Bath & Body Works Apologizes for Selling Candle That Shoppers Compared to KKK Hoods

Bath & Body Works has removed their candle “Snowed In” from shelves and issued an apology after online users compared the design to a series of Ku Klux Klan hoods.

By Brahmjot Kaur Oct 14, 2024 3:50 PMTags

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Bath & Body Works is owning up to a major oversight.

The retailer issued an apology after a new winter-themed candle design depicting a paper snowflake was compared to Ku Klux Klan (KKK) hoods on social media. 

“At Bath & Body Works, we are committed to listening to our teams and customers, and committed to fixing any mistakes we make-even those that are unintentional like this one,” Bath & Body Works shared in a statement with NBC News. “We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.”

The candle, which critics on X, formerly Twitter, dubbed the “Klandle” and the “KKKandle,” had an image of a snowflake with rounded edges that met at a point and featured two holes in the middle. Some noted that the pattern looked similar to the white hoods worn by the American white supremacist group.

The KKK is described as “the oldest and most infamous of American hate groups” and used “violent intimidation to prevent Black Americans–and any white people who supported Reconstruction–from voting and holding political office,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Specifically, the hooded Klansman has become a notable hate symbol, per the Anti-Defamation League.

Social media users slammed the company for not noticing the potential comparisons earlier.

“Bath & Body Works removing that candle was a necessary move,” one wrote on X Oct. 10. “How did that design even make it to shelves? This isn’t just a branding mistake; it’s a reminder of how sensitive cultural symbols can be.”

Another questioned, “How’d this even get approved by Bath & Body Works?”

Meanwhile, others admitted they didn’t see the comparison at first.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

“I’m pretty sure Bath & Body Works didn’t envision anything other than a snowflake,” another X user wrote. “That being said, I can’t unsee the reason they have been pulled from shelves.”

However, the backlash about the design was divided, with some users pushing back on the company’s decision to take the product off the shelves.

As one Instagram user commented, “Okay but it’s clearly SUPPOSED to be a paper snowflake like we made in school.”

(E! News and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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