Bath Bomb or Toilet Bowl Cleaner: These People Got Confused

It's an understatement to say that Lush Bath Bombs have a cult following, and thats because a single bath bomb kind of transforms your tub into a cocktail. We asked a chemist about the phenomenon once, and it's a relatively middle-school science reaction of sodium bicarbonate reacting with citric acid to release carbon dioxide gas, not unlike the old baking soda and vinegar volcano trick. The chemical reaction is harmless, and also kickstarts the release of colorants, fragrances, and skin-conditioning ingredients that make for a dreamy soak. What's not quite as harmless? When someone confuses a Clorox Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner with a bath bomb.

Of course it's easy to see how one could mix a bath bomb up with toilet cleaner given that they're nearly doppelgängers, with identical spherical shape, chalky texture, and cheery color. Oh, and they both call a bathroom home. Of course, the similarities definitely end there, considering the toilet bowl bombs are a toxic blend of bleaching agents, stablizers and cleansers.

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More bath bomb news:

1. Bath & Body Works Fizzies Are Coming This Holiday Season
2. How to DIY the Black Bath Bomb That Took Over Instagram
3. Lush's Hilarious Video Response to a Viral Tweet Will Make You Appreciate Their Salespeople

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According to Yahoo Sports, incidents where individuals have made the unfortunate mistake of confusing the two drastically different products have starting popping up online.

https://twitter.com/domduncan/status/759811870337355776

https://twitter.com/ok_nessa/status/792463727484211200

https://twitter.com/okokryan/status/797767954729410560

One especially noteworthy swap was captured by a girl who texted her friends in panic after she realized her mistake.

https://twitter.com/kaylaharris1996/status/788126032339537921

Happily, it appears that nobody has suffered an injury more severe than blue-stained hands, relatively minor skin-burning, and a wounded ego. Next time you want to dip into a relaxing bath, check the packaging first—and then check it again, just to be sure. Just a hedge, but we're guessing something that can dissolve soap scum on the spot probably doesn't feel great on your skin.

Here's how you can address another beauty mishap, the dreaded broken compact: