2024.3.5 - Nora - Are bath bombs good for you?

They're scented, fizzy, and fun, but do bath bombs really do anything (other than stain your bath)? We spoke to a cosmetic chemist and a dermatologist to find out.

If there's one thing I've learned about the internet, it's that you never know what's going to explode. Case in point: Not long ago, my Twitter and Tumblr feeds were suddenly flooded with posts tagged #BathBombing. The meme featured parodies of everything from the bomb emoji to eggs being thrown into water ("Love my new bath bomb!" read the captions) - presumably mocking the trend of teenagers tossing Lush's colourful, fragrant bath balls into the tub and breathlessly documenting it for the internet. Like Gangnam Style and #TheDress, we'll never know exactly why bath bombs took off, but it certainly got the Allure offices talking: Do bath bombs actually do anything?

As it turns out, these palm-sized orbs are nothing more than a harmless mix of fizzy ingredients, salts, dyes, oils and a few surprises (think rose petals or glitter). Cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller, editor of thebeautybrains.com, breaks it down like this: In water, the sodium bicarbonate in the bomb reacts with the citric acid to release carbon dioxide gas. This is no different to what happens when you drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet into a glass of water. The bath bomb begins to break down, releasing the colours, fragrances and skin care ingredients such as salts and oils. The combination turns your bath water into a psychedelic mix of colours and scents.

But as far as your skin is concerned, they're essentially no different to adding a splash of bath oil or salt to the water. "Bath bombs can add oils to a bath, and the oils are moisturising," says Amy Wechsler, a dermatologist in New York City. "On the other hand, some of the ingredients can be irritating, especially the fragrances and dyes." Not to mention picking glitter out of places that should never sparkle.