‘Catastrophic burns’: Meghan Markle facing $10 million lawsuit over bath salt recipe gone wrong

A woman from Maryland is filing a major lawsuit against Meghan Markle, Netflix, and Archewell Productions. The woman claims she suffered severe burns from a homemade bath salt recipe shown in Markle’s Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Robin Patrick, who has diabetes, says the recipe, which was presented as a wellness gift in the show, caused her serious injuries.

The bath salt recipe contained Epsom salt, Himalayan salt, arnica oil, and lavender oil. Patrick says that after using the recipe, she felt an immediate burning sensation in the parts of her body that were in the bathwater. The discomfort quickly turned into intense pain, and the affected areas developed ulcers. Even after getting out of the bath, the burning continued and got worse when she later took a shower.

According to The Sun, the woman reports ongoing daily pain, new sores and ulcers forming, and an inability to take warm showers or wear clothes over the injured areas. She says these injuries are greatly affecting her daily life and could lead to long-term problems and scarring.

Woman allegedly burned with Meghan Markle’s bathsalts

Patrick’s lawsuit asks for $75,000 to cover her medical bills from the burns and their treatment. More importantly, she is demanding $10 million in punitive damages from Markle, Netflix, and Archewell Productions. This larger amount is meant to compensate her for emotional distress, possible post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), loss of confidence due to scarring, a potentially shorter life expectancy, and the need for long-term medical care.

She claims the defendants showed a reckless disregard for public safety by sharing the recipe without proper warnings. After the episode with the bath salt recipe aired, skincare experts raised concerns about the high amount of essential oils in the mixture. They pointed out that the oils were not diluted with a carrier oil, which could cause skin irritation and bad reactions.

These warnings were apparently not included in the show. However, Markle’s legal team has denied the claim. In a letter seen by news outlets, her lawyer, Cameron Stracher, argued that Patrick’s diabetes and her failure to follow instructions on the Epsom salt packaging mean there is no case for negligence. Stracher says the injuries were not predictable, so the people involved in making and releasing the series are not responsible.