Hey, quick question, which one of you asked for this? Which one of you marketing sickos at Nintendo or Illumination made the call to LUSH, the country’s premier bougie bath bomb boutique and said “Hey, you know what you should do? Drop a LUSH X Super Mario Bros. Movie collaboration with us so that your customers can smell like Italian plumbers, giant fire-breathing dragon turtles, and princesses with penchants for kart racing.”
If that was you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Because I smell like Bowser now, and I couldn’t be happier.
LUSH X Super Mario Bros. Movie Bath Products Review
Not content with just making a molded soap or two, LUSH has trotted out an impressive selection of seven different bathing products. The products range from your typical shower gels and soaps to the most ridiculous bath bomb I’ve ever used in my life.
Mario Shower Gel
Aside from the Question Mark block bath bomb, the Mario shower gel is the star of the LUSH X ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ collaboration, and it certainly looks the part with its cartoony, vibrant red color.
The scent is good too, if a bit punchy. Notes of lime and black pepper come through hard, cutting through the base pomegranate scent to create a balanced smell that’s robust and tropical.
The only gripe here is that it doesn’t really feel like Mario. I get that probably people don’t want to smell like a plumber from Brooklyn, but the smell reads more like “Greek island vacation” rather than “Sicilian oranges and Aperol spritzes.” It’s a great scent match for that iconic Mario red, but not really for the character—but that’s a small nitpick. I hope that they keep this scent permanently because it’s a great one.
Luigi Shower Gel
Taylor and I both got our hands on this one, and we disagree on it a bit. Taylor found the green apple scent a little too “no-more-tears-y” and artificial, too subtle to be effective. He said, “if you want something with the color and consistency of iconic green slime without committing to the accompanying smell, great news! There’s a tepid tie-in shower gel for you.”
Personally, I found the scent really refreshing and natural, a nice little blend of apples and herbs. That said, the scent doesn’t linger at all, which is a bit of a negative. While the Mario scent doesn’t really represent the character, I actually think the Luigi scent encapsulates Mario’s timid bro pretty well, down to the slight, pleasant, CK One cologne-y undertone that goes well with the apple notes. I bet Luigi is a CK One guy.
Gold Coin Soap
If you’re a LUSH fan, the scent of this sparkly gold coin will be instantly recognizable as “Honey I Washed The Kids.” While it’s a bit disappointing that they didn’t create a wholly new scent for the coin, bathing with a metal-scented soap would probably make me think I slashed myself open shaving and am just smelling blood.
Thankfully, the deep caramel scent of the soap is satisfying, and while it’s a controversial opinion, I like glittery soaps that leave you a little sparkly. Makes me feel like Sailor Moon.
Related: ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ nears $700M worldwide with another powerful weekend
Princess Peach Body Spray
At first, I was unsure about this one. When you spritz it, it smells exactly like artificial bubble gum flavoring. But if you’re careful not to overspritz and you let it sit on your body for a sec, it morphs into a surprisingly botanical peach scent, with notes of pineapple. It’s sweet, but not overly so—just like actual peaches.
It’s refreshing to find a peach scent that doesn’t smell like peach candies, but actual peaches. The smell is warm, inviting, and comfortable without being cloying. Really well-balanced. That said, don’t overdo it or it’ll get overpowering pretty quickly.
Princess Peach Shower Jelly
Unsurprisingly, the Princess Peach shower jelly is the same scent as the body spray, but without the atomization that happens when you spray it and it melds with whatever your ~natural musk~ is. As a result, the Peach shower jelly ends up smelling like artificial bubble gum and cotton candy flavoring.
Which, y’know, isn’t necessarily bad if that’s your thing, but if you crack into it thinking it’s gonna be a refreshing peach scent, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Grab some waterproof tape, write “Bubblegum” on it over the label where it says “Peach,” and just pretend it’s an ‘Adventure Time’ collab.
Bowser Shower Jelly
This is another one that both Taylor and I sampled, and it’s unanimously our favorite of the whole collection. It is, appropriately, a spicy and thicc cinnamon and star anise scent, with notes of clove and cayenne. The spicy base notes are balanced by a strong citrusy lime note that serves to balance everything and keep things from getting too samey.
I liked this scent so much I was legitimately sad they didn’t offer it in a body spray or in some other form, before learning that the scent they’re using here is actually the “Fireside” scent they’ve previously used in soaps. I’m going to use my platform here to encourage any LUSH execs reading this to bring that scent back, make it into a perfume, and keep it on the shelves year-round. It’s sexy, strong, and thick where it counts. Just like Bowser.
Question Mark Block Bath Bomb
This is the one you’re here for. After it got the internet talking, the Question Mark Block bath bomb became the “must-see” item of the collection, and it’s for good reason. These things are huge, and heavy for bath bombs. It’s legitimately, like, a pound and a half. The reason they’re so big is that not only are they bath bombs, but inside, you’ll find one of a handful of mini-soaps, each with a different scent.
Honestly, it was very, very satisfying to watch the bath bomb melt away and reveal the prize inside, whether it’s a coin, a fire or ice flower, a power mushroom, or the rare star. The scent is good too, a pleasant floral aroma vaguely reminiscent of their fan-favorite Rose Jam scent.
We do have to talk about the elephant in the room, which is that once you drop it in the bath, it’ll immediately look exactly like you’re bathing in a dehydrated distance runner’s piss that someone dumped a bunch of glitter in. But, hot take, unless you’re like, doing a bathtub stream, nobody’s gonna be judging you for the fact that your bathtub looks like piss, so it’s not really a big deal.
As someone who has used a lot of bathing products that have stained my tub to the point that I needed to bleach it, I was pleasantly surprised that the dyes they used in the bath bomb didn’t stain my bathtub or my skin (not even my fingernails!), which is a legit issue sometimes (looking at you, Disco Bomb from Da Bomb Bath Fizzers).
The bottom line is that this is an extremely fun bath bomb, and if you enjoy taking long, hedonistic baths with wine, candles, and lo-fi beats, it’s gonna be $18 well spent, especially given that it comes with an (admittedly small) soap.
The Verdict
Given LUSH’s pedigree, it’s not super surprising that there aren’t really many duds in this collaboration. But the thing that really surprised me was how legitimately great the standouts in this collection were. I really loved the bath bomb, and I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want to shower with Bowser, getting all soapy as he puts one scaly hand on your shoulder and pulls you in close, his fiery scent filling your nostrils as steam curls from his robust, spiky shell…
What were we talking about again?
Oh, yeah. Bath products.
Unfortunately, I missed out on trying out LUSH’s recent ‘One Piece’ collaboration, but if their LUSH X ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ collaboration is anything to judge by, their future collaborations should be more than worth checking out for any people who like smelling good.
