Lush Raises £20 Million For Global Grassroots Organisations

Lush has always championed ethical policies when creating their beauty products: there’s no animal testing, no superfluous packaging, and they operate a recycle-reward policy on empty used pots. The brand's loyal customers are drawn as much by their ethos as by their natural ingredients, fresh face masks (which we have on constant rotation) and colour-pop bath bombs.

Next month marks the 10th anniversary of Lush’s Charity Pot, a hand and body lotion which originally launched in six countries and has raised over £20 million to date. All proceeds from the pot go to small, grassroots organisations working across causes ranging from human rights and animal welfare to environmental protection.

Now sold in 36 countries, the hand and body lotion – users rave about its ylang-ylang and rosewood oil scent – is made with Fair Trade Colombian cocoa butter, Mountain Organic Farming geranium oil, and Fair Trade shea butter from the Ojoba Women's Collective in Ghana.

Since the launch 10 years ago, Lush has made over 5,500 donations to small groups with limited resources who often struggle with funding, more specifically "non-violent, direct action groups that work tirelessly to make the world a better place and create change."

While Lush leads the way in environmental and humanitarian progress, other beauty brands are also moving in the right direction: Aveda donated 100% of the proceeds from its signature Light the Way candle to Global Greengrants, while L’Occitane creates a Solidarity Soap each year to raise funds for those with visual impairment in developing countries.

In recent years, Lush has funded the guidance and support of LGBTIQ refugees from oriental backgrounds through the Oriental Queer Organisation in Austria, and Frack Free Dee, a coalition which uses direct action to oppose fracking in the UK.

Whether you’re steadfastly committed to ethical beauty, try and do your bit when you can, or just need another excuse to buy Ocean Salt body scrub, Lush’s approach will hopefully pave the way for brand responsibility and thoughtful buying habits.

Organisations can apply to Lush for support ranging from a few hundred pounds to £10,000 – visit their homepage to find out more.