Volcano FUN Bar

As far as the concept of a FUN Bar, I didn't really think there was anything that Lush could do to spice up how they could be used by the consumer. Already incredibly versatile, Volcano is one of a handful of recent releases that have raised the bar slightly: offering an extra dosage of creativity to an already inspired product.

One of Lush's cheapest products, the FUN bar is essentially a tube of play-dough, with ingredients that allow it to be used to clean the skin as well as being moulded into whatever you're inspired to create. Breaking off a penny-sized piece and massaging it across wet skin will create a light, frothy lather to clean your skin with. This can be taken further by being massaged into your hair in replacement of your regular shampoo.

Instead of using a bubble bar, a small piece held under the running tap will also create a surplus of fragrant bubbles to submerge yourself beneath. While I would recommend using a bath bomb or bath oil alongside this, as it's not as moisturising as a regular bubble bar would be, it definitely adds something extra to your experience.

Volcano is the second FUN Bar to have been released this year with the inclusion of three miniature bath bombs - all of which share the same aroma. The idea, as the name suggests, is that the bar can be used to create the model of a volcano, while the bath bombs create the eruption side of things. Adding fun to either your own, or that of a child's bath time routine, this limited edition simply offers a novelty concept to shake up your bath or shower experience.

Supposedly, this shares its scent with the Koyaanisqatsi Shower Bomb, although I can definitely detect a difference. To my nose, it's very lavender focussed with the fennel lacing itself around this to create something very herbal. The lavender scent is very on par with the old Playdoze Bubble Bar, in that it's naturally sweet but very relaxing at the same time. While the tangerine oil doesn't really add much in the way of a fruity aroma, it definitely helps to elevate the other elements somewhat. 

What is great about this product is that the scent is very strong for a FUN Bar. You are quite literally engulfed with its fragrance in the shower, and remnants of the scent do linger on your skin for a short while afterwards. Furthermore, Volcano lathers up really well almost immediately, so you should only need to use a grape-sized piece to clean your entire body.

For those who love to get creative, the inclusion of the popping candy in the miniature bath bombs means you can enjoy the process of creating your own pint-sized model before or during your shower/bath, and then appreciate the sound effects when they come into contact with the water. How you'd then use the product afterwards however, is down to your own discretion. 

Why not a major problem, once I had created my Volcano, I found that I had to store my wet, sticky mass of FUN on the side of my bath tub, which did leave undesirable splashes of grey running down the sides until I found a container I could store it in while I used it up. Given the colour of the product, I also found that using the black part as a bubble bar didn't exactly heed great results in the water, as there are unlikely many people who would enjoy bathing in murky grey water if given a choice.

Overall, I really appreciate that Lush offer these bars because they're cheap; versatile with many uses; and they're great for kids and creative adults alike. However, I would much rather choose a regular bubble bar or a bottle of shower gel over using a FUN Bar across the long run. While a nice addition to this year's Easter range, it's definitely not one of my favourites.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour, Talc, Glycerine, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Popping Candy, Citric Acid, Lavender Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Fennel Oil, Tangerine Oil, Water (Aqua), Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Dipropylene Glycol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 77491, Colour 47005, Colour 15510, Colour 19140, Colour 19140:1, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.