Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA British cosmetics retailer known for handmade, vegetarian and largely package-free beauty and personal-care products, together with outspoken ethical campaigning.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Lush is a privately owned British cosmetics retailer and manufacturer headquartered in Poole, England. The business grew from the natural hair- and beauty-product work of Mark Constantine and Liz Weir, who met in the 1970s and later supplied products to The Body Shop. After their non-compete arrangements ended, Constantine, Weir, Mo Constantine and other partners opened the first Lush shop on Poole High Street in 1995. The name was selected through a customer competition. The company sells soaps, bath products, creams, lotions, moisturisers, facial treatments, hair-care products, fragrances, make-up and related personal-care goods. Its best-known innovations include bath bombs, solid shampoo bars, fresh face masks and other products designed to reduce or eliminate conventional packaging. Lush presents products as fresh, handmade and often produced in small batches, although its international scale includes manufacturing facilities in several countries. The company has operated stores and production sites across Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia, with stores in dozens of countries. Ethical positioning is central to the brand. Lush states that its products are vegetarian and that approximately 95% are vegan, although recipes can include ingredients such as honey or beeswax. It opposes animal testing and says it avoids suppliers involved in animal testing, while using human volunteers for product testing. The company has also campaigned on palm-oil reduction, reforestation, animal rights, tax transparency, environmental protection and humanitarian issues. Its charitable-giving programme, Charity Pot, supported community organisations and campaign groups for many years before Lush announced its discontinuation in 2024. Lush is also distinctive for its stated no-advertising approach. Rather than relying primarily on television advertising or celebrity endorsement, it has historically used striking shop windows, product demonstrations, staff interaction, customer advocacy, limited-edition products and activist campaigns. This approach has sometimes produced controversy, particularly when campaigns addressed undercover policing, Israel and Palestine, public-health restrictions or other politically sensitive subjects. The company has also faced criticism concerning labour conditions, pay corrections and product or campaign insensitivity. International expansion began with Canada in 1996, followed by operations in Croatia and Australia in 1997, Brazil in 1999 and Ireland in 2000. Lush later developed joint ventures and other local operating arrangements in several markets. Experimental concepts included B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful, launched in 2003 and closed in 2009, and standalone Gorilla Perfume and Naked shops. In 2020, the company offered free handwashing in stores at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, while temporarily closing stores in multiple regions. In 2021 it removed its corporate accounts from major social-media platforms, citing concerns about mental health and body image. Lush remains an active international cosmetics brand whose identity combines retail theatre, product innovation, environmental commitments and direct political advocacy.
History
Lush developed from the natural cosmetics partnership established by Mark Constantine and Liz Weir. After meeting in Poole during the 1970s, the pair created hair and beauty products and became an important supplier to The Body Shop after supplying Anita Roddick's second shop in 1977. The Body Shop later acquired manufacturing rights to many of their formulations, and a non-compete agreement delayed the founders' return to the cosmetics market until the mid-1990s. In 1995, Constantine, Weir, Mo Constantine and other partners opened the first Lush shop at 29 High Street in Poole. The company used fresh fruit, vegetables and other ingredients as part of its product identity, and its name came from a customer-naming competition. Early growth included shops in London's Covent Garden and King's Road. International expansion began in Vancouver in 1996, then moved into Croatia and Australia in 1997, Brazil in 1999 and Dublin in 2000. Many overseas businesses were created through joint ventures or local partnerships. Lush experimented with new formats and brands during the 2000s. B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful opened in 2003 as an experimental cosmetics concept, but its shops closed in 2009. The company also developed a distinctive product architecture built around bath bombs, solid shampoo, unpackaged soaps and fresh facial treatments. In 2007 it introduced a palm-oil-free soap and subsequently reduced its palm-oil purchases, although some products continued to use palm oil or derivatives. Since 2017, the company has campaigned against palm-oil-related habitat destruction and has supported reforestation near the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra. The 2010s brought further diversification. Gorilla Perfume launched in 2010, and a standalone Gorilla Perfume shop opened in Islington in 2014. Lush received public recognition for ethical and environmental work, including a Fair Tax Mark in 2015 and an Earth Defender award in 2020. It also created the Lush Prize in 2012 to fund alternatives to animal testing. The company used its stores and products to support campaigns involving animal rights, environmental protection, tax justice, direct action and humanitarian causes. Lush's activism has also generated disputes. Its 2018 Spycops campaign criticized undercover police operations but was attacked for appearing to generalize about police officers. The campaign was temporarily suspended and later resumed. A product inspired by the 2011 London riots was criticized as insensitive, while political messages connected with Israel and Palestine produced backlash and clarification from the company. Labour controversies included an Australian underpayment correction and reported concerns about injury rates at a Sydney production facility. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lush offered free handwashing in shops, temporarily closed stores across North America, Australia and the United Kingdom, and reduced staffing in some operations. In 2021 it removed several major social-media accounts, arguing that those platforms could harm mental health and body image. It closed its Ukrainian stores in 2022 because of the invasion and security conditions. Recent activity has included entertainment collaborations, the 2024 announcement of £100 million in cumulative charitable giving, new cause-linked products and continued public engagement on humanitarian and environmental issues.
- 2024
Charitable giving reaches £100 million
[1]Lush announced cumulative charitable giving of £100 million since 2007 and changes to Charity Pot.
- 2021
Major social-media withdrawal
[1]Lush removed accounts from several leading social platforms.
- 2020
Pandemic store closures
[1]Lush closed stores in several regions during the early COVID-19 outbreak while offering free handwashing before closure.
- 2018
Naked skincare range launches
[1]Lush introduced solid facial oils, cleansers and other package-free skincare products.
- 2012
Lush Prize established
[1]The company created an award and grant programme supporting alternatives to animal testing.
- 2010
Gorilla Perfume launches
[1]Lush entered a more explicit standalone fragrance concept.
- 2003
B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful launches
[1]Lush introduced an experimental cosmetics retail concept.
- 1996
Canadian expansion
[1]Lush opened its first store outside the United Kingdom in Vancouver.
- 1995
First Lush shop opens
[1]The founders opened the first Lush store on Poole High Street.
- 1977
Supply relationship with The Body Shop begins
[1]Mark Constantine and Liz Weir began supplying natural beauty products to Anita Roddick's growing Body Shop business.
Products and positioning
Premium ethical and experiential beauty brand emphasizing freshness, handmade production, vegetarian formulations, cruelty-free principles, reduced packaging and activist engagement.
Bath and body
Bath Bombs
Effervescent solid bath products are among Lush's most recognizable innovations. They dissolve in water, often releasing fragrance, colour and oils, and are sold in a wide variety of seasonal and permanent designs.
Hair care
Shampoo Bars
Solid shampoo products are designed to cleanse hair without a conventional liquid bottle. They support Lush's reduced-packaging positioning and are sold in multiple formulations for different hair needs.
Skin care
Fresh Face Masks
Fresh facial masks use ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, clays, herbs and oils. They form part of the brand's emphasis on freshness and small-batch production.
Fragrance · 2010
Gorilla Perfume
A fragrance line launched in 2010 through collaboration between Mark Constantine and Simon Constantine. It later received dedicated retail treatment, including a standalone London shop.
Body care and charitable giving
Charity Pot
A body lotion and charitable-giving mechanism that directed proceeds toward grassroots organisations and campaigns. Lush announced in 2024 that the programme would be discontinued.
Skin care · 2018
Naked skincare
A package-free skincare range including solid facial oils, cleansers and a seaweed gel eye mask, introduced alongside dedicated Naked shops.
Controversies
2021
Customer backlash over Lush binder collection service
In 2021, Lush faced criticism over a scheme that allowed shoppers to order chest binders online and collect them at its Paddington branch. Customers raised concerns about health risks and about whether minors could collect binders without parental consent. Some customers threatened to boycott the store. The controversy centered on the collection service and the questions it raised, and the available source quote does not record any further outcome.
2020
Questions about Sydney factory conditions
Reporting raised concerns about injury rates and labour conditions at Lush's Sydney production facility.
2020
Lush sues North American operations head over joint-venture dispute
Lush Ltd. filed a lawsuit in Las Vegas against Mark Wolverton and his companies, alleging they breached terms of a 2003 joint-venture agreement and mismanaged finances in Lush’s U.S. operations. These are allegations in the lawsuit.
2018
Australian employee underpayment
Lush Australia acknowledged that more than 5,000 employees had been underpaid by up to approximately A$2 million because of incorrect award interpretations.
2015
Lavender Hill Mob product criticism
Lush faced criticism for an incense product whose name and burning-building imagery referenced the 2011 London riots. The company said the concept was intended to emphasize community.
Dublin store Israel boycott message
A boycott-Israel message displayed at a Dublin shop triggered backlash. Lush described it as an isolated incident and said it did not represent its stated welcome-for-all position.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Watermelon Slice and Flame Fighters
Worldwide
Lush linked product profits to childhood mental-health services in Palestine and to communities recovering from and protecting against wildfires in Los Angeles and the Amazon.
Outcome. The products extended Lush's cause-linked retail model after the announced end of Charity Pot.
- 2019All The Wild Things
Australia · Worldwide
Koala-shaped soap sales supported wildlife relief after the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.
Outcome. Proceeds were directed toward affected Australian wildlife and relief efforts.
- 2018Spycops
United Kingdom
Window displays highlighted abuses connected with undercover police infiltration and used the slogan “Paid to lie.”
Outcome. After criticism from police representatives and the Home Secretary, Lush briefly suspended the display for staff safety before resuming it.
- 2012Fight Animal Testing
United Kingdom
A performance artist spent ten hours in a Regent Street shop window simulating animal-testing conditions to draw attention to cruelty-free alternatives.
Outcome. The action received media attention as part of Lush's animal-testing advocacy.
- 2006Fight against REACH animal testing provisions
European Union
Lush urged customers to send postcards to members of the European Parliament opposing provisions it believed would increase cosmetic animal testing, and staged a protest in Strasbourg.
Outcome. The campaign generated substantial customer participation and public attention.
Brand decisions
2024
End Charity PotStrategyBackground
Lush announced that cumulative charitable giving since 2007 had reached £100 million.
Action taken
It announced the discontinuation of Charity Pot and introduced new cause-linked products.
Aftermath
Giving continued through selected product campaigns, including Watermelon Slice and Flame Fighters.
2021
Withdraw from major social-media platformsStrategyBackground
Lush said platform design and content could contribute to mental-health and body-image harms.
Action taken
It removed Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok accounts.
Aftermath
The move reinforced Lush's anti-conventional-advertising and values-led brand strategy.
2020
Temporary pandemic store closuresOtherBackground
COVID-19 created public-health and retail-operating risks across Lush's markets.
Action taken
Stores closed at different times in North America, Australia and the United Kingdom; the company initially continued paying staff in some operations but later announced Canadian layoffs.
Aftermath
Lush described its Canadian operation as facing a much smaller future business.
2007
Reduce palm-oil use in soap productionStrategyBackground
Lush faced concerns about palm-oil production and associated habitat destruction.
Action taken
It introduced a palm-oil-free soap and shifted much of its soap production toward sunflower, rapeseed and coconut oils.
Aftermath
The company substantially reduced palm-oil purchases, although some products continued to use palm oil or derivatives.
Recent events
Reported
Customer backlash over Lush binder collection service[3]
Customers criticized Lush’s scheme allowing shoppers to order chest binders online and collect them at its Paddington branch, raising concerns about health risks and whether minors could collect binders without parental consent; some customers threatened to boycott the store.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Lush launches Bring It Back packaging returns scheme[5]
Lush launched Bring It Back, a scheme allowing customers to return full-sized Lush plastic packaging for recycling and receive 50 pence per returned item to spend that day.
Reported
Lush sues North American operations head over joint-venture dispute[4]
Lush Ltd. filed a lawsuit in Las Vegas against Mark Wolverton and his companies, alleging they breached terms of a 2003 joint-venture agreement and mismanaged finances in Lush’s U.S. operations. These are allegations in the lawsuit.
Reported
LUSH and ACLU partnered for virtual Pride Month events[6]
LUSH partnered with the ACLU to host virtual Pride Month events during June, with the stated mission of generating support for the Equality Act.
- Unconfirmed
Lush introduces virtual product consultations from Oxford Street[7]
Lush introduced one-on-one virtual product consultations from its Oxford Street store, with phone or video sessions to discuss products and customer needs.
- Unconfirmed
Lush launches Oxford Street local delivery service[7]
Lush launched a local delivery service from its Oxford Street store for London-based customers while the store remained closed due to COVID-19.
Reported
Lush announces staff layoffs[8]
Lush said it was laying off an undisclosed number of employees amid extended shop closures during the coronavirus pandemic. It said it would retain retail and manufacturing managers and that temporary layoffs would allow team members to receive financial support from Lush and government relief programs.
Lush temporarily closes US and Canadian stores[9]
Lush decided to temporarily close all 258 of its retail stores in the United States and Canada from March 16 through March 29.
Reported
Lush announces Mi Casa Es Tu Casa soap[10]
Lush announced that its limited-edition Mi Casa Es Tu Casa soap would officially launch on March 2, with sales proceeds, minus tax, donated to migrant organizations.
Reported
Lush launched All the Wild Things koala-shaped soap[11]
Lush announced and began selling its limited-edition All the Wild Things koala-shaped soap on Jan. 24, with the purchase price for each bar going to the Bush Animal Fund.
Sources13 sources
- 1Lush (company)en.wikipedia.org
- 2Lush official websitelush.com
- 3Customer backlash over Lush binder collection servicedailymail.com
- 4Lush sues North American operations head over joint-venture disputecastanet.net
- 5Lush推出Bring It Back包装回收计划bournemouthecho.co.uk
- 6LUSH 与 ACLU 合作举办线上骄傲月活动vegnews.com
- 7Lush在牛津街门店推出线上产品咨询cosmeticsbusiness.com
- 8Lush宣布裁员globalnews.ca
- 9Lush暂时关闭美国和加拿大门店cosmeticsbusiness.com
- 10Lush宣布推出Mi Casa Es Tu Casa香皂popsugar.com
- 11Lush推出“All the Wild Things”考拉造型香皂popsugar.com
- 12Lush在Cielo Vista购物中心开设快闪店elpasotimes.com
- 13LUSH宣布“捐赠星期二”慈善乳霜捐赠活动vegnews.com
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