Malaysian Beauty Brand Slammed For 'Cult-Like' Ice Bath Team-Building; Founder Stands By Company's Decision | Watch

Malaysia: A Malaysian health and beauty brand, Victoria's Vitality, is facing mounting criticism after a viral video showed employees taking part in an extreme ice bath challenge as part of a team-building exercise. The video from the activity has sparked widespread concern over the physical and mental toll of the activity as a woman is seen unable to move after coming out of the ice bath and is puled out by her colleagues.

10-Minute Cold Plunge Left Woman Shivering

The controversy erupted after one participant, who goes by the Instagram handle 'ngosak9509' shared a reel documenting her emotional and physical struggle during the 10-minute cold plunge. Shivering and visibly in distress by the end of the session, Ngosak was unable to stand without help. Colleagues carried her and massaged her reddened legs to help her recover, further fueling public concern about the intensity and safety of the activity.

Nonetheless, Ngosak still wrote a touching caption appreciating her colleagues for their support and her company for this unique team-building activity. “During this team building, I told the team that I was afraid and afraid that I couldn't do it. It was also again and again @smalllfishhh @vvxindy_0918 @vv_kuantan_karen has always encouraged me, supported me, and told me I am not doing this alone, but a group of people," wrote Ngosak in the caption of the video.

"I have never seen a company spend five figures to help the team grow. I have never seen a female boss of a company tell us stories with tears in front of our team. I just want to say that "female bosses" and our VV partners have always been…(heart emoji)," Ngosak added.

Company Responds

Amid the backlash, Victoria’s Vitality founder Belinda Feng took to Instagram to defend the exercise, denying claims that it was unsafe or cult-like.

“We’re not a cult. We’re just a group of women who work hard for our dreams,” she said, adding, “You can laugh at us and criticize all you want, but we will keep working hard for our dreams.”

Ngosak also stood by the company’s decision, stating that the session was conducted under expert supervision but acknowledged such practices should not be attempted without guidance.

The session was facilitated by Warrior Plunge, a company specializing in ice baths and sauna experiences. Its founder, David Lai, addressed the growing safety concerns in his own Instagram post.

Emphasizing the safe environment that was maintained during the activity, Lai stated, "The honest truth to me is that, nobody got harmed, not a single person got injured, and not one single girl in the video walked away with a flu.”

While some have praised the challenge as a show of resilience, others argue that pushing physical boundaries to such extremes, even under supervision, may do more harm than good. “I don't know what soaking in ice water has to do with breaking through, but I can be sure that sitting in a manure pit is a big breakthrough," read one of the comments. “Life is already painful enough, can it be better not be like this?” said another. 

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