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 Bubble moisturizer contain research-backed ingredients for hydrating the skin? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Is Bubble the best cheap skincare option? And is Bubble Moisturizer better or worse than popular moisturizers like CeraVe Moisturizing Cream?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Bubble Skincare's most popular moisturizer (Slam Dunk) to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for hydrating skin, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also feature a video from a popular skincare influencer discussing if Bubble is the best cheap cosmetic option, and compare Bubble Moisturizer to other popular moisturizers in terms of formulation quality to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Contains research-backed active ingredients for skin moisturization
• Contains one preservative we consider potentially unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Bubble Moisturizer

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Bubble Slam Dunk Hydrating Moisturizer are shown below:

This formulation contains several 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 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. 

Is Bubble the Best Cheap Brand?

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:

Bubble vs. Popular Moisturizers

Here's how Bubble Moisturizer compares to other popular moisturizers in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

This formulation contains phenoxyethanol like Bubble's moisturizer, but also contains another synthetic preservative which is clinically shown to enhance the toxic effects of phenoxyethanol.

Bubble is the healthier option.

Winner: Bubble Moisturizer

Byoma Moisturizing Rich Cream

Byoma Moisturizer contains many research-backed ingredients, and is free from any unhealthy additives.

Byoma gets the win from a healthiness perspective.

Winner: Byoma Moisturizing Rich Cream

Aquaphor

Clinically proven to work in multiple peer-reviewed trials, and free from any unhealthy additives.

Winner: Aquaphor

Our Clean Skincare Pick

MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.

It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.

This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."

This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Bubble Moisturizer Pros and Cons

Pros:

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

Cons:

• Contains phenoxyethanol
• Some competitors are healthier
• 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.

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.

We consider Bubble Moisturizer to be a healthier option than CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, but less healthy than Byoma's moisturizer and Aquaphor.