Little Monkey Bubble Bar

Despite being a fan of the Lush Kitchen, I've not been very enthused with most of the bath products that have been released so far. While I appreciate being given the opportunity to experience ballistics and bubble bars that have not seen the light of day in years, the ones that consumers have been offered so far are not the ones I would initially go for, if I had a choice.

However, when Lush announced that they would be bringing out Little Monkey Bubble Bar, a little squeal escaped my lips and I impatiently counted down the hours until the package arrived on my doorstep. Ripping back the box and turfing the stuffing all over the floor, I pressed the bubble bar to my nose and was immediately engulfed by the wonderful aroma it offered... 

What sets this bubble bar apart from most other alternative bars from Lush, is the inclusion of fresh banana in the ingredients list. This not only gives the product it's strong and very fresh-smelling scent, but gives it moisturising properties that make this one of the most nourishing bath-companions I have used to date. This is a bubble bar that guarantees to leave your feeling super-soft and well-pampered.   

Aside from the organic banana and the dried banana slice on top, there is very little else here that adds to the overall fragrance of the product. This means that Little Monkey offers up a strong, wholesome and slightly starchy banana fragrance, much like you would expect when peeling a fresh one. There is a certain sweetness to the bar that gives it a slightly creamier smell - something not far off a banana milkshake. 

Unfortunately, this smell seems to be lost rather quickly when it's used in the bath. Once you've crumbled the bar under the water, the gorgeous scent dissipates very quickly and you are left with a more perfume-y smell that isn't very banana-like. However, once I had towel-dried myself off, I could once again pick up the lovely aroma of bananas and this stayed with me for a little while afterwards.

The bubble bar is very easy to use and half a bar is more than sufficient for filling your tub with surplus bubbles. As to be expected, A Little Monkey turns the water a shade of yellow, which isn't the best colour to be bathing in but it does omit a certain amount of warmth. 

This product shares it's scent with the popular Banana Moon Soap and Gumback Express Smoothie, both of which are not vegan-friendly. For this reason, I am rather grateful that Lush have produced a product from this scent family that doesn't contain any animal derivatives. However, I think Lush should reformulate this bar a little so the wonderful banana aroma that first greets you, is the same one you share your tub with. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Potassiumbitartrate), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fresh Organic Fair Trade Bananas (Musa paradisica), Perfume, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Lauryl Betaine, Dried Banana Slice (Musa paradisiaca). 

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.95 each.

2017 Price: £3.95 each.

Scent Family:

Banana Moon Soap
Gumback Express Shower Smoothie
Little Monkey Bubble Bar