Do bath bombs ruin bathtubs?
The short answer is, mine don’t. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for every bath bomb on the market. So why is that? And what kind of damage can happen? Both of those answers can vary based on the ingredients included in the bath bombs recipe. Lets take a closer look at things to watch out for when bath bomb shopping.
Questions to ask when bath bomb shopping
What was used to add color? This is the biggest factor in damage to either your bath tub or your skin. Many DIY/homemade style recipes will encourage the use of food coloring in the bath bomb. This doesn't mean that it will automatically cause damage, but if too much is used it can stain your bathtub and your skin.
More advanced recipes may call for mica powder, but when it comes to bath bombs not all micas are created equally. Be careful to look for bath bombs that specifically note using skin safe mica powders and also include the ingredient polysorbate 80.
Lets start by looking at what can happen if those details are neglected.
Mica powders are a very popular colorant for a wide variety of projects. That means that the company producing the colors is not only thinking of the product being used on skin. For example, they are a popular choice for resin projects. That is why it is important that companies using mica powders for cosmetics take the time to make sure the color they are using is FDA approved for use on skin. That is a large part of why it is unusual to find blue bath bombs, as skin safe blue colors can be harder to obtain. Other colors to watch out for are neon's as neon micas are not approved for use on skin at this time.
Ok, so we've talked a lot about skin safe colors but you came here wanting to know how your bath tub will turn out. If mica colors are used alone, it will leave color on your tub and be a bit of a task to clean out. Not likely to be permanent damage, but nothing ruins the relaxing feelings of a bath like scrubbing a ring off the tub after. That is why it is important to also look for polysorbate 80 as an ingredient (or similar products.)
Polysorbate 80 is an ingredient that acts like a glue between the color and the water. This allows the color to disperse through the water making a much prettier appearance while in the bath, and allows the color to follow the water down the drain. Without it the water and mica will not mix and the color will just float on top. That leads to a less enjoyable experience during your bath, and also having the color stay behind after draining the water.
