Ectoplasm Jelly Bath Bomb

When this mysterious purple and cream jelly bath bomb appeared at the Lush Showcase earlier this year, nobody realised it was the face of something big that Lush had been working on behind the scenes. The fact that it was probably one of the company's most flimsiest bath bombs was irrelevant at the time: everyone was fascinated by the fact that it was innovative and different...and also incredible messy.

Fast forward a few months and the company have re-released a much sturdier, less crumblier Ectoplasm, while still retaining its beautiful scent and product design that initially held my interest in the first place. I'll go as far as to say that out of every single jelly bomb I have tried to date, this is by far my favourite one.

First and foremost, the name itself is a spooky insight into the inspiration behind the very first, original jelly bath bomb. In the supernatural world, an ectoplasm is a 'viscous substance that supposedly exudes from the body of a medium during a spiritualistic trance and forms the material for the manifestation of spirits.' In Lush terms, this transcends into a limited edition bath bomb that likes to expel a goo-like substance across your water and manifests itself into a ten minute scrub after the tub has been drained.

Yes, you heard that correctly. This is yet another of Lush's jelly creations that likes to leave a mess: on you body: across the walls of your tub; and just about anywhere you let it rest while wet. As with most of these jelly bombs, this one does leave smears across your skin that you'll need to ensure are rinsed off, and this one will accumulate a large amount of unmelted jelly at the bottom of your tub, so you will need to clean away the mess afterwards.

Having said that, there is something rather special about the smell of this bath bomb, and it is perhaps my favourite fragrance out of all of the jelly bombs. With tangerine and grapefruit oils as the key ingredients, Ectoplasm is a strong, bright and very zesty aroma. While nothing complex or particularly interesting, if you enjoy your citrusy experiences, this will be one you'll want to try out for yourself.

It's slightly powdery at times, and this almost gives it a richness that other citrus aromas don't necessarily always offer. What is great about it as well, is that the fragrance lingers for a very long time, and I was still able to smell it a good number of hours after I had emptied the tub.

As with most of Lush's jelly bombs, the second you pop this one in the water, it begins to expel an almost florescent shade of green foam across the surface of the tub. As the bath bomb begins to diminish a little, vibrant layers of purple begin to erupt from its core, and you end up with a psychedelic coloured bath water. 

The inclusion of the sodium alginate is what gives this bath bomb its jelly-like consistency, and you'll find that when you run your hands through the water you'll feel a big difference between a regular bath bomb and one such as this. There is no denying that Ectoplasm will leave you skin feeling radiant and silky-smooth, and the effect will last for days.

Despite this, I should warn you that, just like each of the other jelly bombs, this one will leave your bath very slippery, so you should be careful when getting in and out of the bath. In addition, this ballistic will also leave puddles of 'goo' that you'll have to ensure is washed away by the end. 

I found that this jelly bomb didn't leave anywhere near as many smears of gunk across my body, and the majority of the had been rinsed off once I was near finishing. However, there were still a couple of patches that I had to wipe off before towelling myself down, and I still didn't feel comforter washing my hair in the water - for fear of how it would affect my hair. 

Overall, this is my favourite out of all of the jelly bombs. The scent is strong and lingers on your skin for a good hour afterwards; the presentation and colour of the water is unique and one that I recommend that you experience; the results speak for themselves and you will notice a difference when it comes to the condition of your skin. 

I cannot say that I plan on rushing out and buying a handful of these to use, as I am still not convinced that they are as reliable and as clean as the regular bath bombs. Having said this, I would not be opposed to using one of these when I want something a little different from the regular range, or if my body needed a magical boost of moisture to replenish the skin.          

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Sodium Alginate, Tangerine Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Litsea Cubeba Oil, Water (Aqua), Dipropylene, Glycol, *Citral, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 59040, Colour 45410, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Ectoplasm Jelly Bath Bomb
Ectoplasm Liquid Perfume
Ectoplasm Naked Shower Scream
Ectoplasm Shower Scream
Ectoplasm Solid Perfume


Ectoplasm Washcard