The Rise and Inevitable Fall of Lush

Lush rose to prominence very obviously off of the back of The Body Shop's fall from grace. And, in fairness, they have done a wonderful job at correcting and improving on the business Anita Roddick created. However, it's so interesting that they seem to be following the same path of fast growth, cause marketing, some early scandals and scepticism in their audience. In fact, it's trajectory has been so close that it seems they are very at risk of the same cause for downfall as The Body Shop, wherein they have placed themselves voluntarily on a pedestal that invites harsher criticism. Is it fair? Probably not, there are companies doing far worse, but now that they are no longer the underdog, they are not protected by the halo effect and that leaves them all too susceptible.

Unless otherwise obvious, photos in this video are from Getty Images or Alamy under their editorial terms used for non-commercial websites, blogs and social media posts illustrating matters of public interest.

[taysezz]

I used to love Lush but their prices are so out of touch with consumers. Who wants to pay $10 -15CAD for a minute of bath art that goes down the drain? How they are still in business is mind boggling!

[ygwsgirl]

I used to work at lush and it was TERRIBLE. For a brand that claims itself to be so ethical, it has some of the most questionable ethics in terms of employment. They never gave us breaks, made it impossible to work your way up, and worst of all they were very forceful about jumping on customers as soon as they walk in the door along with other aggressive sales tactics.

There’s something so uncomfortable about pushing people to buy stuff they have no clue what it is or how to use it. And having employees breath down shoppers necks as they brows was the worst. As a customer I HATE that and since working at lush I make it a point to leave any store that has those kinds of sale tactics when I walk in.

I also remember that there was one manager who’d be chomping KFC on her lunch breaks and then pretending to everyone she was vegan on the shop floor.

I’m so excited to watch this video

[gittefeingeist]

Having worked for them for nearly a decade in sourcing I can at least confirm that all their packaging, ingredients and raw materials are sourced ethically and oftern in the most uneconomic way from very small communities that are payed beyonf fair. But it just makes the products unaffordable. On the counterside the stuff and team are paid incredibly bad and almost exploited. But we dont talk about it.

[Ineffaquibble]

Haven't set foot in Lush since a sales assistant swiped lotion up my arm without asking first. To make matters worse, when I complained online I was told "Oh, they're trained to do that!" as if it was a reason why I was being unreasonable. I'm allergic to lemon grass; if it had been a different lotion she could have put me in the hospital.

[vvitch-mist]

"We make sure our products are made without animal cruelty" and then they go onto to abuse their workers. Lovely.

[fipah]

Chemist here who focuses on science communication and cosmetic chemistry. 👉🏼 I think part of their downfall could also be growth of science education and higher education among consumers about greenwashing - and the understanding that natural is not better, but actually often times worse for the environment (synthesising vitamin C or menthol in the lab is much "cleaner" and more eco green than growing and watering plants, harvesting them, transporting them in cars that use fuel to factories, extracting them etc). We are not feeding everyone on the planet. We don't have space to grow all cosmetic ingredients.

[enomissimone]

I feel like it’s really common to go through a Lush phase. Like, you discover the brand, obsessively shop there for about a year or two and then suddenly, something dissuades you from shopping there. It’s usually the cost in comparison to other products that work just as well if not better. Or maybe it’s just that the novelty wears off?

[cecilmcleod]

Also a former Lush employee here. I remember one of the first training videos straight up telling us ‘Lush is a cult’, I thought it was just a cute joke but no. I am definitely not the same person I was when I first applied and I had started talking in my sleep trying to upsell products to my boyfriend. The kicker is winning a best seller competition but still being fired a few weeks later because I’m not forcing myself onto customers enough 🤘🏽

[Chloe-vimb]

I used to love lush but their price points are just so ridiculous especially when it’s just a bath bomb that goes down the drain

[rhy]

literally the worst nightmare for someone with sensitive skin who also loves smells. But their YouTube back in the day showing how they made and how to use their products where very charming and made me want it all.
On another note imo their bathbombs were for a time the only worth while comercial bathbomb. The scent and colors were great and they are usually pretty big. All the other companies had weak, underwhelming bathbombs that came wrapped in plastic.

[starshrooomz]

I want to add to the shop image as someone who lives in Germany. Lush is known for its diverse and interesting line of bath bombs, soaps and skin care here as well but another big factor that might be specific to Germany is that we perceive the assistants as aggressively nice. It is not common here for shop assistants to be ‘all up in your face’ as soon as you enter the shop. The person at the till might greet you if it’s a very small shop but other than that, assistants do not talk to you and they don’t ask what you’re looking for as soon as you enter the shop. They’re there for your help but majority of the time you’re left on your own to browse. In Lush however they do come up to you! This has deterred my friends and even me sometimes from entering the shop since I don’t want to be talked to as soon as I enter the place. My girlfriend from England thinks I’m quite silly for this :, )

[ZaharaNorth]

I used to absolutely love Lush but I noticed around 2018-2019 and especially after the pandemic the quality went way down and the prices went way up. Thus I stopped buying.

[FashionRoadman]

Love this one, I remember how huge Lush was when I was younger. People were obsessed with their bath bombs.

[mariahenriquez]

I just went to lush this week and it was dead! but the girl working at the store was so sweet and gave me good recommendations. I haven't bought stuff from them since 2016-2017 and I was obsessed with them, spending money constantly. I still buy their products (My fave forever being the line Sleepy, ocean salt, and the mask of magnaminty ) but more so as a treat to myself because the prices have skyrocketed here in America :( the store smells amazing at least and I will say for me I've always had a good experience shopping their too. love love your videos too!!! I love leaning about the fashion/cosmetic industry and always look forward to them 🙆‍♀ xoxo

[edensaysacab]

i used to work in lush manufacturing (i was one of the hundred people who made bath bombs) and the workplace safety there was appalling. chemicals that had to be stored in fireproof containers were just out on the floor, and i got so many chemical burns from working with the raw bath bomb mix

[ahumanbeena]

I once tried to apply for a job there & the miserable workers advised me against it

[rootsm]

I enjoyed some of their products but shopping there was so awful. An introvert’s nightmare as the staff were up your ass the entire time. And I’ve heard it was horrible place to work.

[DonnyLim]

Former Lush casual employee here ... the toxicity of working there is so REAL ....

[erickaeckles]

I remember getting packages from Cosmetics To Go, and the pictures of products from their catalogues that you shared in the video brought back so many happy memories and lovely smells. One of my younger sisters used to order quite a lot from them and they'd always include a little freebie for us in our orders like an eyeshadow or selection of little samples, but the shelf life was pretty short, especially for their fresh products was very short, so we'd all sit around wearing face-masks or hair masks so they'd get used up before they went off. I also remember my dad despairing at us for keeping so many of the products in the fridge.... but just seeing a picture of the violet bath oil has made me imagine I can smell it. Total bliss.

[melissam]

I used to love Lush but can’t go on there anymore, I can’t cope with being swarmed by salespeople constantly questioning me (have you ever tried x product etc). I had a meltdown in a Lush store and stated yelling at everyone one time & ever since that I can’t go anymore 😂.

In my defense, I had told the sales people several times, loudly and clearly “I do not need help, I would like to be left alone to shop quietly please”. I had just come from signing the final papers at my divorce lawyer, and was really sad and wanted to get a bubble bath to cheer up. The final straw, after I had repeatedly asked everyone theee to leave me alone was, I put my headphones on, and one of them tapped me on the shoulder, and signaled for me to take off my headphones to she could upsell me. That is when i cracked. I don’t blame the employees bc the management makes them do that but the store’s policy of harassment is the worst.