Are we all having major TikTok fatigue, or is that just me? I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are 10 new “viral skincare brands” popping up on the app a minute, but once in a while, there’s one so good that it actually makes me do a double take. Case in point, Bubble. Sure, it’s definitely marketed toward a younger audience than myself (30, flirty, and thriving), but what caught my attention was the budget-friendly aspect and the overwhelming number of five-star reviews for each product. The brand is also dermatologist formulated and free of silicones, fragrances, parabens, and artificial colors.
After perusing the ingredient list on most of its products, I decided I had to give it a go. After all, the brand is also geared toward sensitive, acne-prone skin—my complexion in a nutshell. If you’re curious about my thoughts on the brand, keep scrolling! I’m sharing everything below. (Hint: It didn’t disappoint.)
My rating: 4.5/5. I’m always cautious when trying a new exfoliant because my skin is extremely sensitive and can be reactive. Some exfoliants can be a bit too strong for my skin and cause me to break out even more, so I started by applying a thin layer of this one and leaving it on for about eight or nine minutes. It’s definitely a bit tingly upon application due to the blend of willow-bark extract, azelaic acid, and fruit AHAs that break down dead surface cells, but I didn’t experience any lasting irritation after. My skin did turn a tad red, but it went away after 20 minutes or so. Overall, I did love using it on nights I felt like I could use a deeper exfoliation. I’ll definitely continue to use it once or twice a week to supplement my regular routine. I would proceed with caution, though, if you do have hypersensitive skin. It could definitely cause a reaction with the amount of stronger acids in it if you’re not careful.
My rating: 5/5. I’ve been dealing with some moisture-barrier damage, so hydration is absolutely key. I love that this mask provides deep hydration without clogging your pores. It’s packed with ingredients like maple sap to protect the skin barrier, mandelic and kojic acids to gently exfoliate, and arnica to help soothe red or inflamed skin. It’s the tall drink of water that acne-prone skin desperately craves. It’s especially great to use after the Deep Dive Mask, but it’s also just great to have handy if you use other drying acne medications like retinol, tretinoin, or an antibiotic cream. My skin always feels extremely soft when I wake up after using it. It hasn’t caused any new breakouts or irritation, so I’ll definitely continue to use it.
My rating: 5/5. This was one of my favorite products of the bunch. I love a good facial oil, especially if it’s noncomedogenic and won’t clog your pores. This one definitely fits the bill. It contains skin-nourishing ingredients like safflower-seed oil to balance oil production in the skin; neem-seed oil, which acts as a powerful antimicrobial agent; prickly pear oil to soothe skin; and buriti oil, which provides extra moisture. It’s a truly heavenly blend and just glides onto your skin so easily. Like the hydration mask, this left my skin feeling softer than ever and has now earned a top spot in my rotation of facial oils. At just $19, it’s more than impressive.
My rating: 4/5. This benzoyl peroxide spot treatment works to clear pimples and dark spots at the same time with ingredients like licorice-root extract. I love the idea of an acne and dark spot treatment in one, but I didn’t feel like this cleared up any spots I had super quickly, which is what I would hope for from a spot treatment. However, it did help after about a week of consistent use on cystic, stubborn, or inflamed acne. As for any dark spots, I did notice an improvement in them, and they did lighten up quite nicely after a week and a half. I still really like this treatment and will continue to use it. I just need to remember to be a bit more patient. (Rome wasn’t built in a day.)
Bubble’s daily gel cleanser contains refreshing spearmint, caffeine to calm redness, red algae extract to reduce oil production, gluconolactone (a powerful PHA) that exfoliates the skin, and lavender-flower water to further purify the skin. It removes surface debris without leaving your skin dry, tight, or irritated.
Break Even addresses congested skin and dehydration in one fell swoop. It contains sodium PCA and niacinamide to improve skin’s texture and overall radiance, willow-bark extract to gently exfoliate without drying, and green tea extract, a powerful antioxidant that protects against environmental stressors.
This vitamin C serum also contains skincare powerhouse niacinamide to hydrate the skin, improve barrier function, calm irritation, and mitigate breakouts. Additionally, alpha arbutin in the formula works to reduce dark spots and uneven texture, and plant-derived ceramides help rebuild a damaged skin barrier.
For acne-prone folks, the Super Clear Acne Treating Serum is your ticket. Salicylic acid and willow-bark extract in the formula help exfoliate the skin, and squalane, neem-seed oil, and colloidal oatmeal soothe and hydrate.
Super hydrators like aloe-leaf juice, avocado oil, and hoya lucunosa–flower extract in this formula help give skin a radiant glow. Like all other Bubble products, it’s noncomedogenic and great for acne-prone skin since it contains 2% salicylic acid. It fights acne without causing any extra dryness.
If your skin is severely dehydrated from overdoing it on the acne treatments, then this cleanser is for you. It contains gentle acne fighters like kaolin clay and tea tree oil and gives your skin a much-needed dose of hydration with glycerin.
This gentle, hydrating toner from Cosmedix works wonders for dark spots and congestion with gentle exfoliants like lactic acid and niacinamide.
I love this gentle, acne-clearing treatment serum from Phyla because it works to recalibrate your skin microbiome and prevent future breakouts. It has cleared up my skin so nicely over the past month and a half.
Phyla’s companion moisturizer to the Phortify serum contains super hydrators glycerin, squalane, and jojoba oil to help seal in moisture and repair the skin barrier.
