Equinox gyms swap out toiletry brands, infuriating members (2024)

The high-end gym chain Equinox is in hot water with some of its members after suddenly swapping out the skincare line that has long provided its luxe locker-room products, replacing it with a new brand that has sparked worries among the club's acolytes about its use of potential allergens.

For more than a decade, the toned and well-heeled members of Equinox have pampered themselves with shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotions from the cosmetics brand Kiehl's — all included in their monthly dues, which run as high as $500 depending on location and access (a $40,000 yearly membership was recently launched, aiming to help members live longer).

But recently, and without apparent warning, the fitness chain jettisoned trendy Kiehl's in favor of products made by Grown Alchemist, an even trendier Australian brand.

Blake Rayfield, who has been an Equinox member in New York City since last year and suffers from a serious nut allergy, is among those crying foul over the sudden change, noting that Grown Alchemist's body wash contains nut oil.

"The old Kiehl's shower products were nut-free, so I had no issues showering," Rayfield told Newsweek. "However, now not being able to shower at all means losing an entire amenity."

According to the website promoting the brands' partnership, Grown Alchemist is providing Equinox with six products, including a body wash, body cream, shampoo and conditioner.

The body wash contains macadamia oils that are meant to condition, moisturize and soften users' skin, according to the company. The site also notes that the hydra-restore condition uses "sweet almond oil" to moisturize, smooth and calm hair. The restorative body cream contains shea butter, which comes from a nut.

"As an innovator of biotech beauty dedicated to creating formulas that are 100% compatible with skin and the environment, we're thrilled to partner with Equinox, bringing our advanced formulations to the Equinox experience to help maximize cellular potential inside and out," Anna Teal, CEO of Grown Alchemist, said in a press release about the partnership.

A spokesperson for the brand told Newsweek in a follow-up that the Kiehl's products used by Equinox members for years also had nut oils. Raymond said that those were just the lotions and thus more easily avoided.

Newsweek attempted to reach multiple people at Equinox but did not hear back. On Facebook, Equinox called the partnership and investment in its members "inside and out."

Rayfield recognized the issue when she read the ingredients. She's had the allergy her whole life, so is used to analyzing product labels.

"I am extremely allergic to nuts," Rayfield told Newsweek. "If someone showers before me and touches the face wash pump after using the conditioner, I will have a reaction just from touching that pump. I can't bring my own products either because the showers aren't cleaned between every use."

Rayfield shared her complaints to TikTok, leading to an avalanche of other users chiming in with their own concerns.

"This is literally crazy," @elikakoh commented on Rayfield's video. "It should be a common rule of thumb to exclude nuts from anything shared cause allergies are so common."

Other comments said Equinox's move away from Kiehl's now makes "less and less sense."

In another video, a TikToker user known as @janethechemist who identifies as a longtime Equinox member, slammed the Grown Alchemist partnership as "one of the worst decisions ever," noting that Kiehl's products, while "basic," are known for being fragrance free and popular for people with sensitive skin.

For its part, Grown Alchemist said people with food allergies to tree nuts "may not necessarily have a reaction to nut oils in skincare topically."

"As cited on Allergycertified.com, food allergies are a type one allergy and skin allergies are type four," the brand said in a statement.

"Studies show that people with allergy to almonds in food will be able to use a cosmetic product with almonds without having allergic reactions since it is two different kind of allergies and both the allergens you react to and the reaction itself are different."

Sweet almond oil and macadamia oil have both been used "for hundreds of years in cosmetics," according to the company.

The Grown Alchemist spokesperson suggested that Equinox members who have concerns use a patch test to check for potential skin allergies and "make sure to know their sensitivities." The brand's products undergo and pass such a test as part of their development.

"We do this in addition to the mandatory safety assessment, which includes a toxicological assessment, all products must undergo to comply with global regulations," the spokesperson said.

Rayfield said in her viral TikTok video that she went through the Grown Alchemist website and suggested different products to Equinox that do not contain any ingredients from nuts, including three conditioners and one body wash.

"[They] tried telling me that's not how allergies work," Rayfield said in the video.