Who was the first person to look at a perfectly good bath and think, You know what this needs? Bubbles.
And while we're asking questions, who decided those bubbles should smell like honey and tangerines, vanilla and orchids, strawberries and cream, coconut and lime, and enough exotic fruit to stock a small supermarket?
Because if we're being honest, most bubble baths smell more like a fruit bowl than most fruit bowls.
And we absolutely love them.
The strange thing is that bubbles don't actually clean us.
The cleansing comes from the soap itself.
The bubbles? Well, they're mostly trapped pockets of air created by ingredients that allow the water to foam.
That's it.
Science can explain how bubble bath works.
Science does a terrible job of explaining why we've become so attached to it.
People have been adding soap to bathwater for centuries, but bubble bath as we know it didn't really become a commercial success until the 1960s.
Enter Mr. Bubble.
An American company transformed a practical chore into something playful, colourful and, most importantly, marketable.
Children suddenly wanted to take baths.
Parents suddenly had an ally.
And manufacturers suddenly realised that they weren't selling soap anymore.
They were selling bubbles.
Then things escalated.
The bubbles became bigger.
The bottles became brighter.
And somebody, somewhere, decided that bathwater smelling clean wasn't nearly enough.
It needed fragrance.
Lots of fragrance.
Lavender.
Vanilla.
Honey.
Coconut.
Rose.
Tangerine.
Citrus.
Berry.
Pomegranate.
At some point, the bathroom started smelling less like a bathroom and more like a greengrocer's shop.
Not that anyone was complaining.
The marketing geniuses behind bubble bath understood something important.
People don't buy products.
They buy experiences.
A bottle labelled Soap isn't very exciting.
A bottle labelled Honey & Tangerine Foaming Bath?
Now we're paying attention.
And it doesn't stop there.
Look around.
Champagne bubbles.
The foam on a cappuccino.
Soap bubbles.
Sea foam.
There seems to be something universally appealing about bubbles.
They suggest celebration.
They're playful.
They're slightly ridiculous.
And apparently, the correct number of bubbles is always more.
Think about it.
Has anyone ever climbed out of a bubble bath and said, That was lovely, but there were simply too many bubbles?
Unlikely.
Perhaps that's why bubble bath has survived every changing trend in personal care.
Because it's never really been about getting clean.
It's about turning an everyday routine into something a little more enjoyable.
And honestly, who can argue with that?
At SISU, we'll happily take the honey and tangerine version.
And if a bottle of champagne happens to be waiting nearby?
Well, that's nobody's business but ours. 🍾🫧
How do you take your bubble bath? Fruity? Floral? Or are you a traditionalist who thinks soap should smell like... soap? 😄