Karma

The scent of patchouli is grounding and bewitching, and will transport you to dense Indonesian forests.

Patchouli is a fragrant bushy herb that belongs to the same family as mint. It can grow as high as three feet tall, with purple and white flowers growing from its long stems.

It has an earthy, warm aroma that takes you on a meditative journey. 

It is antibacterial and soothing to the skin and armpits. 

Its aroma is said to balance and ground the mind, and harmonise emotions.

On Saturday, 4th July 1846, the London Daily News advertised: “Viner’s patchouli is confidently recommended as the only remedy known to prevent moth. In foreign countries, the peculiar properties of this Indian perfume are highly appreciated.” This perfectly illustrates how patchouli arrived in England during the Victorian era: the plant's aromatic leaves were slipped into the folds of Indian textiles to avoid the ravages of insects during their journey to other lands. Impregnated with an unmistakable aroma, Indian shawls were sent to Great Britain, where they were all the rage. The ubiquitous scent soon became symbolic of luxury and the mark that distinguished a material of Indian origin.

The scent of patchouli made a comeback in the 1960s, also imported from Asia - but this time in backpacks! The Hippie Trail was a promising mystique adventure and, if lucky, a spiritual enlightenment. An overland round trip of roughly 12,000 miles, this trail took hippies through Istanbul to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and India. Herbal handbook writer Stephen Orr writes that patchouli’s association with the era is “due to the Asian travels of backpacking hippies, who brought home the scented oil and incense as a reminder of their spiritual awakenings.”

The story also goes that patchouli oil was used to mask the scent of marijuana. In terms of pure usage, it’s plausible: cannabis was a booming business in the American counterculture of the 1960s. It was also suggested that marijuana and patchouli don’t smell all that different and hippies simply wanted their bodies to smell like their bedrooms. An argument can also be made that patchouli smells of fresh soil and roots, an ‘authentic’ scent that recalls hippies’ aspirations to connect with the natural world.

Patchouli is used in our products in several forms (essential oils, root…), and each of them can be purchased in different places worldwide. For example, our dark Sumatran patchouli oil comes from a remarkable producer, the Gayo Lues Permaculture Center in Indonesia. Their practices are designed to support the health of Sumatra and Borneo islands’ ecosystems, protecting the primary rainforest and its inhabitants, like the noble orangutans. 

To learn more about our other sources, 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!

Two of Lush’s most iconic fragrances contain patchouli. If you’re a fan of the earthy oil, have a look (and smell!) at our best-selling Karma and Lord of Misrule ranges.

The forest! Here, now, thanks to the wonderful fresh scent of pine and fir extracts.

Pines and firs are very resistant resinous conifers. These tall and wide trees are generous: they provide timber, oleoresin, medicines, aromatic extracts, and many other essential products. The oldest pine known is 4,800 years old; hence it’s a symbol of longevity in many countries.

At Lush, we’ve been using the great natural gifts of the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and the balsam fir (Abies balsamea), among others. Oils, absolutes, needles, and resins let us add a relaxing woody scent to our products.

For some, the scent of pine recalls walks in the wet Caledonian forest; for others, it is a shaded path to the beach, and for others still, it is choosing a Christmas tree... it is rare not to have memories linked to pine when you live in the northern hemisphere. From the coldest tundras to the warmest Mediterranean coasts, they’re everywhere, stretching the landscape and fueling folklore.

Lush’s perfumer Alina Gliwinska describes pine essential oil as fresh, terpenic, green, woody and sharper than fir absolute. She says: “Fir needle absolute is sweeter and richer. It has balsamic and sugary, coumarin-like base notes. Fir balsam resin is not as sweet. It is also balsamic and smooth but in a green, fresh way."

Pine and fir will also act differently in a perfume. Alina adds, "In my opinion, pine oil is a good top-middle note. It will stand up strongly as a coniferous scent, while fir extracts will be used as base notes. Fir’s sweet, balsamic nature makes it easy to mix with other accords and notes in the perfume. They balance the scent and boost the coniferous notes."

The fir balsam resin found in Lush products is harvested from the Boreal forests. These account for 28% of the world's forested areas. They’re a vital sanctuary for migratory birds during their summer breeding season and see three to five billion of them migrate in the autumn to reach warmer regions of North and South America.

Our suppliers of fir resin reside in northern Quebec, Canada. They cherish and protect the forest. The harvests are carefully managed in the wild, over controlled areas. They also utilise leftover materials to generate additional value and employment opportunities for local communities. The resin stays fluid and only needs a simple filtration process, without alcohol or solvents,  to ensure its cleanliness.

Wholeheartedly convinced that you're going to love pine and fir scents? You can find both in many of our products, especially in winter. For the rest of the year, fir resin regularly appears in our bath bombs, while pine oil teams up with patchouli in our best-selling fragrance, Karma.

Lemongrass is a zingy, tropical treat for aches and pains - of the body and the mind!

Lemongrass is a perennial tropical plant native to India which grows long aromatic leaves that can grow up to 1.5 metres (5 ft). 

Lemongrass is toning and has antiseptic and deodorising properties when applied to the skin.

Lemongrass oil has a bright and cheerful fragrance that is said to have antidepressant properties.

The plant and its oil have been traditionally used as a natural and non-toxic mosquito repellent.

The oil is often used in massage and aromatherapy to relieve headaches and sore muscles.

Thanks to its antifungal and antiseptic properties, lemongrass oil is excellent for use in deodorants. It keeps you feeling clean and fresh whilst smelling great. It is also used in dental care for the same reason.

Lush purchases lemongrass oil from India, but also sources the raw plant from other parts of the world to make infusions. To find out more, 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!

Orange is a very well known and delicious fruit. It’s one of your five a day - but has many other benefits to your skin and wellbeing!

An orange is a well-known fruit within the citrus family that grows on trees all around the world. The sweet orange is a flowering tree with glossy, evergreen leaves and thorny branches, and it is thought to be native to China, and East Asia. The trees now grow all over the world. Botanically, their juicy, edible, orange-coloured fruits are a type of berry called a hesperidium.

Orange juice and oil have astringent, cleansing properties that help the skin and hair to glow.

Oranges contain potassium, folic acid, and large amounts of vitamin C, which together with lutein help improve skin elasticity.

Citrus scents are usually uplifting and refreshing, but the sweetness of oranges tends to be so cheerful that it actually promotes rest. You feel good, therefore you relax.

Orange peel wax is considered a good vegan alternative to lanolin as it has similar emollient, moisturising and emulsifying properties, with a lightweight feel. 

We use orange in many different forms (essential oils, juice, peel, wax…) for different products, and each of them can be purchased in different places around the world. To find out more about our 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!