POV: You’re days out from a press trip to the UK where you’re set to immerse yourself in the world of Lush for three days (think the brand’s first-ever store in Poole, the bath bomb factories, the Green Hub, the Lush Hair Lab in Brighton, the Perfume Library in Soho) and an email pings in your inbox. ‘I know you’re prepping your suitcase in the coming days, so I wanted to share a few notes to help with packing,’ it reads. ‘We would appreciate it if you could avoid bringing any fur or leather-based clothing items.’
The tone has been set for what was to become the most eco-friendly, sustainable, and inclusive press trip I have pretty much ever been on in my life (and, spoiler alert, I’ve frequented a fair few press trips in my time).
Perhaps, like me, when you think about Lush’s commitment to sustainability, you think of how they are vehemently against and totally abhor animal testing in any of their formulas. Or perhaps you already know that you’re given Dhs5 for every black pot you return to the store so it can be recycled. Well, more fool me for thinking that was it… Did you know they use 90% recycled materials when ‘naked’ (no packaging) products are not possible; they buy raw materials that are produced in a sustainable way; 89% of their packaging is recyclable; they are constantly working to improve their energy and water consumption; they donate un-sellable products to charity; and on a humanitarian level they campaign and protest for causes they believe in – they even donate second-hand boots worn by factory workers to refugees in Calais.
I mean, I always knew that Lush was synonymous with sustainability, but my oh my I absolutely did not realise just how much this brand was giving back to the world. In an era where environmental concerns are paramount, businesses across all industries are increasingly focused on sustainability practices. And after a 72-hour immersive trip with the British Cosmetics brand, I can confidently say that no one is doing it like Lush.
The brand’s co-founder, Rowena Bird, always believed that business should be conducted with love, and should look after both people and the planet. She launched the business in 1995 alongside Mo Constantine, Mark Constantine, Helen Ambrosen, Liz Bennett and Paul Greeves, who built an early fan base with Lush’s simply wrapped soaps. For Rowena, the appeal of sustainability has always been second-nature. “Mark’s always been an environmentalist, so we were always looking for ideas to reduce packaging. We also didn’t have any money when we started, so we were trying to find cheap, sustainable options to sell our products in. And we wanted to sell them in a way that made the brand feel a bit different, so we decided that everything we sold needed to be naked. We went to this big cheese shop on Neal Street called Neil’s Yard Cheese Shop. They had great big wheels and blocks of cheese that they would cut a piece off when you want to buy some. So we thought we liked that idea for blocks of soap. The fruit stalls in Sweden inspired the way our ballistics are presented – we wanted customers to feel like they were shopping at a fruit stall. We also went to a wine shop called Odd Bins, where they used blackboards to write the wine and food pairings, and we liked that idea to write our product names, because blackboards feel educational as well. Slowly we put all these bits together and we had a shop!”
Lush was originally going to launch under the name The Cosmetic Warriors, but after running a public competition where people could write in their suggested names for the brand, they settled on ‘Lush’, thanks to a submission by ‘Elizabeth Bennett from Edinburgh’.
Now, 30 years on, the brand operates in 52 countries and boasts just under 900 stores worldwide – but their approach to marketing has been anything but conventional. Back in 2021 the brand decided to take things analogue by removing themselves and their brand presence from social media in protest of Instagram algorithms forcing brands to pay to be seen. It’s a tall order. A sweeping mission that, in this day and age, sounds like marketing suicide. And yet, once again, Lush prevailed… Finding new ways to connect with their consumer, the brand continue to innovate online and offline, reporting no dips in sales. In fact, in 2024 the In fact, in 2014, the brand made record-breaking sales of 33 million products sold globally. Just picture that for a minute: 33 million Lush goodies. No wonder they have pledged such a huge commitment to sustainability practices… While other brands sit back and watch, Lush are continuing to reap the benefits of pioneering what they have coined ‘The Global Anti-Social Media Policy’.
As conversations around sustainability in the beauty industry advance far beyond packaging concerns to encompass the full scope of production and human welfare, companies like Lush are helping shape that arc from the ground up. Lush has a history of taking up political stances, and one stroll through the HQ in Poole, England, unearths just a handful of them. From combating animal cruelty in its Anti-Badger Cull Product, to donating products and profits from sales towards grassroots charities, they are truly creating a cosmetic revolution in a bid to save the planet. “I love how much money we give to charities,” Rowena tells Cosmo. “It’s over 100 million GPB now, which, for me is, you know, is quite exceptional. And it’s lovely it’s gone to grassroots. We haven’t just given money to big companies that wouldn’t even notice whether it had come in or not. Whether it’s rescuing animals or feeding people stuck in awful situations or standing up for human rights, whatever it is, we make sure to donate to people that have the same passion for what we do.” 100 million quid? Now that’s a brand we all need to get on board with.
So when you next buy one of the brand’s soul-soothing soaps, all-natural skincare products, or iconic bath bombs, be rest assured that the products you’re enjoying are making a positive impact in the world and you’re leaving the world a little Lusher than how you found it.
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