When tie-in movie merch gets inspiring...
ADVERTISEMENTLast week, Euronews Culture discussed what happens when marketing goes wrong, with regards to Dune: Part Two.
This week, what happens when tie-in merchandising gets perversely wonderful.
British cosmetics company Lush has unveiled a 'bathbomb' inspired by the infamous (and some might say “traumatising”) bathtub scene in Emerald Fennell’s recent film, the black comedy Saltburn.
**Massive spoilers for Saltburn ahead**
The film stars Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, a middle-class student who befriends Jacob Elordi’s wealthy aristocrat Felix Catton. Oliver is invited by Felix to spend the summer at his family’s country house, Saltburn. Oliver quickly wins over Felix's family, and the two characters strike up what might be described as a complicated relationship.
One of the film’s most memorable scenes finds Oliver, having watched Jacob pleasure himself in the tub, lapping the remaining drops of bathwater before it swirls away.
The scene, one of the most alarming bath moments on screen since A Nightmare on Elm Street and Gummo, made quite the splash on social media, with many saying they had been “traumatised”.
And thank the stars the good folk at Lush weren’t.
Their ‘saltbomb’, which it says creates “salty, milky bath water”, is adorned with the following official product description:
“Lap it up, Saltbomb’s salty, milky bath water is fit for a stately splurge. This salt doesn’t burn, it’s a soothing blend of coconut milk powder, mineral-rich coarse sea salt, while sharing a fragrance with our all-year-round moisturising bubble bar, Milky Bath. Feel like Hollywood royalty with this limited edition bath bomb that never kills the groove, leaving the bather with silky smooth bath water they’ll want to treasure every last drop of.”
Alternatively, you’ll find the following tagline for the £5 (€5.85) product on their website: “Come and relax, or vice versa...”
Love the film, hate the film, or just love to hate the film, no one can deny the genius behind this marketing coup.
Lush aren’t the only ones getting in on it, though, as several iterations of candles have also been popping up online, specifically on Etsy.
The scented candles called ‘Jacob Elordi’s Bath Water’ come in a range of different scents, including tonka bean, vanilla and tobacco.
Elsewhere, the film has gained quite the notoriety on TikTok, with users heading to the real-life lavish mansion - Drayton House, which is near the town of Lowick in the UK - which was used for the shooting. They proceeded to flex about their wealthy lifestyle in the process.
This was met with ridicule, as the privileged airheads were mocked for “missing the point” of the film, which is to broadly satirise the upper classes and their absurd ways.
“Imagine flexing this after watching that film…did you actually watch the film?” commented a user of X. “It’s amazing how many people didn’t understand the point of Saltburn.”
Others began recreating Oliver’s dance moves from the end of the film as an excuse to peacock and show off their own lavish estates.
ADVERTISEMENTRedemption lies in Lush, TikTokers. You may not have understood the film, but now, your bathwater can be salty and milky too.
Probably for the best if you don’t fully commit to Oliver’s ways by touching yourselves on graves, or instigating murderous masterplans...
Oh God, we’re giving them ideas.
