Here are just a few reasons why the Big Blue & You team loves the handmade cosmetics brand Lush: vegetarian ingredients, human testing, little to no fragrance or preservatives, and organic ingredients! And that’s why we included them in our exclusive Ocean Lovers Shopping Guide.
Want to know how they got started? Trichologist Mark Constantine and beauty therapist Liz Weir first founded Constantine & Weir where the duo made products for local herbalists and salons. Soon, Anita Roddick purchased their best-selling formulas. The pair set off to start Cosmetics To Go, a mail-order company that offered never-before-seen items like bath bombs, solid shampoo bars, and massage bars. It sadly, however, ended only after six years. But from this loss came Lush.
The first Lush shop opened in Poole in 1995. Then came its Canadian branch in 1996, and today there are now 269 shops in North America.
The brand is known for its eco-friendly production process and products. They specialize in fresh, self-preserving handmade cosmetic products from ethically sourced ingredients that are 100% vegetarian and never tested on animals. Packaging usually generates enormous waste, with millions of tons ending up in landfills and our oceans each year so Lush combats this by selling naked products, i.e., they have no packaging. When the cosmetics brand cannot avoid packaging, Lush uses only recycled, recyclable, reusable, or compostable materials.
Since 2005, they've saved 124 million plastic bottles from ever being produced by selling more than 41 million naked shampoo bars. That's approximately 3,417 tons of plastic saved, or about the weight of 30 blue whales. For us, that means the ocean has space for 30 more blue whales to live their best lives.
As you can see, Lush is a revolutionary brand that prioritizes eco-friendliness and sustainability, not just in their final products but also in every step of production. They have 50 new local composting partners for their shops, which helps divert almost 2,700 lbs of organics from the landfill annually. That's the weight of six female polar bears.
Having quality cosmetic products and being environmentally conscious does not have to be mutually exclusive. Lush proves this.
Check out more of their products in the Ocean Lovers Shopping Guide!