Sticky Syrup

Benzoin has been used in incense and perfumes for centuries. Its sweet, spicy and slightly earthy aroma brings comfort and calm to the mind.

Benzoin is a natural resin that can be collected from two types of styrax trees: Styrax benzoin, native to Sumatra, and Styrax tonkinensis, which grows in Southeast Asia. 

Resin is a natural bandage for trees. It drips from wounded trunks and hardens in the open air, protecting the wounds from possible disease, fungus, and insect attack. Resin is full of potent aromatic compounds, which probably inspired humans to try and make something out of it centuries ago. Some trees produce a lot of it, making it easy to harvest. Once hard, the resin can be burned pure, ground into powder, or refined with solvents to produce a fragrant extract called resinoid.

Its sweet, balsamic and powdery scent is a delightful sensory treat.

It soothes the skin and keeps it healthy and firm.

Its thick consistency creates a thin protective and conditioning film on the skin and hair, which helps prevent moisture loss and gives hair shine.

As a fixative, it helps other fragrance ingredients to blend well and last longer on the skin.

Lush purchases a tincture of benzoin from a UK-based company and a resinoid from a supplier in Laos. The latter works with 80 farmers who collect resin from Styrax tonkinensis trees, using traditional methods and focusing on quality. The trees are grown and harvested sustainably, and the forest is managed according to agroforestry principles. Farmers receive fair payments and labour security and safety. 

Find out more about each of our benzoin ingredients on their dedicated pages:

Benzoin Resinoid

Tincture of Benzoin

Benzoin Gum Powder

Or browse through two collections of iconic Lush scents: The sleepy range, which combines sweet benzoin and tonka with calming lavender, and our gourmand selection of irresistible fragrances.

Sandalwood is a distinctly reassuring and grounding scent; it creates the base of many marvellous perfumes.

Sandalwood is an umbrella name for many scented trees, all belonging to the Santalum genus. These evergreen trees can grow up to 50 feet tall and have to be at least 25 years old before the wood is ready for distillation.

The scent of sandalwood is warm, sweet and woody.

The oil is astringent, emollient and soothing to the skin.

It fixes other essential oils, naturally enhancing the longevity of a perfume.

There are about 10 different types of sandalwood acress various parts of the world. Its aroma can change slightly depending on the origin.

Because of its popular fragrance and importance in many rites and folk medicine around the globe, sandalwood has been overexploited and the harvesting badly managed for centuries, leaving some species endangered. Although regulations have been made by governments, the high value of the wood still leads to smuggling, counterfeits and corruption, making it very difficult to find sustainable sources and a good oil quality. After long investigations and adventures, Lush buyers have found a few reliable sources. 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!

We're not talking about the fluffy sweet here, sorry, but rather the plant called marshmallow and its powerful skin-soothing properties. The two are historically linked, though!

The marshmallow plant, or marsh mallow, has heart-shaped, velvety leaves and pinkish flowers. It is native to Europe and North Africa, where it grows naturally in salt marshes, by the sea and along riverbanks. The whole plant contains a lubricating mucilage - a thick, gluey substance which is particularly concentrated in the root. This mucilage is very soothing and has been a classic folk medicine remedy for treating all kinds of sores, internal or external. In fact, marshmallow’s botanical name, Althaea, comes from the ancient Greek ‘althainein’, which means ‘to heal’.

The ancient Egyptians used the root in a honey-sweetened confection that was supposed to soothe sore throats. The French developed a later version of the recipe called ‘pâte de guimauve’, ‘marshmallow paste’ in English. This sweet medicine included an egg white meringue and was often flavoured with rose water. As you’ve probably guessed, la pâte de guimauve is the ancestor of the fluffy and squishy marshmallow confectionary we all know today. Ironically, it no longer contains marshmallow mucilage.

Soothing

Softening

Protecting

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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.