ONE DAY LAST SUMMER, Shelbey Wilson, a digital creator based in Nashville, replenished her stock of cleaning products from the Laundress. A loyal customer of the brand for about five years, she was partial to its No. 10 detergent and matching fabric conditioner. They were advertised as plant based and dermatologist tested, and she particularly loved the way they smelled: an olfactory "chorus" of "dark, almost sinister spice." Wilson, who is 29, ordered several bottles. She also tried out three of the brand's newer scents: Isle, which was more "dewy" with notes of fresh basil, mint, and lime; Artisan, which the company said was designed to "enhance rituals of self and home care" and “ignite the imagination and bring out your own inner artisan"; and Way Out West, John Mayer's musky collaboration with the brand, which started at $22 a bottle.
Soon after using her latest order, Wilson began suffering from a strange set of symptoms. Mysterious rashes appeared all over her body, and her forearms, neck, chin, and eyelids were red and covered in bumpy splotches. The folds of her nose burned. Everything itched. "I was miserable," she says.
"I was literally a tomato." When her dermatologist suggested that her fancy detergents might be the cause of her problems, she brushed it off. "I was like, 'Oh, that's not it," she says. "I've been using this stuff for years." Why would she suddenly have a problem now? Wilson was prescribed a topical cream, but it didn't help.
"I was kind of at a loss. I thought I was going to have miserable skin forever." Her career also suffered. "I work in social media, oftentimes with beauty brands, and I didn't work with any skin-care companies because I didn't want to use anything that might trigger my skin or make it any worse," she explains.
Esta historia es de la edición January 30 - February 12, 2023 de New York magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 30 - February 12, 2023 de New York magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Trapped in Time
A woman relives the same day in a stunning Danish novel.
Polyphonic City
A SOFT, SHIMMERING beauty permeates the images of Mumbai that open Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light. For all the nighttime bustle on display-the heave of people, the constant activity and chaos-Kapadia shoots with a flair for the illusory.
Lear at the Fountain of Youth
Kenneth Branagh's production is nipped, tucked, and facile.
A Belfast Lad Goes Home
After playing some iconic Americans, Anthony Boyle is a beloved IRA commander in a riveting new series about the Troubles.
The Pluck of the Irish
Artists from the Indiana-size island continue to dominate popular culture. Online, they've gained a rep as the \"good Europeans.\"
Houston's on Houston
The Corner Store is like an upscale chain for downtown scene-chasers.
A Brownstone That's Pink Inside
Artist Vivian Reiss's Murray Hill house of whimsy.
These Jeans Made Me Gay
The Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe pants complete my queer style.
Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes
Less than six months after her Gagosian sölu show, the artist JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLAND lost her gallery and all her money and was preparing for an exhibition with two the biggest living American artists.
WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?
Deli Meat Is Rotten