Coconut

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.”

A key ingredient in chocolate making, cocoa is also a staple on Lush shelves for its amazing effect on the skin, body and mind.

The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) grows in warm, humid forests near the Equator. It yields large dark red or yellow pods containing up to 50 seeds each, coated in soft, edible flesh. The seeds, also called cocoa beans, are covered to ferment and then dried. During this process, they lose their acidic taste and develop their familiar chocolate scent. 

To obtain cocoa butter, the prepared beans are cleaned, dried and roasted and then ground into a thick, oily paste called chocolate liquor. The liquor can be used as such for chocolate-making or subjected to high pressure to separate the cocoa powder from the butter. An additional step can be carried out to deodorise the butter. This often happens for its use in cosmetics as it could interfere with the other scents of a product. The powder, which contains almost all of the scent and flavour of cocoa, can be used pure or put through solvent extraction to obtain a fragrant absolute.

The butter is an excellent emollient that moisturises the skin and hair. It also plays an essential role in product formulation, helping to achieve stable blends with longer shelf life or to create solid products that do not require packaging.

The powder gives products a natural tint and a delicious scent and taste.

The absolute delights the senses and uplifts the mood. Cocoa’s scent is also said to be a great aphrodisiac!

In 2017, a new type of chocolate was patented, called ruby cocoa. It has a dark pinkish colour, due to a special variety of cocoa trees that produce ruby-coloured beans.

The sources will vary depending on the ingredient, but we make sure that they never involve child labour. The Lush buying team always tries to make purchases that contribute to the well-being of people and the planet’s regeneration. To find out more about each of the cocoa suppliers, browse your Lush product’s list of ingredients and click on the ones you are interested in. This should take you to a page full of details!

An amazing not-so-secret ingredient for your skin and hair. We heart argan!

Argan oil is produced from the kernels of the argan tree. 

The oil contains linoleic acid, a fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the skin

It also contains oleic acid that protects and conditions the skin, scalp, and hair as well as restoring hydration.

It is traditionally used as a treatment for skin conditions, including acne and eczema.

There are a lot of vitamins in argan oil that are said to be antioxidants, such as vitamin E. Antioxidants are compounds that are thought to counteract the oxidation of the skin cells, which means they could improve the skin's appearance and strength.

Lush source argan from a variety of places. To find out more about our suppliers, browse your Lush product’s list of ingredients and click on argan oil. This should take you to a page full of details!

The Middle Eastern folk tale Arabian Nights believed so firmly in the magical powers of sesame seeds that it coined the phrase 'open sesame'. Whether it's down to magic or science, we agree that sesame adds something special to products.

Lush* source sesame-based ingredients from a few different places. For example, our Fair Trade Organic Sesame Oil comes from East Africa, where our supplier maintains a fully transparent, traceable supply chain. Our Black Sesame Oil, meanwhile, is sourced from a supplier in Japan, where the Yamada Seiyu family has overseen sesame oil production for over 100 years. You can read more about our sources and buying stories by clicking on individual ingredients.

*With several manufacturing sites across the globe, this information may vary depending on where your Lush products were made.

Rich, nutty aroma

Contains polyphenols, such as sesamin, that protect the skin

Full of Vitamin E to firm, soothe and repair

Fatty acids make it very moisturising for skin and hair

Sesamol is a natural preservative. It aids product stability, helping formulas to last longer

Alongside its highly nourishing, anti-inflammatory benefits, scientists have been exploring sesame's other properties. They discovered that the compound sesamin may have a stimulating effect on melanin, the pigment responsible for skin, hair and eye colour. By stimulating melanin production, it could have a tanning effect on the skin and offer some light protection against some of the sun's harmful effects. It makes sesame a great ingredient to use alongside other sunscreen agents to support their effectiveness.

Sesame is an annual plant in the family Pedaliaceae, native to Asia and North Africa. Different varieties can grow from 0.5m to 2.5m tall, with rose-coloured flowers that produce capsules containing black and white seeds. Once ripe, the seeds pop free from the capsule, scatter, and are ready for harvest. Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of the seed world, and is one of the oldest known oilseed crops. Baskets of sesame seeds were even found in the tomb of the infamous Egyptian Pharaoh, Tutankhamun.

It pays to recycle with us! Return the packaging for this product to any a Lush shop and receive money towards your next purchase. Alternatively, return 5 qualifying items packaging for a free fresh face mask.

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.