Bomb Cosmetics Raspberry Rainbow Shower Gel by Bomb Cosmetics > Reviews (1)

When I saw this product on the Bomb Cosmetics website, I must admit that it was the packaging that really caught my attention. The 340ml pot looks like an ice cream tub. It is predominantly pink and is painted with flowers and rainbows in a 1960s pop art style. It’s rare for me to be blown away by the packaging of a product but this was so ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ that I just had to purchase it. I knew it would look pretty and cheery in my bathroom.

The term ‘scoopable’ led me to imagine that the shower gel would have a thick, creamy, ice cream-like consistency (to match the ice cream style packaging.) I was a little disappointed to discover that this was not the case. When I opened the tub I saw a vat of what looked like gooey, bright red cough syrup. It didn’t look particularly inviting and was far runnier than I had expected. However, the gel is ‘scoopable’ in the sense that you can dip your fingers in and gather some up in your hands, although you need to work quickly or you will find that some of it trickles through your fingers and is lost. My first impressions of the scent were not that favourable either. I know that Bomb Cosmetics pride themselves on using lots of natural ingredients in their products, but to me this had a disappointingly synthetic aroma to it. It’s definitely a strong, fruity, juicy smell but for my own tastes I would prefer it to be a bit sweeter. It reminds me of really sour berries and I felt it needed a more powerful burst of vanilla or something to stop it being quite so sharp. I found the scent quite zesty and lemony, with some subtle floral hints coming across too. It contains palmarosas and bergamot essential oils, which I feel contribute to the sharp, citrusy, uplifting fragrance. Both these essential oils are prized for their hydrating and skin-healing properties, being anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral, so they are welcome ingredients to find in a shower gel. The shower gel is also made from Castile olive oil. I have had a lot of faith in products containing olive oil ever since I read that Sophia Loren takes olive oil baths to keep her skin looking youthful and cellulite-free.

I quite enjoyed using this shower gel. The tub design means there is no waste and none of the frustration of squeezing, shaking and standing a container upside down to drain out the last drops of product. A little gel lathers up really well using a shower puff, so the product will last a long time. It feels beautifully moisturising to my skin. Despite it containing olive oil, it doesn’t make my skin feel greasy at all. It’s great to use for shaving as the razor will glide smoothly over the area and leave it soft and silky. The scent is very detectable when I am using the product, but it does not linger at all on my skin once I am out of the shower and dried, although it does leave the bathroom smelling nice and fruity.

My skin feels smooth and hydrated after my shower, although not to the extent that I can confidently dispense with using any additional body lotion.

I have certainly never experienced any irritation to my skin from using this product, even after shaving. It seems to be very gentle. I have also been pleased to discover that my skin looks quite well toned when I use this regularly, although I realise this could be more to do with the massage-action of the shower puff to stimulate my circulation and drain toxins rather than the product itself.

I am not sure I would buy this product again. It was pleasant enough, but nothing special and there are certainly much nicer berry-scented products available, which cost much less. (A 340 ml tub of this costs £7.99 from the Bomb Cosmetics website.) It’s a refreshing summer fragrance and my skin feels well-pampered after I have used it, but it isn’t the sort of product where I want to keep opening the lid to take a sniff of it when I walk past it. I was also a little disappointed to note that it did not contain the most natural sounding ingredients list I’d ever seen, which isn’t what you expect when products are supposedly handmade and meant to be bursting with natural things. It’s good to know that Bomb Cosmetics don’t test their products on animals though. It's not particularly good for taking with you on your travels because the lid could easily come loose if it wasn't kept upright and the product is runny enough to seep out. This is one better left at home in the bathroom. Raspberry Rainbow Scoopable Shower Gel does make an attractive, quirky-looking gift for anyone who enjoys fruity scented bath products, particularly if they have an inner hippy that is longing to be unleashed. I remain thrilled with the attractive, psychedelic container and once the shower gel is gone I’m sure I will rinse it out and put it to some other use. It’s much too pretty to throw away.