About Lush

Lush was started in 1995 in the UK town of Poole, in Dorset, by husband and wife team of Mark and Mo Constantine. From humble beginnings in a shed in the couple’s garden, the business has grown into a flourishing one today, with 89 Lush stores in the UK and over 600 worldwide. The company’s production has also expanded to five local factories, but its head office remains in Poole in a small office above the first shop.

However, Lush is not Mark and Mo’s first business. They were once the largest supplier to the Body Shop. That working relationship ended in early 1990s when Body Shop decided to buy over the formulations and rights of its products from the Constantines.

The couple then started Cosmetics to Go, a mail order business which unfortunately folded within two years. With tenacity and a strong entrepreneurial streak, they ventured once again into the beauty industry with Lush and this time, it became a hit.

Humanely Fresh

“Freshness is intrinsic to Lush – it’s at the heart of our philosophy”, so declares the company that uses mostly natural ingredients like flowers and quality essential oils, as well as incorporating whole organic fruits and vegetables so as to harness their full benefits and potency.

Customers can be assured of the freshness of Lush products as none of those sold in the stores are more than six months old.

Customers can be assured of the freshness of Lush products as none of those sold in the stores are more than six months old. Preservatives, which are kept to a minimum, are used only in liquid products that contain water, such as moisturisers and lotions, to give them reasonable shelf life. All Lush products come with a sticker that details the ingredients, when it was made and when it expires.

In addition, Lush is firmly against animal testing – this applies to not just its own products and the ingredients, but the company “will also not buy any ingredient from any supplier that tests any of its materials on any animals for any purpose”.

Fun and Unique

Lush is possibly one of the most fun and unique cosmetics brands around.

Inside this beauty delicatessen, where the décor is partly inspired by London cheese shop Neal’s Yard, customers are immediately captivated by the sight of the brand’s famously unique solid products (shampoos, conditioners, massage bars, hair dyes, deodorants, bath oils etc). Made to resemble food – delightful cakes, slabs of jellies, blocks of cheese, these products are priced by weight – yes, the staff will cut a slice off, pick a few pieces up, and then wrap in greaseproof paper.

To add a personalised touch, Lush has even added stickers on its products to tell customers who made them, along with a cartoon drawing of the maker. By the way, many of these products are made using machinery designed for catering use such as a sausage machine and a muffin maker. No wonder the products look good enough to eat!

Crusader for the environment

Lush genuinely cares for the environment. The company avoids packaging where possible and uses minimal labelling. Its bags and catalogue, ‘The Lush Times’, are all printed on recycled paper containing no chlorine.

Lush genuinely cares for the environment. The company avoids packaging where possible and uses minimal labelling.

In 2007, it also started a nationwide campaign in the UK against excessive packaging by the industry and to highlight the importance of environmental protection.

Besides caring for the environment, Lush is also an ethically and socially conscious company. Every year, it gives about two percent of its profits to charity and sources more organic and Fairtrade ingredients.

Furthermore, Lush has launched the Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion, with every dollar from its sales going to various beneficiaries that include the International Fund for Animal Welfare, UNICEF Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS, Clean Ocean Action and TreePeople. Beneficiaries will rotate throughout the year and these non-profit groups are featured on the lids of Charity Pots to create awareness and let customers know who they are helping.

Last year, the company also teamed up with the controversial Sea Shepherd to help save sharks from extinction.

Indeed, as customers indulge in fabulous Lush products, they can also feel good knowing that they are contributing to worthy humanitarian, environmental and animal protection causes.

© EcoAsia 2009