Rub Rub Rub

When it comes to treating your hair and skin, salt is great in a pinch!

Salt is a natural mineral that forms crystals of different sizes and colours depending on how it’s processed and where it comes from. It is much present in the sea (or saltwater lakes) and can be obtained by evaporating the water. It can also be found as a rock in the ground and mined.

As an exfoliator, salt crystals scrub away dead skin cells and leave the skin refreshed and bright.

It cleanses the skin, not only with exfoliation but its antimicrobial properties, too.

Its astringent effect helps to mattify the skin and slightly tighten pores.

It gives volume to the hair- a bit like when you have a swim in the sea or even just a walk along the beach!

It can serve as a natural preservative and help keep our product blends fresher for longer when used in appropriate quantities.

Sea salt is less processed than conventional table salt and therefore remains full of moisture and the many different minerals and elements from the area where it is harvested. For this reason, it must be tested regularly to ensure that it hasn't been contaminated with pollutants.  

The moisture content of sea salt can be a blessing in a cosmetic product, but also a curse. For instance, it is far too wet for dry, solid products. That's why the types of salt we purchase can vary, as each will have its own specificity and benefits for the formula.

Finally, salt marshes, whether near the coast or on the side of a lake, are generally used by birds as a resting and even nesting place on their migration path. Most of the sea salt suppliers that Lush purchases from have conservation and biodiversity programs in place and are doing a lot to protect their environment.

We have as many suppliers for different types of salt.  Fine, coarse, extra-large, hand-harvested, pearl-like, coloured… We love to put a bit of salt here, there and everywhere. To find out more about each of them, 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!

Plant butters? A strange title, but what else could it be? It’s not plant-based butter, no, not the same thing. Let’s make up our own term for these solid blocks of fat, extracted from plant seeds, that moisturise the skin and hair.

Plant seeds are full of fats (and starches and nutrients) so that they can produce a shoot that will have enough energy to rise out of the soil and proceed with photosynthesis. It is these fats that have been consumed for millennia, pressed from the seeds by humankind to become well-known vegetable oils such as sunflower, rapeseed, coconut or palm oil. For plant butters it is the same thing! Except that, in their case, the fat is solid at room temperature, creating a 'butter'. The most famous example is cocoa butter in chocolate.

Shea, illipe, murumuru, cupuaçu, kokum - these are a few of the many plant butters we purchase from around the world, trying to find the most regenerative sources. Having multiple butters at hand helps in times of shortage, but more importantly, it allows for a wide choice of aroma, texture, melting point, and effects on skin and hair. At Lush, we love diversity… in all aspects of the business!

Moisturising

Protective

Conditioning

Emollient

At Lush, we have a team of creative product inventors who love to try new ingredients, and a team of hard-working buyers who relentlessly try to fulfil their wishes. The tricky part is finding a supplier that meets our high standards and strict non-animal testing policy. Each of our seven manufacturing sites worldwide has its own team of buyers and therefore, its own unique sources for plant butters. 

Learn more about some of our lesser known butters and their sources by clicking on their name below:

Illipe butter

Murumuru butter

Cupuaçu butter

Kokum butter

The jasmine flower is a delight for the senses! Its scent is powerful, sensual and enticing.

Jasmine belongs to the large olive family (Oleaceae). It is native to tropical regions of Eurasia, and Oceania. The jasmine flower is white or pale yellow, star-shaped and extremely fragrant. They open at night to release their sensual scent. Thousands of jasmine flowers are processed through solvent extraction to produce just one kilogram of jasmine absolute, which is a thick, dark orange liquid with a rich, floral aroma.

Jasmine absolute has an earthy floral aroma which provides a rich, deep note to products and perfumes.

The overall scent of a jasmine flower is seductive and heady; it entices and delights the senses.

The flowers can be used to soothe the scalp. They can also be used to rejuvenate and brighten the skin.

Jasmine was brought to Europe in the 16th century and became a staple ingredient in the perfume industry. Every August, a jasmine festival is held in Grasse, France, during which revellers scatter jasmine water and flowers over celebrating crowds and the town comes alive with music, events and visitors from all over the world.

Lush gets jasmine from many different places around the world such as India and Egypt. The flowers are ideally picked at sunrise when they are the most fragrant. To find out more about each of 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!

A juicy lemon will always brighten your day - and your skin! 

Oh, we all know what lemon is, surely!? Okay, for those of you who don’t, it’s a fruit that grows on a small, slightly thorny, evergreen tree that belongs to the Rutaceae family. The lemon tree typically grows in Italy, Asia and East India, and produces highly fragrant blossoms and shiny leaves as well as this bright yellow, oval-shaped citrus treat. 

Lemon oil and juice are known for their deeply cleansing and brightening effects on the skin.

A lemon’s natural fruit acids encourage the cuticle of the hair to lie flat, reflecting more light and in turn enhancing shine in the hair.

Lemon oil is often used as a top note in perfumery, adding a refreshing quality to fragrances to directly delight your synapses.

The juice is full of vitamin C which makes your skin glow and helps the complexion.

Since 2005, Lush has sourced bergamot, lemon and mandarin essential oils directly from a family business that have been producing citrus oils for three generations. While the lemons and mandarins thrive under the sun of Sicily, the bergamot fruits are grown in Reggio Calabria, Southern Italy. Grown without pesticides, the lemons are collected by hand and pressed entirely with their peel. The resulting liquid then goes through a centrifugal process that separates the oil from the juice. 

When it comes to fresh lemons and their zest, peel or juice, browse your Lush product’s list of ingredients to find out more. Click on the ingredient you are interested in and it should take you to a page full of details!

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.

All of our products are made by hand, fresh, every day, across 6 manufacturing sites all over the world. We believe in happy people making happy soap, putting our faces on our products and making our mums proud.

It's better naked. 66% of products sold each year are packaging-free.