When it comes to finding cosmetics and natural products purveyors that you can rely on, things aren’t always easy! Unfortunately “safe” and effective” don’t always go hand in hand, and the market is replete with unsafe or ineffective products. However, there is no doubt that Lush Cosmetics fits this safe+effective billing.

As Lush details in its mission statement, the company believes in developing effective products from fresh, organic natural fruit, vegetables, essential oils, and safe synthetics, without the use of harmful chemicals.

Lush invents all of its own products, which is a big part of what has made the company such a success. Not only does Lush Cosmetics provide high-quality standardized cosmetics and personal care products, it breaks conventional molds by developing unorthodox natural products which have been met with great acclaim, like the celebrated Lush Bath Bombs.

Boasting a catalog that not only enhances natural lifestyles but creates more of a cosmetics and natural products experience, Lush Cosmetics has made great towards establishing one of the most respected brand names in the industry, and justifiably so. The good will that the company has built up with its effective, safe, and natural products is deserved to say the least. Welcome to our Lush Cosmetics Overview and Review.

Lush Background And History Explained

Mark Constantine

The story behind Lush Cosmetics is an interesting one and one which has had a ripple effect on the cosmetics industry at large. Mark Constantine was working in a hair and beauty salon in the early 1980’s when he read about The Body Shop, a British cosmetics and skin care company in the midst of a meteoric rise to the top of the industry.

Constantine, who had a strong background and education in dermatology, contacted the founder of the company, Anita Roddick, in order to offer her some of his own products and creations.

Initially making only small orders, The Body Shop would gradually do more and more business with Constantine and his partner, Liz Weir, until they eventually became the largest supplier of The Body Shop in 1988. This was when Constantine agreed to sell his formulas to The Body Shop, in an agreement which legally prevented he and Weir from opening a retail establishment of their own for five years.

Lush History Explained: Cosmetics To Go

Circumventing this, the pair decided to open a mail-order cosmetics company called Cosmetics-To-Go. The ordering business was a success but eventually fizzled out when the small-scale operation failed to fill all of its holiday orders. It suffered from overwhelming demand, seeing its computer systems crash and its service reputation sullied as a result.

Cosmetics-To-Go was sold and the team headed by Constantine and Liz sunk their teeth into a new operation. Having been freed from the restrictions of the agreement with The Body Shop made years prior, they were ready for bigger and better.

Establishing itself in a small storefront with a makeshift upstairs ‘lab’ in Poole (in 1994), the new and yet-unnamed operation fostered good will in its area by selling truly natural products made from ingredients such as fresh fruits and vegetables. After moving operations to a fully-fledged factory, and settling on the name ‘Lush’, the company was off! Making waves with its popular products and making sure it had the resources to accommodate demand and large-scale ordering.

Gradual and deliberate growth never slowed, and the company now produces goods out of five factories and boasts annual sales of over $170 million. Ironically, in 2001, Constantine and Lush attempted to buy out The Body Shop, which had fallen on hard times and was actively looking for financial solutions. The company dismissed Lush’s proposal but was later bought by L’Oreal in 2006.

Why Is Lush So Popular?

Lush store.

Lush Cosmetics has set itself apart and endeared itself to its loyal customers in a number of different ways. For starters, Lush’s insistence on creating only natural, vegetarian, safe products carries universal appeal in addition to making for quality stuff. Lush has also managed to distinguish itself in a sea of cosmetics products manufacturers by creating unconventional products which are marketed in unconventional ways.

For example, Lush Cosmetics produces a wide range of cleansers and scrubs, all of which have easy to remember and nontraditional names, like their ‘Handy Gurugu‘ Hand Cream, or ‘Dark Angels Soft Charcoal and Sugar Scrub.’ Lush’s products are also all handmade, and through packaging and form take on a much more distinguishable presentation than what one would expect out of a cosmetics company.

The Lush Experience Explained

This is part of what they describe as the ‘Lush Experience.’ Lush’s storefronts give customers more than a typical browsing experience. Featuring intoxicating aromas, Lush stores overwhelm the senses! With colorful products on display and available to be tested or tried, free of charge – all anyone needs to do is ask!

Lush employees are particularly attentive, and the carefully crafted product displays (products are placed on wooden tables with minimal to no packaging), along with the pay-by-weight nature of the goods, make customers feel like they are buying products which are truly fresh and natural. All of this has helped Lush Cosmetics build one of the strongest consumer goods “cult followings” today.

Best Lush Makeup and Perfume Review: Lusting For Lush

Lush Product Overview

Lush produces a wide range of cosmetics and personal care products, all of which are made vegetarian or vegan. From creams, to soaps, to shampoos, to lotions, moisturizers, scrubs, masks, and other facial cosmetics, Lush’s catalogue has every end of the cosmetics and personal care products game covered.

Lush is also always growing bolder in their development and experimenting. The increase in manufacturing capability and resources of the company has given Lush the luxury of pushing into new and exciting product lines!

Lush Cosmetics has been most successful in this respect with their line of bath bombs. Lush bath bombs are basically spheres of solid, natural ingredients which make baths a more colorful, scented, soothing experience. Although it’s tough to limit any list of top Lush products in any way, these are our top-5 favorite Lush products:

• Lush Sex Bomb Bath Bomb Review

Lush sex bomb.

Lush’s most popular bath bomb, Sex Bomb is aptly named for the aphrodisiac ingredients it contains as well as for the exciting, soothing experience it creates in the bath. Containing soya milk in order to smooth skin, as well as jasmine, clary sage, and ylang ylang in order to stir excitement and passion in its users, Sex Bomb creates a colorful bath that looks as good as it feels – and it feels pretty terrific. Sex Bomb comes in a 6.3-ounce sphere (think a little larger than a tennis ball).

• Lush Dark Angels Facial Cleanser Review

Designed to exfoliate and absorb excess oils in order to achieve a more matted and fresh layer of skin, Dark Angels does its job and cleans your face like few other cleansers are capable of. Using black sugar and charcoal (see – unconventional!), the mud-like cleaner nourishes skin and even has a hydrating effect.

Anyone who uses it has no trouble understanding how it has become one of Lush’s most popular cleansers! Dark Angels is available in 3.5 or 8.4 ounce sizes.

• Lush Mask Of Magnaminty Review

This popular masking product works as well as a cleanser as it does as a mask. Utilizing China clay and peppermint in order to cleanse pores, the Mask of Magnaminty leaves skin with a pleasant, tingly sensation and includes aduki beans for exfoliating purposes, and vanilla and honey to calm and soothe redness and irritation. The Mask of Magnaminty is available in 4.4 or 11.1 ounces and is recommended by Lush Cosmetics as a weekly masking treatment, .

• Lush Solid Shampoo Review

One of the best examples of Lush putting a non-traditional twist on a standard, downright routine personal care product, is Lush’s solid shampoo bars. These long-lasting bars boast the staying power of two to three bottles of liquid shampoo (the bars come in a standard 1.9-ounce size) and are packed with essential oils and natural ingredients designed to offer different pleasant smells, cleaning experiences, and textures.

• Lush Bubble Gum Lip Scrub Review

“Lip Scrub” wasn’t exactly a thing when Lush Cosmetics introduced this bubble gum-flavored, smoothing cleaner. That didn’t stop it from becoming one of the most popular items in Lush’s extensive product line! Made with jojoba oil and other natural ingredients, the bubble gum lip scrub leaves your lips soft and smooth and ready for other lip applications like lipstick or gloss. Lush’s Bubble Gum Lip Scrub comes in an 0. 8-ounce size.

The Ethics & Outreach Of Lush

Charity pot.

Lush prides itself on its ethical business practices and charitable outreach. Lush has taken outward stances against a number of harmful initiatives, such as animal testing.

They’ve also promoted ethical buying practices, external auditing, environmental preservation, and customer care. This is evidenced by their warm and attentive customer service staff.

Proudly stating on its website that it does not test any of its products on animals, Lush wasn’t always the most ethically sound company, but is a leader in ethical business practices in the cosmetics industry today nonetheless. In 2007, Lush created Charity Pot hand and body lotion, all of the proceeds from which were donated to various charities.

The company has taken a number of other charitable product initiatives of this nature. Lush continues to increase its charitable outreach efforts.

A Review Of Lush Cosmetics

The very best part about researching and writing this Lush overview was getting to use Lush products! I tried out an assortment of products from their various product lines, and, for the most part appreciated their benefits. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

For starters, Lush’s American Cream body lotion provided the same therapeutic effects for me as I’ve had in other, cheaper products and body lotions. American Cream is an effective lotion, but not one that warrants what is essentially a luxury price tag.

After using a couple of different Lush shampoo bars, I was very surprised that the claims of the bars outlasting multiple bottles of shampoo seemed to be pretty accurate. I didn’t make it through an entire bar, but it’s clear that it would \ last longer than my usual shampoo. However, the bar didn’t necessarily clean my hair as thoroughly as my usual shampoos. It is also a more invasive process to cover and clean your entire head of hair when using a bar.

I think I’ll probably be sticking to traditional shampoos in the future. Lush facial cleansers and masks did an impressively effective job of cleaning my skin. I’ll be going back to Lush for my facial scrubbing needs for a certainty, as other brands have let my face down in the past.

Finally, Lush’s famed bath bombs provide an undoubtedly fun bath time experience. You must decide whether or not these one-time-use bombs warrant their moderate price tags. It’s not that the bombs will break the bank – far from it! It’s more that the thought of making bath-time a $10-$20 expenditure isn’t a pleasant one. Overall, Lush products are effective and inventive. However, they do not necessarily always warrant the premium one would pay rather than opting for a generic brand.

Lush Kitchen Explained

One of the most unique outlets offered by Lush is that of the Lush Kitchen. Lush Kitchen is basically a window into the Lush world, providing consumers with a unique look into the Lush formulating and creation process, as well as the opportunity to purchase new, cutting-edge, experimental creations. As Lush describes,

“The Kitchen is an exclusive window into the world of Lush manufacturing, where the words ‘fresh’ and ‘handmade’ come to life. Our compounders are cooking up a storm, experimenting with giant bath bombs and mixing up creative visions. Get a glimpse of limited edition recipes, and freshly dreamt up innovations. We’re throwing open the doors, and you’re invited to take a look.”

Lush Kitchen is not just a fun, interactive way for fans to get to better know the Lush brand. It’s a statement about the validity of Lush’s claims. Not only can the company boast about its natural ingredients and safe processes, it can prove it. And it does so, proudly! If only other companies followed suit.