Candy Rain

The best thing you could bring to a desert island? A coconut tree. It is remarkably helpful and generous.

The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is thought to be native to the warm climates of Polynesia, Malaysia and southern Asia. The trees bloom and bear fruit throughout the year, growing a new flower spike nearly every month. This then becomes a cluster of six to twelve fruits. Coconuts are the seeds of these fruits, the largest seed known to the world! 

'Kalpavriksha', the Sanskrit name for the coconut, means 'tree which gives all that is necessary for living' and, indeed, the possibilities seem endless. In Lush products alone, you can find the water, the flesh and the shell of its seed, as well as the nectar of its flower. We can even use the fibres of its fruits to make some of the wrapping papers!

Coconut oil is soothing, moisturising and emollient to the skin. It also conditions and protects the hair.

Coconut yoghurt, milk and cream are full of fats and have effects similar to those of the oil, with the added bonus of a lovely tropical scent!

Coconut wax coats and protects the skin and gives our products a nice, firm texture.

Desiccated coconut makes a gentle exfoliator that releases soft, moisturising milk when mixed with water. 

Ground coconut shells make a strong natural scrub.

Each coconut-derived ingredient we use has its specific benefits and suppliers. Here’s a selection of pages to browse, but feel free to click on any of the ingredients that make our products. That should take you to a page full of details!

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Coconut Flour

Coconut Milk Powder

You say, “Give me that coco!!!” We say, “Here’s something for your hair, your skin, your hands, and your massages, and you bet we’ve got loads more.”

Tonka? Sweeeet!!

The tall camaru tree (Dipteryx odorata) belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae) and grows in Costa Rica, Brazil and Peru. It bears fruits that contain a single seed, oblong and smooth, called the tonka bean. The bean is used as a spice, grated into culinary preparations such as desserts to add a sweet, complex flavour. It can also be subjected to a solvent extraction process to obtain an absolute: a thick, concentrated extract of the bean’s scent that is used in perfumery.

Has a warm, sweet, creamy aroma.

Rounds and smoothes perfume blends.

Makes everything gourmand!

Soothes the skin and comforts the mind.

Some will say the tonka bean smells like vanilla, but this hasty judgment does not reflect the jet-black bean's qualities. Tonka has its own beautiful fragrance. It is sweet yet fruity, reminiscent of cherries and bitter almonds, and has notes of hay. This complex scent is mainly due to coumarin, an aromatic compound that naturally occurs in tonka in such quantities that, when it dries, it forms a white crystallised coating around the bean. 

Read Lush’s perfumer Alina Gliwinska enthusiast take on tonka seed extract, also known as tonka absolute.

As said above, the main aromatic compound of tonka is coumarin. Coumarin is toxic when ingested in high doses, which explains why the United States has banned the use of tonka in food. However, it is considered safe for use in cosmetics, provided that the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) recommendations regarding concentration are followed. Which is what we do!

The tonka beans we purchase are wild-harvested by indigenous and local communities in the Amazon forest, helping provide livelihoods for those who are protecting one of the richest ecosystems in the world. Through these partnerships, we ensure quality products, empowerment and economic support.

Among these communities are the Kayapo people of Brazil, who carefully collect fallen tonka fruits and manually crack each one open with hammers to extract the valuable beans. The beans are then sun-dried and gathered in large sacks before being transported to France, where they are refined into an absolute for use in our products.

Tonka absolute reveals its sweetness in some of our most tempting Gourmand fragrances while complementing the lullaby sung by lavender and vanilla in our relaxing Sleepy range.

A staple in cosmetics, the tear-shaped almond is beloved for its moisturising oil, soothing properties and comforting scent.

Almonds are the seeds of the almond tree, which belongs to the plum family (Prunus). Its fruits share considerable similarities with those of its relatives, such as apricot and peach. These crops flourish in sunny regions, such as the Mediterranean, California, the Middle East, and North Africa. Hiding deep within the soft flesh of the fruit is a hard pit that reveals a tender almond when broken open.

There are two types of almonds: sweet and bitter. Sweet almonds, which grow on the Prunus dulcis tree, are the ones we eat. Their scent is very faint, if there's any. They can be ground, pressed into oil, or blended with water to produce milk. This explains why almond oil is often called 'sweet' almond oil. On the other side, bitter almonds (Prunus amygdalus amara) are not suitable for consumption, but they can be distilled into a fragrant essential oil, renowned in perfumery.

In general, almond-derived products are soothing and conditioning to the skin and hair, as well as being emollient and packed with vitamin E (an antioxidant).

But the benefits also depend on the type of ingredient, of course. For example:

Almond oil is moisturising.

Ground almonds gently exfoliate the skin.

Almond essential oil has a sweet, cherry-like aroma.

Almond butter is even more moisturising than the oil. 

We use a lot of almond-derived products, so don’t hesitate and browse your Lush product’s list of ingredients to click on the ones you want to know more about. And if you like a good selection, here’s one!

Ground Almonds

Almond Oil

Organic Almond Oil

Fair Trade Almond Oil

If almonds are your thing, you’ll be happy at Lush! We love them too. Why not take a look at our bodycare and skincare ranges to begin with?

Your order will be expertly protected against impact during transit by biodegradable Eco-Pops, compostable packaging nuggets made from potato starch! They're easily dissolvable in water or soil.

Fresh cosmetic ingredients are more effective on skin, hair, and mind than heavily preserved beauty products. 65% of our raw material spend is on natural ingredients.