The short answer is yes, water beads are the same as Orbeez. Orbeez is simply the registered trademark for the product, and water beads are the generic version. Both are made from a super absorbent polymer which expands multiple times its original size when exposed to water.
Other names that water beads go by are:
- water crystals
- water balls
- gel balls
- crystal balls
- magic beads
- hydrogel
- water marbles
- crystal soil
- magic fairy beads
- water pearls
- water bubbles
The above list isn't exhaustive, and people frequently create new names for the same product, often by mixing and matching words from the list above.
