If you’ve been on Reddit or Threads recently, you might’ve seen people talk about Temu vapes and the cilantro soap gene. It’s probably a sentence you never thought you’d read, but we’ll try and explain it to you the best we can.
By the looks of things, a post on Threads that Temu vapes cured a user’s sister’s cilantro soap gene went viral. The post, which was shared by user @diab0li.c on Sept. 10, has amassed 3.5K likes. A screenshot of the post also racked up 9,000 upvotes in the r/BrandNewSentence subreddit. It also spiked in Google search interest on Sept. 13.
Post by @diab0li.cView on Threads
It seems that Twitch streamer Tobs inspired this phrase. Four months ago, the streamer clipped a part of its Vtuber stream and titled it, “I hit the Temu vape, and it reversed the cilantro soap gene.” Given the hyper-specific nature of this sentence, we can assume that @diab0li.c was inspired by this streamer. Either that or it’s a very niche coincidence.
Moreover, based on the response by Threads users, it’s likely the Threads post was meant as a joke. Furthermore, those with the cilantro gene also saw the funny side of this post after it was posted in the r/FuckCilantro subreddit. But what exactly is the cilantro soap gene?
Can vapes cure the cilantro soap gene?
As the name implies, the cilantro soap gene refers to a genetic variant some people have that causes the “soapy” taste of cilantro to be emphasized.
There is zero evidence to suggest that Temu vapes or vapes of any kind can cure the cilantro soap gene. As a genetic condition, there isn’t necessarily a cure for it. However, health site Health.com claims that while there is no evidence for this, you “might be able to gradually desensitize your tastebuds by exposing your palate to small amounts of cilantro at a time.”
Does Temu sell vapes?
As a notorious drop-shipping company that sells users cut-price products directly from China, Temu sells pretty much anything. However, there have been concerns in the past about the quality of these items and the working conditions of the makers of these products.
Temu sells various oddities, like croissant lamps. But does it sell vapes? When The Daily Dot searched for vapes on the site, no such product came up. So it’s very likely that this viral moment is just a convoluted joke.
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