Bubble Skincare is an affordable skincare brand that’s marketed with bright and playful colors. The brand’s moisturizer, called Slam Dunk, retails for only $16 and the brand claims it can “deeply hydrate and restore essential nutrients for dry to normal skin.”

But does Slam Dunk contain research-backed ingredients for hydrating the skin, or are these just marketing claims? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? What retailer sells Bubble’s moisturizer for the best price? And how do real users rate and describe its effects?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Slam Dunk based on medical studies to give our take on whether it’s likely to hydrate the skin, or if it’s a waste of money.

We’ll provide a cost breakdown to show which retailer sells this product for the best price, and feature unsponsored customer reviews.

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Bubble’s moisturizer are shown above.

This formulation does contain some research-backed ingredients for moisturizing the skin.

Glycerin was shown in a clinical trial published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science to improve skin hydration.

Aloe barbadensis, better known as aloe vera, was shown in a 2009 medical review to be healing to the skin.

Avocado oil was described as “an excellent source of enrichment for dry, damaged or chapped skin” in a 2008 clinical trial.

Hydrogenated lecithin is a non-toxic penetration enhancer that can increase absorption of other active ingredients in cosmetics, as documented in our Estee Lauder Night Repair review article.

Evening primrose oil, or at least its active constituents, were described as highly promising anti-aging compounds in a clinical trial published in The International Journal of Cosmetic Science.

There is only one ingredient in this cream that we identify as potentially questionable from a health perspective.

Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative that was shown in a 2020 clinical trial to be toxic to human cells. This was an in vitro (test tube) study, which is a weaker standard of evidence than in vivo (living) studies.

Overall, we consider the Bubble Slam Dunk moisturizer likely to moisturize and hydrate the skin, and likely to improve skin quality generally. This is one of the more potent formulations we’ve reviewed at such a low price point, and it definitely delivers on value.

We don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of phenoxyethanol. 

But how do real users rate and describe the effects of Slam Dunk? We’ll feature some unsponsored customer reviews in the next section.

Real Users Review Bubble Moisturizer

A YouTube creator named “AliceintheRabbitHole” ranked all Bubble Skincare products that she tried, and explained which ones she liked and which ones she didn’t like:

A YouTube creator named Lavinia Rusanda reviewed whether Bubble is a good option for acne and dry skin:

Where to Buy Bubble Moisturizer for the Best Price

Bubble’s moisturizer is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here’s a price breakdown for a one-time purchase at the time of publishing this article:

Brand website: $16 (plus shipping, link)

Ulta: $16 (plus shipping, link)

Walmart: $14.98 (plus shipping, link)

Amazon: $14.98 (free shipping depending on plan – link)

Bubble’s moisturizer is 6% cheaper on Amazon than on the brand’s website for non-Prime users, and up to 25% cheaper for those who can access free shipping on Amazon.

Is Bubble the Most Budget-Friendly Option?

A YouTube creator named James Welsh gives a live product demo of some Bubble products and discusses whether the brand is the best budget-friendly skincare option on the market:

Our Clean Skincare Picks

There are skincare products containing ingredients shown in clinical trials to be effective for reducing wrinkles and improving skin quality.

Annie Mak Vitamin C Serum is our top anti-aging serum.

It contains hyaluronic acid which was described as a "skin-rejuvenating biomedicine" in a medical review due to its ability to reduce wrinkles and signs of facial aging.

HYDRAGLOW by CLEARSTEM is our top moisturizer pick.

It features bakuchiol as an active ingredient which was described in a 2014 clinical trial as "clinically proven to have anti-aging effects." 

Bulletproof Collagen Powder is our top skin supplement.

Collagen supplementation was shown in a medical review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology to reduce visible signs of skin aging as well as improve skin elasticity and skin hydration.

All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy or unsafe.

Real Customers Review Bubble Moisturizer

Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.

Bubble Slam Dunk has been reviewed over 350 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.

The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Abby salazar” who gave the product a 5/5 star rating and liked its effects:

“it felt really smooth on my face I felt also refreshed after using it really recommend. but came in a really small portion”

The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “THolt” who gave the product a 1/5 star rating and dislikes the consistency and claims it caused acne:

“The product came and is much smaller than expected. I had read the reviews on how to use the container. You simply press down and the lotion comes out as a small flower shape. The lotion comes out in a small amount and has an awful smell. The texture is waxy and did not absorb well on the skin. I used it on my face and the next day broke out and I never have acne. Do not recommend this at all.”

Bubble has an average review rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Facebook.

Pros and Cons of Bubble Moisturizer

Here are the pros and cons of Bubble’s moisturizer in our opinion:

Pros:

• Should improve skin hydration
• Should improve skin quality
• May reduce wrinkles
• Highly affordable
• Impressive formulation for the price
• Positive customer reviews
• Playful, fun branding

Cons:

• Contains phenoxyethanol
• Brand website charges for shipping
• Doesn’t appear clinically tested

Conclusion

Bubble Skincare has one of the best value moisturizers that we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health. It contains more than five active ingredients that we consider effective for hydrating the skin based on a review of clinical studies.

We don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of phenoxyethanol.

Bubble’s Slam Dunk moisturizer costs under $20, and Amazon currently has the best price when factoring in shipping fees.

Most online customer reviews of this brand that we came across while researching this article were positive, and it’s better-formulated than many brands 4x its cost in our opinion.

If Bubble removed phenoxyethanol and replaced it with a different preservative like ethylhexylglycerin, we would consider recommending this product.