Lush
Back in the 70’s, a duo met: a beauty therapist and a hair and scalp specialist, Liz Weir and Mark Constantine, respectively. The two, with the help of Constantine’s wife, Mo, cooked up Constantine and Weir, a company that sourced hair products to local herbalists and salons, including The Body Shop. When the company’s owner bought some of Constantine and Weir’s best formulas and went separate ways, the two started Cosmetics to Go with fighting animal testing and reducing packaging in mind. When Cosmetics to Go eventually went bankrupt, Lush was a fresh start - emphasis on fresh. Lush has done away with as much packaging as possible, is 100% vegetarian, does not test on animals, and every product is handmade. The company now has locations all across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Best Sellers
Lush has an incredible host of products, from bath bombs to shaving cream, shampoo bars to henna hair dyes, face masks to toothpaste tablets, and so much more. Picking a few bestsellers is just a drop in the ocean of the products available, but given the nature of Lush’s commitment to sustainable products, here are a few of their package-free bestsellers.
This massage bar, on top of being package-free, is also certified organic. Its base ingredients are organic cocoa and shea butters, starting it off with a great moisturizing feel. The cocoa butter is fair trade, coming from farmers in the Congo. Orange and lavender give scent to this massage bar, and neroli oil tops off the massage bar, described as “soothing” and “uplifting” by Lush.
2. Honey I Washed my Hair Shampoo Bar
This shampoo bar can last up to eighty washes, and is full of great ingredients. It's named for the honey, which is fair trade, and beeswax ingredients. Both give moisture and shine to hair when using. Bergamot and sweet wild orange oil add fragrance to this shampoo bar. Lush says this product will “moisturize and soften hair without weighing it down.”
The comforter bubble bar is one of the many certified vegan products that Lush offers its customers. This product uses Sodium Bicarbonate to make water in the bathtub soften and soothe skin. Bergamot oil cleanses and adds fragrance, as does cassis absolute, exuding a black currant scent. Cyprus oil finishes this product off with a refreshing finish, and Lush describes the product as a “massive slice of vibrant fruitiness.”
4. American Cream Pressed Conditioner
This product has tons of great ingredients in it, which includes emulsifiers like Cetearyl Alcohol and PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate that thicken and soften the product, and guar gum, which has anti-static properties and adds shine to hair. Strawberry juice and lavender calm damaged hair, while orange and clary sage add a fresh scent to the conditioner, and agave adds another element of defrizzing.
Another Lush vegan and package-less option, this henna hair dye is the company’s alternative to other types of hair coloring. Red henna in this product gives the hair a noticeable shine and softness while coloring the hair a vibrant shade of red. Fair trade organic cocoa butter adds another moisturizing agent, and clove bud oil finishes off the product with a fresh scent.
More than Package-less
Lush has taken steps towards having organic, vegan, and vegetarian ingredients, and has plenty of products that don’t use packaging, as seen above. On top of this, they also have a product called their “charity pot,” which gives funding through some of its proceeds to various environmental organizations, as well as other grassroots organizations across North American that support human rights and animal protection.
These efforts towards sustainability don’t end with the store’s products. In September of 2019, Lush closed 250 stores and suspended online commerce to show support for the Global Climate Strike. To help their customers take action, the company posted various information via social media and flyers on their stores. Keep an eye out for new ways Lush is becoming more sustainable - according to them, “fresh is [their] middle name.”