A Note on the Brand Names for “Bath Salts”

Abstract

This essay discusses a relatively recent phenomenon, namely, the sale and use of a synthetic chemical product known generically as “bath salts.” It then defines this term. Next, it discusses selectively the scientific literature on this product. Finally, it interprets the significance the brand names used to refer to the product and their referents within an onomastic and semiotic framework.

Keywords:

• “Bath salts”
• brand names
• chain of signification
• connotative index
• drug subculture

Appendix

The following list of “bath salts” product names appears in alphabetic order. It derives from several sources (Alternate Names for the “Bath Salt” Drug; Olives et al., 2012: 58; Spiller et al., 2011: 502).

Arctic Blast

Bayou Ivory Flower

Blue Magic

Blue Silk

Bonsai Winter Boost

C Original

Cloud 10

Cloud 10 Ultra

Cloud 9

Cotton Cloud

Dynamite Dynamite Plus

Energizing Aromatherapy Powder

Euphoria

Gold Rush

Hurricane Charlie

Ivory Fresh

Ivory Wave Ultra

Lady Bubbles

Lunar Wave

Mr Nice Guy

Ocean Snow

Pure White

Red Dove

Route 69

Scarface

Snow Day

Snow Leopard

Tranquility

Vanilla Sky

White China

White Dove

White Girls

White Horse

White Rush

White Knight

White Rush

Wicked X

Wicked XX

Zoom

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Frank Nuessel

Frank Nuessel is Editor of NAMES: A Journal of Onomastics (2008–). He served as President of the Semiotic Society of America (2011), and Chief Reader of AP Italian (2006–2009, 2011–2012). He is President of the American Association of Teachers of Italian (2012–2014).

Correspondence to: Department of Classical and Modern Languages, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292-0001, USA.