Vegan Leather Jacket

Spicy, sweet-scented cloves add warmth to perfumes and stimulate the blood flow. 

Cloves are the dried aromatic flower buds of a tropical evergreen tree of the Myrtle family. When drying, the buds change colour from rose to brown. They can then be sold raw or put through a process of steam distillation to obtain an essential oil with a warm, rich and spicy aroma.

Cloves are known to have antiseptic properties that are beneficial for soothing skin irritations.

They offer a helping hand with boosting circulation and blood flow.

Their unique spicy yet sweet fragrance also has an uplifting and stimulating effect on the mind.

Cloves are used in herbal medicine. They were first mentioned in Chinese medicine in about AD600. Particularly known for their soothing effect on toothaches, it is said that the ancient Chinese also used to hold a clove in the mouth to perfume their breath when speaking to the emperor.

At Lush, we buy an oil distilled from clove buds and one obtained from the plant's leaves. Depending on the part used, the scent will be subtly different. We also use a lot of dried cloves, especially for our exclusive winter festive products. Each of these materials will be purchased from another source. To find out more about 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!

Spill the beans, or should we say seeds

Did you know that coffee beans aren’t beans at all? They’re actually the seeds of small spherical fruits grown on the Coffea plant, which ripen to a bright red or pink colour. Ex-seed-ingly interesting! 

The coffee tree is an evergreen member of the Rubiaceae plant family. The tree’s cycle of producing coffee beans starts with little fragrant, star-shaped white flowers, which turn into round berries. Nestled within each fruit are two seeds, which are harvested and then roasted, resulting in the punchy coffee beans most cafe frequenters know and love. The taste and caffeine content of coffee beans change dramatically after roasting and can also vary between different types of coffee plants. Lush uses coffee from the two most popular varieties of coffee plant - Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta. 

Coffea arabica is the most widely produced type of coffee, often favoured by coffee shops. The main reason for this is that the oval-shaped beans generally possess a more aromatic, sweet and almost fruity flavour. They have a lower caffeine content than Coffea robusta, and are usually oilier too.  

Coffea robusta (also known as Coffea canephora) has smaller, more rounded coffee beans. When consumed, the flavour profile tends to be earthier and much stronger, with a more bitter taste. They have a higher caffeine content and are easier to grow in different environments thanks to their hardy nature.

Revives the skin.

May stimulate blood circulation. 

May promote healthy hair growth.

Softly exfoliates when rubbed on the skin.

Helps achieve chocolate undertones in natural hair colouring.

Lush* sources coffee from a few suppliers. One supplier in the Netherlands uses coffee waste to produce sustainably upcycled coffee byproducts. We also purchase coffee beans from a producer in Brazil, who grow coffee using an agroforestry system. We then work with a local roastery based close to our manufacturing sites in Poole, Dorset who roast and grind these Brazillian Coffee beans for us. Find more information in the description of the main coffee ingredients we use:

Coffee Oil
Ground Coffee
Caffeine Powder

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

The compound coffee is most famous for! In recent years, caffeine has made a bit of a buzz (pun intended) in the cosmetics world. But what are the advantages of caffeine for the skin? Topical application may be beneficial, as it is believed that caffeine can be absorbed through the skin. Caffeine may have some positive short-term effects on encouraging hair growth and minimising hair loss, though further research is needed in this area. It is also thought to be useful in temporarily tightening, smoothing, and firming the skin. Caffeine also has antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protect our cells from oxidative stress caused by pollution and UV rays, which can lead to signs of premature ageing.  

How much caffeine is actually in coffee? Coffee is renowned for its naturally high caffeine content; however, the exact amount of caffeine can vary depending on the type of coffee plant and how it is processed. 

The popularity of coffee dates back centuries. Some of the earliest records suggest that it originated in Ethiopia and spread throughout the Middle East first via Somali merchants and then, later, under the influence of the Ottomans, who continued to trade coffee westwards into Europe. It was favoured across cultures for its rich flavour and the stimulating effects it was thought to have on the mind, nervous system and digestive system. 

Let castor oil put a nice soothing spell on your skin and scalp!

The evergreen castor bean shrub (Ricinus communis) is considered native to eastern Africa. Castor oil is produced by cold-pressing the seeds and goes through a clarification process by heating before use. The oil is a colourless, odourless and tasteless pale yellow liquid. 

Castor oil is both antibacterial and soothing.

It takes care of the scalp so well that it allows hair follicles to develop strong and healthy hair.

It has been used medicinally around the world for thousands of years, mostly to treat skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, as well as burns or acne.

It can be mixed with sodium hydroxide along with other vegetable oils to create a thick and stable soap base.

‘Castor’ means beaver in French!

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

A staple in cosmetics, the tear-shaped almond is beloved for its moisturising oil, soothing properties and comforting scent.

Almonds are the seeds of the almond tree, which belongs to the plum family (Prunus). Its fruits share considerable similarities with those of its relatives, such as apricot and peach. These crops flourish in sunny regions, such as the Mediterranean, California, the Middle East, and North Africa. Hiding deep within the soft flesh of the fruit is a hard pit that reveals a tender almond when broken open.

There are two types of almonds: sweet and bitter. Sweet almonds, which grow on the Prunus dulcis tree, are the ones we eat. Their scent is very faint, if there's any. They can be ground, pressed into oil, or blended with water to produce milk. This explains why almond oil is often called 'sweet' almond oil. On the other side, bitter almonds (Prunus amygdalus amara) are not suitable for consumption, but they can be distilled into a fragrant essential oil, renowned in perfumery.

In general, almond-derived products are soothing and conditioning to the skin and hair, as well as being emollient and packed with vitamin E (an antioxidant).

But the benefits also depend on the type of ingredient, of course. For example:

Almond oil is moisturising.

Ground almonds gently exfoliate the skin.

Almond essential oil has a sweet, cherry-like aroma.

Almond butter is even more moisturising than the oil. 

We use a lot of almond-derived products, so don’t hesitate and browse your Lush product’s list of ingredients to click on the ones you want to know more about. And if you like a good selection, here’s one!

Ground Almonds

Almond Oil

Organic Almond Oil

Fair Trade Almond Oil

If almonds are your thing, you’ll be happy at Lush! We love them too. Why not take a look at our bodycare and skincare ranges to begin with?

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.