Lush Ethics Event

I was delighted when I received an invite to the Lush Ethics blogger event at my local Lush store. It was my first ever blogger event and what better place to start than Lush!

I’m not gonna lie, I felt really nervous about going to this ethics event, not only because it was my first blogger event but also because I knew I would likely be the odd one out as the only parenting blogger in a room full of young beauty bloggers. I needn’t have worried though as everyone seemed really nice and as always the staff at Lush were super friendly and made me feel very welcome.

Me and the kids are big Lush fans, I love the bath bombs and bubble bars and the kids love Fun, or bath playdoh as we call it! This event made me realise though that there is SO much more that Lush has to offer, and so much that I want to try out.

We got to have a look around the store and have a good nosey at all the products. There were drinks and snacks for us too and we even got to have a go at making out own bath bomb!

The aim of the event was to tell us more about the ethics and values that make Lush the company that they are. There were five different stations set up around the store, each one designed to teach us something different.

Furoshiki knot wrapping

Furoshikis or knot-wraps, as Lush call them, are what they use to wrap up their products creating some wonderful bespoke gifts for everyone. They have wraps made from 100% organic cotton, hand picked vintage wraps and even fabric ones which are made from recycling plastic bottles! So instead of using traditional wrapping paper, which will just go to waste, why not try a Lush knot-wrap instead!

Fresh and handmade

All Lush products are handmade, fresh, every day. Lush produce cosmetics with a personal touch, creating local jobs and using local resources. They say that their factories are happy places where the product makers take care in their work and are proud to have their faces displayed on the packaging of the products they make.

Lush has worked with fresh produce for many years and believe that the finest fresh ingredients have a far more nutritious and effective action on the skin, hair and mind.

Fighting animal testing

Lush want to show the world that it is possible to invent, manufacture and bring to market an entire range of products that adhere to all the legal safety requirements, without ever having to test on animals along the way.

They buy ingredients from suppliers that do not commission tests on animals and they work with scientists and animal rights groups to create long-term solutions to animal testing for the global cosmetics industry.

Naked and self-preserving

35% of all Lush products are currently totally unpackaged and naked… And the rest is on it’s way! The less packaging used, the less waste that gets sent to landfill.

Did you know that more than 70% of Lush products are self-preserving? Which means that they don’t need to add any synthetic preservatives to keep them fresh.

Charity pot and the SLush fund

Charity Pot is a hand and body lotion, where every penny (minus the VAT that has to go to the Government) goes to carefully selected, small grassroots causes working for people, animals and the environment. In 2013 Charity Pot raised over £2.5 million globally, and since launching in 2007 over £7 million has been given away around the world.

The Sustainable Lush Fund (SLush Fund) was established in November 2010 with the idea of moving their ethical buying practices beyond simply buying fairly traded ingredients, to develop supportive partnerships with the communities that produce them.

Lush donate 2% of the amount spent on raw materials and packaging to the Fund, the money is then used to start sustainable farming and regenerative community projects. To date, the £1.2 million raised has supported the development of 32 projects in 19 countries.

We were also able to have a sneak peak at the Father’s Day range before it went on sale. I’m going to do a separate post on the range as there is so much to talk about, and I know you lot will love hearing about it.

Thanks for reading.