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They are the UK’s leading eco-friendly cosmetic brand whose sale of fizzy bath bombs and glittery soaps is often overshadowed by their preaching and protests.
And Lush took its most extreme action yet yesterday as the high street firm shut down its website and closed all of its UK stores in a pro-Palestine statement of solidarity.
The firm shared a striking solo image declaring ‘Stop starving Gaza’ in Palestine colours, adding: ‘We are closed in solidarity.’
It is a drastic measure for a company willing to put their profits to one side to highlight the plight of the people of Gaza. In a statement, they noted that they know ‘many of our customers share the same anxiety about the current situation in Gaza’.
Founded in 1995, Lush says it has been ‘driven by innovation and its ethics’. But in a contradiction, it refuses to refer to itself as an ‘ethical company’ – arguing companies who try not to damage people or planet is ‘normal business-as-usual’.
Lush places emphasis on using fresh ingredients, fighting animal testing and combatting over-packaging. Its values include that ‘all people should enjoy freedom of movement across the world’.
But its determination to wade into social and political issues has often sparked accusations of ‘wokeness’ and boycott threats.
In 2023, Lush sparked a major backlash after one of its employees put up a poster that read ‘Boycott Israel’ in the window of one of its Dublin stores – just four days after Hamas terrorists launched their horrific October 7 massacre.
Lush has taken its most extreme action yet as the high street firm has shut down its website and closed all of its UK stores in a pro-Palestine statement of solidarity
The firm shared a striking solo image declaring ‘Stop starving Gaza ‘ in Palestine colours, adding: ‘We are closed in in solidarity.’
Mark Constantine, one of six co-founders of Lush Cosmetics, photographed in his shop in Covent Garden
The devastating attack sparked a strong retaliation from Israel, prompting the employee to take action.
But the decision would backfire as some customers threatened to boycott Lush instead.
In a statement to the Mail at the time, Lush suggested the poster had been an isolated incident and clarified its stance, saying: ‘We are a diverse company with staff of all ethnicities and religions whose personal views and opinions may vary, however, the following is our Company position.
‘Lush deplores all violence and all injustice. Our wish is for peace and safety for all Israeli and Palestinian people. We support the upholding of international law and the human rights of all peoples.’
In the same year, the brand was also accused of encouraging human traffickers after unveiling an ‘all refugees welcome’ poster featuring a small boat.
The poster, produced in partnership with Refugee Action, read ‘wherever you’re from, however you got here, all refugees are welcome’ – despite it being illegal to come to Britain in a small boat to claim asylum.
Meanwhile, earlier this year Lush was found to have placed a leaflet in party bags gifted to children as young as seven and eight, which claimed there was a global conspiracy against trans people.
Young girls received the pamphlet as they left a birthday celebration event for one of the stores’ branches, where they also created bath bombs and soaps.
High street cosmetics firm Lush has shut down its website and closed all its UK stores in what the company says is a pro-Palestine statement of solidarity – sharing this image
The firm said it shared ‘the anguish that millions of people feel seeing the images of starving people in Gaza, Palestine’ – pictured is a Lush store in Oxford Street in London’s West End
The cosmetics company said: ‘Like the rest of the world, we struggle to find ways we can help whilst the Israeli government is preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza’
Ex-employees who claim to have worked for natural cosmetics company Lush have previously claimed it is ‘cult like’. (Stock image)
In 2023, a member of staff put up a ‘Boycott Israel’ poster in a Dublin store – four days after the October 7 attack by Hamas
Lush Cosmetics (pictured) also placed a leaflet in party bags gifted to children as young as seven and eight, which claimed there was a global conspiracy against trans people earlier this year
The leaflet was created by the charity TransActual and produced by Lush Cosmetics ‘in solidarity and allyship with trans people everywhere’
The Liberation Bath Bomb (pictured) which was being given alongside the leaflet
The 24-page booklet claimed those in the transgender community had been made ‘the target of a calculated media assault’ in a bid to divert attention from ‘global crises’.
It also went on to claim the media landscape was ‘encouraging violence’ and diverting attention ‘from those nicely off’ while others struggled, adding that lives had been ‘devastated’ by a ‘tidal wave of hate’.
The leaflet, which was created by the charity TransActual and produced by Lush Cosmetics ‘in solidarity and allyship with trans people everywhere’ also outlined terms used by the community.
It explained that while some people may describe themselves as trans, others use terms as gender-queer, gender-fluid, nongender, third gender, bi-gender, as well as trans woman, trans man and neutrois.
The document said that these were descriptions and ‘not prescriptions’, explaining the term intersectionality, adding: ‘It just means we are all subject to multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage (or privilege and advantage).’
A mother, who was present at the party dubbed the leaflet as ‘fully propaganda in tone’, while also debating if it was entirely appropriate for children of such a young age.
‘I feel fairly ‘live and let live’ about what people over 18 want to do but to put this in bags going home with seven-year-old girls seems really shocking to me,’ she told The Times.
In an interview for LBC, Mr Constantine (pictured) said he was prepared to lose as much as £300,000 in closing his stores and was happy to do so to draw attention to Gaza
In June 2023, the cosmetics chain was criticised over a campaign featuring an image of a craft similar to the ones used by cross-Channel people smugglers
‘Pretty sure nobody is handing these out to little boys at football parties.’
Lush was launched by six co-founders; Mo Constantine, Mark Constantine, Rowena Bird, Helen Ambrosen, Liz Bennett and Paul Greeves – and is 10 per cent owned by their employees.
And its love for protests dates far back. In 2008, it was revealed that Mark Constantine was bankrolling anti-aviation activists who stormed London Stansted in a climate change protests.
The Standard reported at the time that Lush contributed £20,000 to organisations including Plane Stupid, which masterminded a protest at Stansted where more than 50 activists brought flights to a standstill for two hours.
But it led to accusations of hypocrisy as there are Lush stores in airports.
Former Labour MP Brian Donohoe said at the time: ‘It seems hypocritical to fund groups that campaign against the expansion of airports while using the retail opportunities that come about through the use of those airports.’
Today, Lush has 951 stores in 52 countries and previously described itself as ‘the overly friendly cosmetics shop’ in its official account on X, formerly Twitter.
In 2021, the cosmetics firm shut down some of its social media channels, saying it wanted to ‘take action to provide safer environment for users’.
The firm today shared an image declaring ‘Stop starving Gaza’ as it also closed its factories
The company has 951 stores in 52 countries and previously described itself as ‘the overly friendly cosmetics shop’ in its official account on X, formerly Twitter
The same year, ex-employees called the company out for being a ‘cult like’ company where staff are encouraged to protest.
In one TikTok video, a user who said they were a US-based ex-employee who worked for Lush for three years, replied to the question: ‘What’s something that feels like a cult but isn’t?’
He responds: ‘This company right here — Lush. I worked for them for three years and they are literally a cult. My manager didn’t even deny it.’
He went on to claim that all colleagues referred to products as ‘girls’, were encouraged to protest for certain causes, expected to weigh the rubbish, and that worldwide employees were required to watch the same videos ‘from this weird lady’ at the same time.’
Today, Lush were back on the frontlines of the socio-political agenda – announcing a major decision to shut up shop for the day.
In an interview for LBC, Mr Constantine said he wanted the government to do something and he was prepared to lose as much as £300,000 in closing his stores to draw attention to the situation in Gaza.
He said: ‘We would like to point out – especially to our government and to everyone else – that we’re expecting them to do something.’
He confirmed that it hadn’t been his personal idea but that he ‘completely, absolutely’ supported the move.
The co-founder also said the company was expecting to take a hit of £300,000 and that he would rather the government ‘paid for food to go in to Gaza’
Lush said in a statement: ‘Across the Lush business we share the anguish that millions of people feel seeing the images of starving people in Gaza, Palestine.
‘Like the rest of the world, we struggle to find ways we can help whilst the Israeli government is preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza.
‘One thing Lush can currently send into Gaza is our love and a strong message that we stand in solidarity.
‘This will take the form of halting business-as-usual by shutting our UK shops, website and factories for one day on Wednesday 3rd September 2025, with our shop windows displaying the message STOP STARVING GAZA – WE ARE CLOSED IN SOLIDARITY.
‘Providing our customers with the very best service is ingrained into everything we do at Lush, so shutting our shops is not an easy decision – we ask for forgiveness from any customers we inconvenience should they come to us on 3rd September and find us closed.
‘However, we know that many of our customers share the same anxiety about the current situation in Gaza.’
The new statement was signed off with the words ‘Peace and Solidarity’ and included a pledge to relaunch a soap product called Watermelon Slice, which Lush says has proceeds going towards ‘child mental health support in Palestine’.
The watermelon has become a symbol of Palestinian identity due to its four colours – red, white, green and black – matching the Palestinian flag.
The flag was banned by Israel after the 1967 war, which led to people using the watermelon to show their Palestinian identity or support.
Lush said: ‘We now plan to make this soap available again, with the funds going to medical services, including charities that are gearing up to provide prosthetic limb services to adults and children injured in Gaza.
‘Whilst Lush is losing a day of takings, this also means that the UK Government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush and our customers.
‘We hope they too hear the message our closure sends, with more Government action needed to bring an immediate stop to the death and destruction, including an end to arms sales from the UK.’
The company also said it trades in more than 50 countries, though was founded in Britain and so felt it ‘important that we lift our voice first from here in the UK’.
Lush added: ‘However, we know that sentiment across the international Lush business is strong and we expect similar actions may follow as other Lush countries seek ways to express their solidarity.’
