Ring bombs — bath bombs that dissolve to reveal hidden jewelry — are popping up all over Facebook and Instagram in promoted posts and video ads. Which ones are worth your money? Find out by following along as I try out and review ring bombs from all over the Internet! Find all Ring Bomb Bonanza posts here.
The Company: Pearl Bath Bombs
Pearl Bath Bombs calls themselves “the original ring bath bomb,” although that claim is hard to quantify (it seems to me that several ring bomb makers popped up around the same time). Pearl Bath Bombs unquestionably has the best backstory, though: The founder was inspired to start making ring bath bombs after her then-boyfriend proposed to her by hiding an engagement ring inside one.
In addition to bath bombs and candles, Pearl Bath Bombs sells body scrubs, soaks, and soaps, all containing mystery rings. With their Pearl Points rewards program, you can earn points to redeem for bath bombs or, if you really save ’em up, a $100 ring.
I ordered my first Pearl Bath Bombs in December, taking advantage of a post-holiday price on a three-pack of Lavender bath bombs for about $30 (they’re now sold individually for $14.95 each, although it appears there’s an error on the item page, where they currently appear to be $21.99; if you put one in your cart, the correct price appears). More recently, after spotting them in the wild at Riley Rose, I purchased a single Unicorn bomb ($23.99). If you’ve been following along with my ring bomb reviews, you probably noticed that last one is quite a bit more expensive than the other brands I’ve tried. When I went back to check prices on the website, I noticed that the Unicorn bomb is listed at $16.99, so be sure to price-check before you buy a Pearl bomb from another retailer.
The Bombs
One thing you’ll notice about Pearl bombs upon initial examination: They’re a bit larger than most other ring bath bombs. (We’ll get to why in a moment.) All three of the Lavender bombs I received were good-sized and quite dense and solid — no crumbles or give to them at all. They were gently fragranced with a true lavender scent.
In the tub, I found the Lavender bombs to be nice and effervescent, with lots of fizz and a good lifespan. The fragrance was present but not particularly strong. These are not the kinds of bombs that produce fluffy foam or elaborate bath art, but they’re nice to pop in the tub after a hard workout to create a relaxing aroma and a gentle fizzing massage for sore muscles.
The Unicorn bomb was similarly large, solid and dry. I got the sense from all four bombs that they had cured and sat for a long time. Unicorn has a cotton candy scent that I LOVE; I just wish it had been stronger. This bomb also had a light dusting of glitter, which I like although I know it isn’t everyone’s jam.
Like Lavender, the Unicorn bomb had a nice long dissolve time with some bubbles and a healthy fizz but not too much in the way of froth or foam. At first it didn’t feel particularly moisturizing, but after a long soak, my skin felt soft when I got out of the tub and I didn’t feel the need to follow up with lotion.
A note about the size of the bombs: Pearl Bath Bombs appear to be quite a bit bigger than some of the other ring bombs on the market. HOWEVER. They also have a ring capsule inside that is significantly larger than the ones in other bombs, so I don’t think you’re actually getting more bath bomb.
The Rings
There’s no nice way to say it, so I’m just going to put it out there: I don’t really like any of the rings I’ve gotten out of Pearl bombs.
There’s nothing wrong with the styles; it’s just that every single one of them has been a silvertone ring with clear crystals. Different styles, different shapes, but all silver, all clear stones. Pretty, sure, but not very interesting, especially because I have a beautiful wedding set that I wear every day. I don’t need a bunch more imitation diamond rings; I’d rather have something fun and colorful.
My other issue with Pearl Bath Bombs rings, besides the fact that the ones I’ve gotten have all been variations on the same theme: They run a touch small. The rings I got in my lavender bombs were supposed to be size 8 and they are more like 7.5; the ring in my unicorn bomb was supposed to be a 7 but definitely fits more snugly than any other size 7 ring I have. At first I thought I must be imagining it, and I don’t own a ring sizer to check for sure, but after trying the rings on over and over and comparing them with my other rings, I’m convinced they are a touch smaller than they’re supposed to be.
The Gimmick
No surprises here: Pearl Bath Bombs rings come accompanied with a code that you enter on the website to see if your ring is a winner. Pearl eschews the “appraisal” hook that some other companies use, opting instead for a straight-up sweepstakes: Either you won a more expensive ring or you didn’t.
Like Fragrant Jewels, Pearl Bath Bombs offers a consolation prize of loyalty points if you don’t win. Fail to score a ring and you’ll receive between 10 and 5,000 Pearl Points. (I received 10 or 20 for each of the codes I redeemed.) It wasn’t easy to figure out exactly how these points are redeemed, but I finally Googled my way to the company’s About page, where they explain that you can redeem 500 points for a bath bomb, 1,000 points for a three-pack of bombs, or 10,000 points for a $100 ring.
You can also earn Pearl Points for following and sharing on Pearl’s social media channels, although if you already follow them on Twitter and Facebook you might have to unfollow/unlike and then like/follow again through the Pearl Points page in order to get your points (at least, that was the only way I could get my 25-point credit for liking their Facebook page).
The Bottom Line
There’s nothing wrong with Pearl Bath Bombs. If they were the only ring bomb company out there, I’d say they’re worth a try. But while they may be the original ring bomb, I don’t think they’re the best, and personally, I probably won’t be buying from them again.
I like a bomb that produces a bit more in the way of bathtub pyrotechnics — more color, more foam, more fragrance. And after going four-for-four on rings that I don’t find particularly interesting, I’m not inclined to try again.
Pearl Bath Bombs does offer a couple of special collections that feature special rings and/or special effects (Facebook keeps hitting me hard with an ad for the Rainbow bomb, which looks pretty cool and comes with an opal ring), but at $19.95, we’re getting past what I’m willing to pay for a single ring bomb from a company that has yet to really wow me. Given all the other options out there, I’m more likely to spend my money with a company that makes bombs I already know I love.
I paid over 40 dollars for fake rings. What a waste. The rings arent even pretty enough to wear.