The brand known as Aquabeads was born in 2004 when an employee working for Epoch wanted to eat a sweet. When they opened the jar, they found out that the sweets were glued up altogether, forming a rabbit’s ear. This is how the idea of creating visuals with pearls that stick together as these sweets appeared!

These very special beads were made with a component called PAV. This component is used on the back of stamps and in some glues in Japan. When the PAV is wet, it dissolves and becomes a sticky film. It is thanks to this PAV that the Aquabeads stick to each other using only water!

A heat source is not necessary to make the beads stick, which allows children to play safely from start to finish.

In terms of composition, it has been confirmed by testing laboratories that Aquabeads complies with toy safety standards worldwide. In addition, all ingredients have been expertly evaluated and comply with the United States standard for creative leisure activities.

The main ingredient used in pearls is PVA/polyvinyl alcohol, and reports indicate that it is not toxic. It has been approved as a pharmaceutical excipient and is used to coat pills or tablets.

Finally, a bitter-tasting agent has been added to the pearls to prevent the smallest children from accidentally eating or swallowing them. In some cases, this bitter agent may remain on hands after playing. To avoid this, wash your hands thoroughly after use.

However, children under 36 months of age should not play with Aquabeads – they are recommended for children over the age of four.

How to play with Aquabeads?

The principle is simple; under a plastic grid, place a sheet with the template representing the design you want to reproduce. On the grid you place small pearls with a refill pen or a stylus following the mode. When you are finished, you must spray water generously so that the pearls stick together and – voilà!

Younger children can use a canvas under the grid, so they can follow the pattern and change colours if they wish, but it allows them to keep a reference point. A piece of cake!

Once your children fully grasp how Aquabeads work, all creations are possible. The children can then imagine their own models to make figurines, key chains, jewellery and even 3D objects. Everyone can play with Aquabeads, older children and even adults, which gives it unlimited possibilities.

If you are looking for an original gift to develop your children’s creativity and dexterity you can’t go wrong with Aquabeads. There are plenty of choices of pearl colours and many grid templates to download directly from the official website. Aquabeads also offer a very large and diversified catalogue of sets, with many different themes and characters that children know and like: Frozen, Mario, Finding Nemo, Minions, Cars and many others…

Get your First Kit Today!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on August 16th, 2021. Updated on April 21st, 2022 to improve the information available.