Bath Bomb History
Ever wondered where bath bombs started? So did I. So I checked out bath bomb history and have found out as much as I could about them. I thought it would be interesting for the site. I mean, if this is to be the ultimate bath Bomb guide, then we need to know where they came from right?
Bath Bomb History | The Start
Whilst the Bath Bomb itself was invented only as recently as 1989, we can go back to the 1970’s to get even more pre-bath-bomb history.
Constantine and Weir was a company formed by Mark Constantine and Liz Weir who met in a Beauty Salon. Liz is a beauty Therapist and Mark, a trichologist.
After a while, they decided to branch out themselves and created their own company, Constantine and Wier.
The company by selling natural hair and beauty products, but started creating its own ethical natural products.
The 1980s came along and with it, the Body Shop. Another personal care product business with a very ethical front window. Seeing an opportunity of business synergies, Mark offered to supply products to The Body Shop.
Quite a good move as it turned out. They became one of Anita Roddick’s biggest suppliers for the next ten years and more.
As happens in the business world, further opportunities were identified. The Body Shop made an offer. Constantine and Weir accepted to sell their product formulas.
And again in business, an agreement was in place that Constantine and Weir could not open further retail shops for an agreed period of time. That didn’t stop them from selling. They went mail-order instead. Whilst successful, Mail order can be a logistical nightmare and it had its lifetime.
It was around 1995 by now and the Bath Bomb had been invented and Lush had been launched
Who Invented The Bath Bomb?
So far as we can tell, and I’m certainly not going to argue with this well-documented fact. Mo Constantine was the first person to make a Bath Bomb. As part of the Cosmetics-to-go team, along with Rowena Bird, Helen Ambrosen and Paul Greaves, she had been experimenting on the Alka Seltzer idea.
Who is Mo Constantine?
Partner of Mark Constantine, they had a previous hair and beauty product business which was bought by Anita Roddick of Body Shop Fame.
Where did Liz Weir Go? Ha, well this is something that confuses quite a few people. Liz Weir is better known as Mo Constantine.
Why Did She Make a Bath Bomb?
Mo was looking for an alternative to traditional bath products and inspired by the action of Alka Seltzer cam up with the idea of creating a product to go in the bath that would do the same.
Another angle was looking to use all-natural ingredients that were kind to the skin. After all, that’s what a bath is about. Combining bath time, chemistry, and aromatherapy, the elements [quite literally] came together to produce what we now know and love as bath bombs.
When Was the First bath Bomb Made?
Bath Bomb History informs us it was 1989 when the first bath bomb was created. Trying to recreate the fizzing action of soluble aspirin or alka seltzer, I think she did pretty well! Wanting to make people feel relaxed and happy, it is with no doubt that particular aspect has been achieved.
Who thought of the name LUSH?
Actually, it was a customer. After Cosmetics-to-go was sold and the new handmade products had begun to be produced and sold in Poole, they created a competition for customers to come up with a name – One suggested LUSH, the rest, as they say, is Bath Bomb history.
It was around this time that they had started creating their own fragrances also, as there were some concerns about the purity of those being bought in.
How Many Types of Bath Bombs are there?
I think thousands pretty much covers it off. If we take just LUSH’s range over the history of the company, it probably runs into thousands on its own. The factor in other producers, homemade bombs and do it yourself bath bomb creators. Yeah, I am pretty confident there are thousands.
LUSH can produce over 100,000 Items a day from their UK base
And they are all HAND MADE!! That’s a whole lot of hands, making a whole lot of bombs. Not all the 100,000 items are bath bombs of course. LUSH has a huge range of other products available.
What other Bath Bomb producers are there?
There are quite literally countless producers of bath bombs these days. Not only those considered professional manufacturers but now the DIY and craft markets have exploded if we count the amateur producers, it’s a big number.
Making Bathbombs at Home
Given how simple the ingredients to make a bath bomb are to source the homemade market is getting bigger and bigger every day.
Simple household ingredients, many of which can be bought in the local supermarket, along with easily sourced essential oils make producing your own bath bombs both a simple and rewarding challenge.
Can I Make Bath Bombs at Home?
You absolutely can. It is actually very simple. Our ‘How to make your own bath bombs that smell Lush’ guide will give you all the information you need.
but quite simply there are four main ingredients to any bath bomb.
- Bicarbonate of Soda
- Citric Acid
- Colour
- Scent
1-2 are essential and make the base product, the bit that makes the fizz
The rest you can pretty much make up and experiment with yourself.
Check the DIY Bath Bomb Section of the Website, where we are adding guides on how to make bath bombs, whether you are making them for the very first time, or have been making them already at home but are looking for new ideas.
Mark, Mo and Simon Constantine still experiment and create their own new bath bombs all the time. Constantly trying and testing new combinations. Sourcing natural products from across the world to come up with the newest freshest combinations of colour and smell.
We will help you get started, so you can make your own original bath bombs at home.
What Are The Best Bath Bombs in History?
We have several ‘best bath bomb’ lists on site. You can find them in the best bath bomb lists section.
