Great news for anyone who, like me, loved bath pearls in the 1990s. The little globes are back – and they’ve had a serious upgrade, with designer brands such as Dior charging £57 for a tub.
With more than 50 million views of the hashtag ‘bathpearls’, it’s not just those who remember them the first time around who are investing – Gen Z are already hooked.
The trouble is, while they looked cute, old-school bath pearls took ages to dissolve and left a greasy residue in your bath. Now, we’re promised pearls that dissolve faster, with luxurious fragrances and hydrating ingredients. But can they really be chic?
Bethan King tests the latest launches to see if they are worth buying or are best left on the bathroom shelf.
Gen Z are hooked on bath pearls – but can the 90s staple really be chic? (Stock Image)
DELIGHTFULLY DIOR
Miss Dior Millefiori Couture Edition Bath Pearls, £57 for 100g, boots.com
Lessons have been learned from the pearls of old, as Dior’s are minuscule by comparison, designed to melt in bath water fast. They are scented with the classic Miss Dior floral fragrance.
VERDICT: These didn’t create a film on the water or leave the bath sticky, vanishing in seconds. Bonus points for the luxe packaging and the scent is gorgeous, too.
But I had to use about a fifth of the tub, which works out at around £11 per bath.
RATING: 4/5
Miss Dior Millefiori Couture Edition Bath Pearls cost £57 for 100g from boots.com
TRENDY TAT
Bubble T Melting Mango Bath Pearls, £7.99 for 20, bubbletcosmetics.com
These are a hit with Gen Z and Gen Alpha (born since 2010) on TikTok, partly thanks to their cute milk-carton box. They look just like the colourful classic bath pearls and claim to be infused with mango-fragranced oil.
VERDICT: While there’s a fruity smell to these, the main component is mineral oil. And mango oil does not seem to be on the ingredients list, so I’m not sure these are enough of an improvement on original formulas. I liked the scent, and they only took three minutes to dissolve, but the gel cases didn’t melt, becoming sticky blobs.
RATING: 1/5
KID-FRIENDLY COCONUT
My Little Coco Coco Hills Sunset Sprinkles Birthday Cake Scented Bath Beads, £3.99 for 425g, boots.com
TV presenter Rochelle Humes’s brand Coco Hills has launched these ‘bath beads’ suitable for sensitive skin and children too. They are fast-dissolving, and contain coconut and chamomile oil.
VERDICT: I was expecting them to smell sickly, but the coconutty vanilla sponge cake fragrance was delicious. The whole family can use them without breaking the bank. But they leave a pearlescent lilac residue on everything.
RATING: 2/5
EXPENSIVE BUT DIVINE
Fur Bath Drops, £38 for 18 Cult Beauty, cultbeauty.co.uk
Clean beauty brand Fur’s Bath Drops are filled with its signature blend of soothing essential oils – think clary sage and jojoba – and are designed to hydrate. Yet unlike its 1990s predecessors, rather than having a gelatin or glycerin coating, these pearls use a seaweed-based gel, which apparently dissolves more efficiently.
VERDICT: When these hadn’t dissolved in six minutes, I resorted to my teenage self and popped them. The oil inside smelled sophisticated, but I was disappointed that it floated on the water’s surface. I was expecting it to emulsify so there weren’t oily globules. You need about three pearls per bath – and with 18 in a tub, £38 for six baths didn’t feel like value for money.
RATING: 3/5
Cult Beauty’s Fur Bath Drops cost £38 for 18 from cultbeauty.co.uk
GLORIOUSLY RETRO
Retro Bath Pearls by Bare Boutique, £12.99 for 30, cissywears.com
These novelty pearls – think dolphins, stars and frogs – are a nostalgia trip. With tropical scents such as watermelon and lotus, they are also laced with skin-caring ingredients.
VERDICT: These have the traditional gelatin casings, so aren’t suitable for vegans, and they take a full seven minutes to dissolve. But there’s no denying the fun factor here, and at £12.99 for 30, they’re almost as good value as they were 30 years ago.
RATING: 3/5
