Sex Bomb

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!

Ylang-ylang’s flowers diffuse a heady, sweet and floral scent that is often recommended to calm the mind. It is featured in a few of our most popular fragrances, such as Sex Bomb, Sleepy and Magik.

The cananga tree, also called ylang-ylang or ilang-ilang, is a tropical plant native to Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It can grow very tall in the wild, averaging 12 meters (40 feet). In British English, ylang-ylang is pronounced ee-lang ee-lang. In Tagalog, an old language of the Philippines, it means ‘flower of the flowers’. 

The tree’s branches are quite flexible and are often positioned vertically and pruned by farmers to ease harvest. Flowers bloom nearly all year round, hanging from stalks. Their drooping, long and narrow petals are thick and wavy - and wonderfully fragrant! They start off green but reach their optimal scent when turning yellow.

The scent of ylang-ylang flowers is known to help you relax, slow down and fall asleep more easily. It is said to reduce anxiety while increasing a sense of well-being.

The sensual flowers’ scent is also considered an aphrodisiac.

The yellow petals can be distilled into an essential oil or extracted into an absolute. These are highly valued in perfumery but also in cosmetics, for their numerous benefits to the skin, scalp and hair.

Not just a scent, it is also a flavour! Ylang-ylang works really well in mouth products.

Learn more about the benefits of ylang-ylang oil on this dedicated page.

Lush uses ylang-ylang essential oil in various products, ranging from perfumes to bath bombs and hair conditioners. The essential oil is steam-distilled from the petals, and the process can last up to 20 hours! We also use a fair amount of ylang-ylang absolute, which is extracted from the petals as well, but using solvents.

We purchase the essential oil and the absolute from the Comoros Islands, but we also produce our own oil in Ghana. Click on the links below to learn more about these different sources:

Ylang Ylang Oil

Ghanaian Ylang Ylang Oil

Ylang Ylang absolute

Are sweet, sensual and tropical scents your thing? Have a go at this collection of floral-scented products.

Let’s spill the beans!

Although botanists haven't entirely agreed on the origins of the soya bean (Glycine soja), it is believed that the plant derives from a Chinese legume, Glycine ussuriensis. Soya has been eaten and cultivated in China since 2800 BC. Centuries of consumption and creativity have led to a wide variety of uses around the world. It’s been ground to make flour, boiled to make milk, pressed to make oil, coagulated to make tofu, fermented to make miso or tempeh. In fact, there are so many different soy-based foods that a Wikipedia list had to be created for them.

Today, the United States and Brazil supply two-thirds of the world's soya production. It is a common misconception that the rise in vegan diets is responsible for the increase in global demand for soya and the deforestation associated with this industry. In reality, livestock feed accounts for just under 80% of the soya market.

At Lush, we tend to try almost every food (vegetarian and vegan) we come across to see if it would be good for the skin and hair... and soya offers so many possibilities! We use (or have used) soya milk, milk powder, yoghurt, oil, lecithin, bran, flour and wax, as well as mung beans, tofu and silken tofu.

A few key components:

Most soya-based products contain lecithin, a fatty substance with emollient, conditioning, humectant and emulsifying properties. 

Soya is renowned for its richness in proteins, particularly in milk, tofu and yoghurt, which help strengthen skin and hair.

The oil is rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that is said to help keep the skin firm and radiant.

Our suppliers vary a lot depending on the ingredient, but we can assure you that whatever the source, we never purchase genetically modified soybeans or products derived from them. To know more about each of our soya-based ingredients, their sources and effects, please browse your Lush product’s list of ingredients and click on the ones that tickle your curiosity.

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.