Fresh, handmade cosmetics: It’s more than marketing

‘Fresh handmade’ is not only the Lush process for manufacture, but also our business model.

Lush is a fast turnaround business, a very different model to other companies. We want our products to be as fresh as possible so they are most effective for our customers. We place emphasis on the things that matter most; the benefits the products will have for the customer.

A long shelf life is not the Lush priority, as this would compromise our products. Industry regulations state that cosmetic products that are not date labelled must have a shelf life of 2.5 years and therefore require preservatives, stabilisers, emulsifiers and synthetic ingredients to keep them from going off. The Lush approach is the opposite to this – we believe adding chemicals is harmful for the body and for the environment. A long shelf life also loses the active benefits of fresh natural ingredients.

We do not waste money on excess packaging, advertising, expensive marketing, and storage facilities for large stock-holding to make profits through economies of scale. The Lush customer is paying for the highest quality ingredients from ethical sources – organic where possible – in expertly formulated products, made with care by hand.