In June 2021, a widely viewed TikTok video claimed to show puncture holes found in the protective foil packaging of Crayola Shaker Bath Dropz allegedly made by intravenous drug users cleaning their hypodermic needles.
In the video shared to the social media platform on June 15, 2021, TikTok user @beyondblonde__ claimed that the containers holding the bath tablets each had a single puncture hole in the plastic foil packaging meant to keep the product sanitary. She went on to show the puncture holes in three containers from what appeared to be a Walmart store that she claimed was made by needle marks. As of this writing, the video had been watched more than 1.6 million times.
Crayola Bath Dropz are fragrance-free tablets used to color the water used during a bath. Each container retails for $3.99 each is recommended for children ages 3 and up. A subsequent video filmed at Target similarly showed the woman opening individual containers and pointing out a single hole in each of the foil wrappings in seemingly the same locations.
In a reaction video filmed after the woman said she had emailed Crayola, @beyondblonde__ reported that Crayola said that the company itself puts holes in the foil packaging to maintain freshness. A representative reportedly told her that Crayola was working on a fix to seal the holes. Snopes contacted Crayola and was sent the following statement over email:
Crayola partners with other companies to provide licensed products that extend the Crayola brand beyond our iconic art supplies and creative toys. Working with these manufacturers to ensure they meet the high quality and safety standards you’ve come to expect from Crayola, we agree to the use of the Crayola brand name on their products. Crayola bath products are manufactured by Centric Beauty LLC.
Centric Beauty has confirmed that the small hole in the packaging is placed there intentionally during manufacturing. The hole helps to keep air circulating through the container to prevent moisture from building up and activating the tablets.
It’s not the first time a claim of this nature has surfaced on the internet. In March and August 2019, clams circulated online suggesting intravenous (IV) drugs and fentanyl users were contaminating toilet paper in public restrooms by stabbing their needles into the paper rolls to clean them. In both cases, federal and state-level drug agencies suggested the practice was not familiar to them, and we have regularly debunked the associated rumor that one can be poisoned by drugs, including fentanyl, through simple skin exposure. Even given the unlikeliness of these allegations, we rated both claims as “Unproven” because we were unable to locate evidence to corroborate that the practice was really taking place.