About Lush
Lush is on a mission to upgrade your self-care routine with cruelty-free, sustainable, and fun products for your face, body, and hair. Since the brand invented bath bombs many moons ago, its collection of handmade goods has expanded to include hundreds of options for adults and kids.
With more than 5.2 million followers across Instagram and Facebook, Lush is certainly no stranger to the limelight. Recently, it has been featured by Today, Well + Good, Elle Canada, Cosmopolitan, and other notable media outlets.
The company has also won multiple impressive awards. Some examples include:
- 2020 Vogue Beauty Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award for Sustainability and Animal Awareness
- 2020 Sustainable Beauty Awards: Sustainable Packaging and Sustainable Leadership
- 2019: Glamour Beauty Power List: Best Beauty Bar
Sustainable, effective, award-winning, and cruelty-free… What more could you ask for? But, before you hit ‘add to cart’, we invite you to read this Lush cosmetics review.
In it, we’ll dive deep into the brand and its mission, examine its bestsellers, source customer testimonials, answer important FAQs, and more—all to help you decide if Lush’s skincare and wellness essentials are worth adding to your regimen.
Overview of Lush
Launched in 1995 by co-founders Mark Constantine, Mo Constantine, Liz Bennett, Rowena Bird, Paul Greeves, and Helen Ambrosen, Lush has always been going against the status quo. The six friends had previously run a mail-order cosmetic company that failed—but that failure didn’t last long.
As one of the first brands to passionately fight against animal cruelty and unnecessary, wasteful packaging, Lush quickly became a trendsetter in the industry. Ultimately, its mission is to fuse those values with effective and affordable products:
“We believed you wanted effective products. Natural…fresh…and we didn’t want to spend more money on the packaging than on the contents. So, above all, we believed you wanted good value products, not cheap, but loads of hair and body goodness for your money.”
Today, Lush continues to find ways to further improve its practices in innovative ways. 67% of the ingredients the company uses are sourced directly from manufacturers and growers in the UK—and it is still trying to improve this number.
Before we dive into the brand’s fun, cruelty-free, and innovative collection, this Lush cosmetics review will first weigh some pros and cons:
Pros
- Huge range of personal care products, including Lush bath bombs, cleansers, toners, body wash, shampoo bars, and so much more
- Fully cruelty-free
- Very transparent about ingredients and only uses natural components or safe synthetics
- No unnecessary packaging
- International shipping to select countries
- 90-day return policy
Cons
- Collection is not 100% vegan (some products contain animal byproducts)
- Does not currently ship worldwide
There’s no denying this brand’s popularity. No matter where you are in the world, you’re sure to have friends and family with Lush products in their bathroom. If you’re ready to dive in and upgrade your own self-care regimen, let’s take a look at a selection of its bestsellers.
Prefer alternative payment plans? Lush offers Afterpay, through which you can pay in four interest-free installments.
Lush Products Review
Whether you’re looking to upgrade your self-care routine or simply making the switch to vegan, eco-friendly products, Lush has you covered. With an extensive selection of sensual bath bombs, whimsical bubble bars, luxurious shower gels, and innovative shampoo bars—your bath and shower routine just got a whole lot more exciting.
Up next, this Lush cosmetics review will focus on the brand’s best-selling items. You’ll find a wide range of self-care essentials in this lineup, from sleep-enhancing body lotion to good ol’ bar soaps.
Lush Bath Bomb – Goddess Review
Your self-care routine should be all about letting go of the day’s worries so that you can be the best that you can be. Why not release your inner power with the Lush Bath Bomb – Goddess?
This bathtime enhancer treats your soul and your body. Luxuriously creamy cocoa butter infuses the water as the bath bomb explodes, leaving your skin feeling silky smooth. Meanwhile, the blend of jasmine, rose, and oudh oil provides some relaxingly sensual aromatherapy.
For a well-rounded and invigorating experience, Goddess contains shimmering plastic-free luster and purple, blue, and pink colors to turn your tub into a “swirling purple galaxy.” To use, simply:
- Fill your tub with warm water
- Drop in the bath bomb
- Lie back and enjoy the fragrance and color
This whimsical, fun, and relaxing bath bomb is 180g and retails for $9.
Lush Shampoo Bar – Jumping Juniper Review
Whether you’re a newbie to the plastic-free movement or someone who has been fighting the battle for years, you’ll be excited about this next product. Lush was one of the first brands to introduce solid shampoo to the world. The best part? No unnecessary waste!
The Lush Shampoo Bar – Jumping Juniper is infused with lime, lemon, rosemary, and lavender for clean, shiny, and delicious-smelling locks. Formulated for oily hair types, you’ll also find juniper berry oil on the ingredients list, which helps to clarify the scalp and manage greasiness.
Though it may seem confusing at first, Lush shampoo bars are easy to use. Simply:
- Rub the bar between your hands to create a lather
- Place the suds directly on your hair
- Massage into your scalp
- Rinse clean
One 55 g Lush bar actually replaces up to 750 ml of traditional shampoo. Help your hair and the environment with Jumping Juniper for $12.
Lush Shower Bomb – Sleepy Review
We all know that sleep is important for our physical and mental health, but that doesn’t make it any easier to slip into a deep slumber. Whatever is causing your lack of zzzs, the Lush Shower Bomb – Sleepy is here to help.
Shaped like a fluffy white cloud, this product contains a relaxing mix of two of the brand’s most popular scents: Twilight and Sleepy. Featuring lavender, ylang ylang, and tonka absolute, it’ll get your body and mind ready for deep sleep.
To use any of the Lush shower bombs, follow these steps:
- Run your shower and hold the bomb under the water flow
- As it expands, scoop the foam to cleanse your body
- Lather and rinse
Fizzy and fun, Sleepy contains oatmeal to naturally exfoliate your skin. Get your new 40 g bedtime best friend for $4.
Lush Bubble Bar – Sleepy Review
Okay, so you need help sleeping. But, you’re more of a bath kinda gal or pal. Well, Lush has you covered with the Bubble Bar – Sleepy.
Featuring the same slumber-inducing Twilight and Sleepy fragrances as the shower version, this bath enhancer is ready to prep your body and mind for relaxation. Formed into a colorful cloud, watch the water transform into a whimsical purple hue underneath the white, fluffy bubbles.
This 200 g bubble bar is actually big enough to use for multiple baths. Simply break off the amount you would like to use and follow these steps:
- Run warm water
- Crumble the bar under the water
- Watch as your tub fills with vibrant colors and fluffy bubbles
Get the Lush Bubble Bar – Sleepy for $13.
Lush Outback Mate Review
Whether for your hands or body, everyone needs a good, reliable bar soap, and the Lush Outback Mate soap is just that. This bright blue bar provides a cooling and uplifting sensation—perfect for those who struggle to feel awake in the morning.
Formulated with eucalyptus and essential oils, this bar is fragrant, minty-fresh, and clean. The lemongrass oil lifts your mood with its invigorating scent while the coconut oil moisturizes and softens your skin.
Like all Lush soap bars, this 100 g chunk is cut from a larger slab, so its marbled appearance will differ slightly from the image. Upgrade your morning routine with Outback Mate for $7.
Lush Dream Cream Review
This lotion got its name for a reason. Ideal for irritated and sensitive skin, Lush Dream Cream provides gentle, nourishing hydration for super-soft skin.
Featuring rose absolute to soothe irritation and cocoa butter to add hydration, this item is rich in consistency for a truly luxurious experience. Other key ingredients include oat milk, chamomile, and olive oil for nourishment, as well as lavender to soothe your mind while you soothe your body.
Dream Cream is available in three sizes: 45g, 240g, and 440g. Get it for $8-$40.
Lush Sleepy Review
Nothing says relax like applying a nourishing lotion all over your body before climbing into bed. The Lush Sleepy lotion is formulated with lavender and tonka to soothe the user’s skin, mind, and soul with rich floral aromatherapy.
A stunning pale purple color, this lotion provides both short-term and long-lasting benefits. Locking in hydration, your skin will feel soft and smooth all day, thanks to key ingredients like almond oil, cocoa butter, and glycerin.
The luxurious cream is available in three sizes: 90g, 210g, and 425g. Kick off your bedtime routine right with Sleepy for $12-$33.
Lush Scrubee Review
Shaped like an adorable bumblebee, Lush Scrubee is designed to buff and smooth your skin. Whether you’re struggling with dry skin, ingrown hairs, or uneven textures, this busy little bee can help.
Featuring coconut shell and ground almonds as its main exfoliators, Scrubee is also infused with shea butter, cocoa, and honey to ensure it isn’t too abrasive. The bee-shaped scrubber’s stripes are useful as well as adorable—moisturizing and exfoliating ingredients alternate to leave you with smooth and soft skin.
This body butter bar retails for $9 (90 g). But, this product is sensitive to warm temperatures and may melt, so the company recommends picking it up in-store.
Does the skin on your face need some extra TLC, too? Check out the selection of Lush face masks!
Lush Lip Service Review
Everyone who loves this company knows that you have to have a good Lush lip balm in your arsenal at all times—and the cheekily named Lip Service is a great option.
Best for dry, flaking, and damaged lips, this product is formulated with several skin softeners like cocoa butter, shea butter, apricot kernel oil, and extra virgin olive oil to hydrate and protect your lips. With a fun, citrusy flavor, this Lush lip scrub is matte, smooth, and incredibly soft.
Lush Lip Service comes in a 12 g tub—the perfect size for tossing it in your purse for kissable lips while on the go. Get ready to pucker up with this sassy balm for $13.
Is Lush Unethical?
Lush is always striving to find innovative and effective ways to be more ethical. It supports a number of causes and implements solutions into its practices, from fighting animal cruelty to helping to end racism—and a number of causes in between. So, we’d say Lush is a pretty ethical brand with admirable goals.
Are Lush Products Handmade?
Yes, all Lush products are handmade! Each item you purchase even has a sticker that lets you know the name of the person who created it and where they are based in the world.
Is Lush All-Natural?
This Lush cosmetics review found that its products are not 100% natural, but the brand is incredibly transparent about what ingredients you’ll find in each item. There are some chemicals and preservatives to ensure they stay fresh for a reasonable amount of time.
The full recipe for each Lush beauty product can be easily found on its page. All of the components in green font are natural, while those in black are considered “safe synthetics.”
Who Is Lush For?
Lush is an inclusive brand that does not create products for one specific sort of consumer. Regardless of age, sex, gender, ethnic background, or ability, this company will surely have something to appeal to anyone and everyone.
On its website, you can even search by collection. So if you’re looking for an item that was specifically formulated for someone who is a man, woman, child, vegan, and/or super eco-conscious, Lush provides a handy page with all of the corresponding products.
Comparison: Lush vs. The Body Shop
There is no shortage of face, body, and hair products on the market, but finding ones that actually work for you is another story. To see what makes our featured company stand out from the crowd, this Lush cosmetics review will compare it to a competitor—The Body Shop.
Having been around since 1976, The Body Shop is also a well-known, long-standing brand. Owned by Natura &Co, it focuses on developing effective formulas that use both natural ingredients and safe synthetics, just like Lush.
The first difference we noticed between the two sites is their product ranges. While you’ll find the more traditional products from both brands, like cleansers, toners, masks, and body washes, Lush’s line extends to include more fun items, like bath bombs, shower jellies, and even henna hair dyes.
Let’s compare a similar item from both lineups:
Lush Grease Lightning:
- Key ingredients: tea tree oil, aloe gel, thyme, rosemary
- Price/size: $17 for 1.5 oz
- Rating: 4.5/5 stars from 538 reviews
- vegan
The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash:
- Key ingredients: tea tree oil
- Price/size: $16 for 8.5 oz
- Rating: 4.7/5 stars from 671 reviews
- Vegan
Though you may notice that Lush’s version is more expensive per product amount, that’s because it’s a very potent product that is meant to be used directly on problem areas, so you’ll use much less of it at a time. On the other hand, The Body Shop’s product is a full face cleanser that is gentler.
Both brands are passionately committed to social justice issues, whether it be protecting animals from cruelty or ensuring diverse hiring practices. All in all, both come highly recommended across the web—you’ll likely find a product in each lineup for you!
Lush Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
No Lush cosmetics review would be complete without learning about what the products are really like, so we sourced testimonials from the brand’s website, Influenster, and the BBB to get the scoop. Below, you’ll find details on how different items perform, their value, and the company’s practices.
On the brand’s website, its top-sellers have received thousands of reviews. Shoppers most often describe its products as effective, wonderfully scented, and a pleasure to use. Here’s how some options stack up:
- Dream Cream: an average of 4.6/5 stars from 883 ratings
- Scrubee: an average of 4.7/5 stars from 1.4k ratings
- Mask Of Magnaminty: an average of 4.5/5 stars from 1.5k ratings
- The Comforter: an average of 4.7/5 stars from 1k ratings
- Twilight: an average of 4.6/5 stars from 816 ratings
- Sex Bomb: an average of 4.4/5 stars from 1.2k ratings
- Ocean Salt: an average of 4.5/5 stars from 2.4k ratings
We chose to dive deeper into Lush cosmetics reviews on Ocean Salt because it’s one of the most-discussed products. This face and body scrub is loved for its ability to combat dry, flaky skin. Here’s what one shopper had to say:
“After just one regimen of Ocean Salt, my face was smooth, glowing, and the acne was disappearing! Since then, I’ve used it daily with Vanishing Cream. Together, these two products have done for me what at least fifty different products over the last 15 years have failed to do!”
Meanwhile, another customer compliments the scent and the way it makes her skin feel: “I love the smell of it, and it leaves my skin feeling great, not dried out at all, just soft and smooth. It even helps a bit with the redness from my rosacea.”
Clearly, Ocean Salt is loved by Lush’s customers. But to see how well sentiments on the brand’s line hold up, we turned to Influenster.
Here, the company has received an astounding 264k ratings, with a collective average of roughly 4.5/5 stars. With over a quarter-million reviews, it’s safe to say we’ll get a pretty clear picture of the brand’s products here.
We were intrigued by Lush’s Dark Angels Facial Cleanser, so we looked at the comments to learn more. With 4.3/5 stars from 5.7k customers, people describe it as perfect for oily skin due to its ability to deeply clean and get rid of acne. Take this glowing example:
“This cleanser has done wonders to my skin. Before I started using this cleanser, I would have so many little blackheads on my nose, chin area and around my cheeks. However, after using this cleanser once a week for a few months, I’ve seen major improvement on my skin. It has been feeling so soft, less blackheads and less breakouts as well.”
Satisfied with what we learned about the efficacy of the brand’s collection, we turned to the Better Business Bureau to learn more about how it handles customer complaints. We were initially shocked to see a D+ rating but quickly found that this score came from just four complaints in the last few years.
The BBB tends to be harsh when a brand doesn’t respond to complaints on its site, so this score is no surprise. But, based on the sheer quantity of comments, we feel that Lush likely does a good job of handling complaints before they escalate.
So the verdict is clear. For the most part, people love Lush and readily recommend its products. Though we did find some comments from customers that initially thought the brand’s line was expensive, most report that a little product goes a long way—meaning the value for the cost is well worth the initial investment.
Is Lush Worth It?
According to this Lush cosmetics review, buying from this company is absolutely worth it. The brand’s products make self-care and bathing fun, and their goods are mostly well-made and clean.
Plus, we admire its trailblazing attitude when it comes to social justice issues. The brand is fighting the good fight when it comes to animal cruelty, racism, and worker’s rights—in addition to providing eco-conscious products that actually work.
Thousands and thousands of customers across the web also attest to the brand and highly recommend its products. We can clearly see how Lush has remained popular for so long!
Lush Promotions & Discounts
Ready to stock up on some self-care goodies? This Lush cosmetics review kept an eye out for any deals. Here’s what we found:
- Free shipping on orders over $50
- Sign up for the e-newsletter for a chance at winning a $100 gift card
- Annual sales on Black Friday and Boxing Day
Where To Buy Lush
The brand’s products can only be purchased through its website or in-person shopping locations. Head to LushUSA.com. Or, check out the Find a Shop page to find a store near you.
FAQ
Where is Lush made?
Lush manufactures its North American products at two Canadian facilities: Toronto and Vancouver. But, it has manufacturing facilities all over the world.
Does Lush use parabens?
Lush does use parabens in some of its products. Though the company is working to phase out this ingredient, it can still be found in several items. If you’re looking to avoid parabens, a full, detailed ingredients list is provided on each product page.
Is Lush vegan and cruelty-free?
Lush is a cruelty-free brand. In fact, it created the Lush Prize to award companies that are committed to protecting animals in the skincare industry.
But, the brand’s line is not fully vegan. It does offer a selection of nearly 300 products on its vegan page.
https://www.lush.ca/en/products/vegan/
What is Lush’s Shipping Policy?
Lush only ships to US addresses (including Alaska and Hawaii) from its US store, and only to Canadian addresses from its Canada store, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re on the right website when you start to fill your cart.
The cost and estimated arrival time for deliveries are calculated based on weight and location. Here’s an overview of the most common shipping options:
- Ground (2-8 days): small packages (under 3 kg) = $6, large packages (over 4.5 kg) = $10
- Air (2-4 days): small packages (under 3 kg) = $8, large packages (over 4.5 kg) = $12
- Priority (1-2 days): small packages (under 3 kg) = $35, large packages (over 4.5 kg) = $45
Lush ships orders out the same day they are placed (if placed before noon). Packages are delivered with UPS, FedEx, USPS, or Canada Post. All orders are sent from the brand’s manufacturing centers in Vancouver and Toronto.
What is Lush’s Return Policy?
Need to return your Lush products? The brand offers a 90-day return policy. But, shipping charges are not eligible for a refund.
If you’ve already tested the item, make sure to return at least 75% of it with the original packaging. To initiate the return process, reach out to the brand’s Customer Care team—they’ll send you further instructions.
How to Contact Lush
If you have any questions for the company after reading this Lush cosmetics review, you can contact its team via:
- Phone or text: 1-888-733-5874,
- Website live chat feature
The brand’s team is available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, and weekends from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm EST.
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