Is Bubble Skincare Sustainable or is it Greenwashing?

Oct 28

Welcome to my "Sustainable or Greenwashing" series where I'm sharing if brands and products are actually what they say they are.

Is Bubble Skincare sustainable or is it greenwashing? 🫧

Bubble is everywhere right now — the colorful bottles, the $10–$19 price tags, the dermatologist-developed pitch. It launched in 2020, founded by Shai Eisenman in New York, with a promise that sounds almost too good: prestige-quality, science-backed skincare at drugstore prices, developed with a dermatology advisory board, and built with its community of tens of thousands of ambassadors. I use the Cosmic Silk Hydrating Milky Toner myself — it was in my October 23 carousel of the things I actually use that leveled up my life — so this one is personal. It is now in more than 17,000 stores across North America, the UK, Australia, and the Middle East. So is the "new-school skincare" story real, or is it marketing?

Here is what Bubble says about itself. All of its products are vegan and cruelty-free — Leaping Bunny Certified — and it says it excludes dyes, fillers, fragrances, gluten, animal-derived ingredients, essential oils, parabens, sulfates, and drying alcohols. It partners with Ecodrive, planting a tree with every order to offset shipping CO2, and with TerraCycle so customers can recycle their empties. And it donates 1% of sales to mental-health nonprofits for young people, including The Trevor Project. Those are real commitments, and the mental-health giving in particular is something I genuinely respect.

But here is where I have to slow down and look at what is actually there — because the sustainability story is thin. I could not find a Bubble sustainability report, a published carbon footprint, or any packaging targets — no recycled-content percentage, no plastic-reduction goal, nothing. The Ecodrive and TerraCycle claims come from a 2023 brand interview, and I could not confirm from the brand's own site in 2026 whether either partnership is still live. And the packaging itself is overwhelmingly single-use plastic, including the complex airless and flower-shaped pumps that are not curbside-recyclable in most places. TerraCycle is an opt-in, mail-in programme — it does not make the packaging itself recyclable, and there is no published take-back rate or tonnage anywhere.

Then there is the "clean" and "non-toxic" framing. Bubble's formulas are conventionally synthetic in places — phenoxyethanol shows up in the Fresh Start Gel Cleanser, the Super Clear Serum, and the Level Up Moisturizer, and EWG flags it for irritation. That preservative is legal and widely used at low concentrations, so this is not a safety verdict — it is a gap between the marketing word and what is actually in the bottle. There is a similar tension on fragrance: the brand says "no fragrances" and "no essential oils," yet EWG's ingredient list for the Fresh Start cleanser includes lavender flower water and spearmint leaf extract — botanical extracts with scent and allergen potential.

And the strongest "but" is not about packaging at all. In March 2025, the BBB's advertising watchdog (NAD/CARU) ruled on Bubble's claims for users under 13. The safety claims were supported — but the efficacy claims for cleansers, moisturizers, and serums for children under 13 were not, and NAD recommended Bubble stop making them. Bubble said it would comply. This is a self-regulatory recommendation, not an FDA action or a fine — but it matters, because Bubble's marketing reaches tweens: its Disney Inside Out 2 bundles were found by CARU to be directed to children under 13, and in 2024 Bubble itself told younger customers not to buy its exfoliating serum because it was too harsh for preadolescents. The founder has said young children typically only need sunscreen. That is the honest position — and it sits awkwardly next to marketing that reaches them anyway.

To be fair, I will give them this: Leaping Bunny certification is real, the vegan claim holds, the dermatologist involvement is real, the prices are genuinely accessible, and the mental-health giving is real. Bubble is a better-than-most drugstore skincare brand. It is just not a sustainability brand — and it does not publish the numbers that would let anyone check.

So is Bubble Skincare sustainable or is it greenwashing?

I'm going to say 50/50. The cruelty-free and vegan credentials are verified, the prices are accessible, and the mental-health giving is real. But the sustainability story is two partnership claims from 2023 with no report, no targets, and no refill system, the packaging is plastic-heavy, and the NAD/CARU finding on under-13 efficacy claims is the kind of thing that makes you read the label twice. Better than most — but don't call it sustainable.

If you want to compare it with the other skincare brands I have covered, my BYOMA breakdown is on the hub. What do you think — is Bubble sustainable, or is it greenwashing? Let me know, and if there is another brand you want me to cover, send it my way!

I have many more deep dives on the Sustainable or Greenwashing hub — stick around for all things mind, body, and planet! 🌎

XOXO,
Krys

Sources:

Krystalynn Gier

Krystalynn Gier is an eco-educator and sustainability content creator who is passionate about sharing low waste living tips, health and wellness hacks, and cozy home decor with those interested in learning about a low waste life.

https://www.krystalynngier.com

Is Bubble Skincare Sustainable or is it Greenwashing?

So is Bubble Skincare sustainable or is it greenwashing?

Sources:

Is BYOMA Sustainable or is it Greenwashing?

Is Branch Basics Sustainable or is it Greenwashing?