High street cosmetics company Lush has temporarily taken its website offline and closed all its UK stores as a gesture of support for Palestine.

The firm shared an image declaring ‘Stop starving Gaza’ as it also closed its factories in a one-day gesture.

Lush released a statement today, saying: ‘Throughout the Lush organization, we feel the same distress as millions who witness the heart-wrenching scenes of people suffering from hunger in Gaza, Palestine.

‘Similar to the global community, we are challenged to determine how to offer aid while the Israeli government obstructs critical humanitarian efforts from entering Gaza.

‘One thing Lush can currently send into Gaza is our love and a strong message that we stand in solidarity.

‘Our response involves suspending routine operations by closing our UK shops, website, and factories for a day on Wednesday, 3rd September 2025, with our storefronts displaying the message STOP STARVING GAZA – WE ARE CLOSED IN SOLIDARITY.

‘At Lush, we are dedicated to delivering exceptional service to our customers, so it is not a decision we take lightly to close our shops – we extend our apologies to any customers who seek us out on 3rd September and find our doors shut.

‘However, we know that many of our customers share the same anxiety about the current situation in Gaza.’

The company previously faced criticism in 2023 after an employee put up a poster that read ‘Boycott Israel’ in the window of one of its stores in Dublin.

Lush said in a statement to the Daily Mail that the poster was an isolated incident..

The business said: ‘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.’

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.

Lush is based in Poole, Dorset, and was founded by six entrepreneurs in 1995.

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’. 

Today’s new statement was signed off with the words ‘Peace and Solidarity’ and included a pledge to relaunch a a soap product called Watermelon Slice, which Lush says has proceeds going towards ‘child mental health support in Palestine’.

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 the Britain and so felt’ 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.’

This is a breaking news story. More to follow…