Vénitien Henna

Truly the ultimate hair treatment!

Henna is surrounded by legends, beliefs, and millennia of use on the hair and skin. It is a powder made from the dried leaves of a flowering plant called Lawsonia inermis or henna tree.

Henna can give the hair an auburn-red colour.

It protects and conditions the hair, makes it thicker, and gives shine.

It also treats the scalp with its antimicrobial properties. By cleansing the skin of bacteria, microbes and fungus, it can help limit dandruff.

Discovered in 1916, the active colouring ingredient of henna is called lawsone. It reacts with keratin, the protein that makes the hair, providing a long-lasting dye that coats the entire hair shaft. Lawsone acts as a varnish, which explains why the result of a henna colouring depends on the hair colour it’s applied on. Where chemical dyes tend to damage the hair by breaking into it, changing its natural colour, henna and its coating effect help protect, condition and give a lot of shine.

Lush purchases red henna from a German company that sources the finest powder from the Sistan and Baluchestan province in Iran. Learn more about these dedicated, expert suppliers here, as well as the challenges they face.

Any question this page doesn’t cover should be answered in this very comprehensive FAQ or in the gripping story of Lush's journey with henna. You can find this high-quality ingredient in our natural hair dye range. 

A key ingredient in chocolate making, cocoa is also a staple on Lush shelves for its amazing effect on the skin, body and mind.

The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) grows in warm, humid forests near the Equator. It yields large dark red or yellow pods containing up to 50 seeds each, coated in soft, edible flesh. The seeds, also called cocoa beans, are covered to ferment and then dried. During this process, they lose their acidic taste and develop their familiar chocolate scent. 

To obtain cocoa butter, the prepared beans are cleaned, dried and roasted and then ground into a thick, oily paste called chocolate liquor. The liquor can be used as such for chocolate-making or subjected to high pressure to separate the cocoa powder from the butter. An additional step can be carried out to deodorise the butter. This often happens for its use in cosmetics as it could interfere with the other scents of a product. The powder, which contains almost all of the scent and flavour of cocoa, can be used pure or put through solvent extraction to obtain a fragrant absolute.

The butter is an excellent emollient that moisturises the skin and hair. It also plays an essential role in product formulation, helping to achieve stable blends with longer shelf life or to create solid products that do not require packaging.

The powder gives products a natural tint and a delicious scent and taste.

The absolute delights the senses and uplifts the mood. Cocoa’s scent is also said to be a great aphrodisiac!

In 2017, a new type of chocolate was patented, called ruby cocoa. It has a dark pinkish colour, due to a special variety of cocoa trees that produce ruby-coloured beans.

The sources will vary depending on the ingredient, but we make sure that they never involve child labour. The Lush buying team always tries to make purchases that contribute to the well-being of people and the planet’s regeneration. To find out more about each of the cocoa 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!

Humble flowers with super soothing powers.

There are many species of chamomile flowers, and they’re sometimes hard to differentiate from one another - even experts struggle! At Lush, we use two types, easily identifiable and well known in European folk medicine: the German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla syn. Matricaria recutita) which resembles a daisy, and the Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) that looks like a fuzzy ball of white petals. 

Originally white in colour, the German chamomile flowers release a blue pigment when distilled into an essential oil. This is due to  an anti-inflammatory compound that forms during steam distillation, called chamazulene. Hence the name: chamomile blue oil.

Soothing

Antiseptic

The flowers’ oils are believed to promote calm and restful sleep when inhaled. They’re often coupled with lavender as they share similar properties and complement each other scents.

Chamomile crops are so fragile that Lush buyers always need to have backup suppliers in case our current ones are unable to produce the amount we need. The source will also change depending on the type of ingredient (oil, dried flowers…) and species. 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!

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.