The Ex Factor Bath Bomb

There are certain products from the deepest, darkest crevices of the Lush vaults that capture my interest more than others do - some descriptions that leave me hankering for a bite; some pictures that captivate my imagination and set it into overdrive. For whatever reason it may be, particular items immediately stand out to me as 'must haves', and it's always exciting when I finally get to experience them for the first time in all of their glory. 

The Ex Factor was a bath bomb I first noticed a couple of years ago - back when I was able to browse the internet for recent releases without feeling the need to accumulate them all by any means necessary, like a desperate squirrel nestling her nuts before the winter hits. A regular Valentine's Day release in the US, this limited edition beauty had everything going for it - a gorgeous design, a clever name and a scent description that made the mouth water.

So when it was released in the Lush Kitchen back in February, I jumped at the chance of picking up a handful, and couldn't wait to try them out in the comfort of my own tub. Not only did they make for a relaxing and very comforting addition to my weekend soak, but also helped me to cross another much-desired product off of my 'to find' list.    

Created to celebrate both the affectionate side to Valentine's Day, as well as the darker aspects, this sweet, musky vanilla ballistic is a wonderful addition to anyone's bath tub - whether they be lucky or jaded in love. Sharing its scent with the popular Butterball family, this makes an interesting change from the nondescript white colour that can be found with both the shower gel format, and the many bath bomb renditions that have come out over the years.

What is great about The Ex Factor is that once the ballistic has fully dissolved, you're left with a wonderfully vivid blue bath, which is far brighter and fuller than I was expecting from such a thin bath bomb. Furthermore, I found this to be slightly stronger in scent than both Butterbear and Snowman - meaning I could still smell it on my skin a good couple of hours after exiting the tub, which was lovely.

On the other hand, I was slightly disappointed to discover that the product wasn't quite as nourishing on the skin as I was expecting it to be, given how moisturising the original bath bomb is. Normally when using any of the aforementioned products, you expect to see chunks of cocoa butter expelled from the ballistic. These rest on the surface of the water and work on softening and repairing your skin while you bathe. With Ex Factor, I found that it worked more like a regular bath bomb as opposed to one designed to specifically nourish, and this was probably the only gripe I had with it. Ultimately, this is perhaps the only reason why this didn't score a high five out of six.

Having said that, I really enjoyed using this bath bomb, and appreciated both how vivid the colour was in the tub, and how strong the scent was on my skin afterwards. While there wasn't any cocoa butter to write home about, this bath bomb was by no means drying on the skin, and my body still felt soft and smooth afterwards.

Despite the length and the width of The Ex Factor, I would say that it's best suited to a single bath - just because I don't think you'd get enough of the scent to make using half of it particularly worth it. However, it would also work well as part of a cocktail, and could easily be divided into three or four chunks if used in this way. 

Overall, it's a lovely addition to my bath collection, and one I'll enjoy using again. While The Ex Factor is not a product I would out rush to buy again straight away, it is a lovely, calming ballistic for sure, and one I enjoyed sharing a bath with on my rather uneventful Valentine's Day. It certainly didn't steal my heart, but it made for wonderful company.      

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Synthetic Musk, Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.50 each.

2016 Price: £3.75 each.

Year Of Original Release:?


Scent Family:
Angel Hair Solid Shampoo Bar
Butterball Bath Bomb
Butterball Body Conditioner
Butterball Body Lotion
Butterball Liquid Perfume
Butterball Perfume Oil
Butterball Shower Gel
Butterbear Bath Ballistic
Butterbear Shower Jelly
The Ex Factor Bath Bomb
Gentle Lentil Solid Shampoo
Peace Pioneers Shower Oil
The Snowman Ballistic