeney in a scene from “Anyone But You.” (Brook Rushton/Sony via AP) 
Sydney Sweeney attends the “Echo Valley” New York premiere at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on June 04, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Sydney Sweeney ‘won’t comment’ on American Eagle ad: Report
Though the soap squabble made a splash, Sweeney has since been at the center of another controversy — this time about her “good jeans.”
An American Eagle campaign launched in July featured Sweeney in head-to-toe denim. In the ad, she says genes are “passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color.”
“My jeans are blue,” she finishes.
The ad received criticism online, with some claiming it promoted eugenics and reinforced white beauty standards.
Though American Eagle has defended the ad, Sweeney has remained silent. The actress “won’t comment” on that ad or its blowback, according to the Journal.
The discussion was so widespread, President Donald Trump weighed in: “If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”
Sweeney registered as a Republican in 2024, according to Florida’s publicly accessible voter information database.
NewsNation’s Teddy Grant contributed to this report.