To think LUSH have gone too far?

[Pinkyyy]

I used to use Lush products quite often, I loved their soaps and bath bombs etc. I slowly stopped using them because I noticed the prices were ever increasing and pink bathwater loses its novelty when it's costing you £5+. Regardless, I still always went in before Christmas to buy my DM a bottle of Snow Fairy because it's her absolute fave.

I went in yesterday to buy her annual bottle and literally couldn't believe that they were asking £27.95 for the big bottle. That's £28 for a bottle of SOAP!! I even had to check with a staff member that I hadn't misread, she said they'd just put the prices up again. I realise they use natural ingredients and are cruelty free, but for me this still doesn't justify this price.

AIBU to think they've gone too far and you'd have to be crazy to pay that?

Lush' purple shampoo is incomparable. It lasts forever and is light years better than its competitors. The rest of the products just seem gimmicky to me. I buy enormous bars of lovely soap from TK Maxx for £3.99.

HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone I have a big budget for Christmas and this wouldn't be her only present. But with that being said I still don't want to be ripped off and this, to me, is exactly that

It’s a lot more ethical than a shop that pretends to be cruelty free,

Just because you think Lush isn't ethical doesn't mean it is acceptable for someone to use their recipes and imitate their products. They are 2 separate issues.

The cost of the imitated products is obviously going to be lower as they have not required to have undergone testing to ensure they are safe, they do not have to adhere to he same regulations and the person making them has not had to create the product, instead using an existing product and copying the ingredients.

£28 is a massive rip off you could buy a luxury brand like l'Occitane for that.

I hate lush. They are overpriced liars claiming to be cruelty free for years whilst using child slavery in africa for mica to make products sparkly. Using palm oil killing orangutans. Also they bully their staff horribly and their prices keep going up so their target audience can't actually afford them.

I used to like Lush ten years ago.

Now I don’t use them for so many reasons. They give me thrush. The price is extortionate. Their questionable ethics.

The kissing campaign someone else mentioned made me feel sick. I remember getting very distressed and telling my boyfriend (at the time) that this was a girly shop, why on earth are they promoting the idea that kisses are a commercial thing, it feeds directly into rape culture and women as a commodity. I really hate getting sidelined by aggressively boundary destroying shit like that when I’m just trying to go about my business.

The spy cops thing recently j

I love Lush. The solid shampoos, shower gel and conditioner has lasted me months with regular use, and the smell of the product doesnt fade for a good 24 hours after. Really useful for travelling as well, I just hack off a palm sized piece of each and store it all in one tiny bag.

The bath bombs are way too expensive for a one off use item but I can’t pretend I don’t love them

Oops! Meant to say...

The spy cops thing recently just seemed like a flailing attempt to still be edgy and relevant. Bit pathetic IMO.

£28 is a massive rip off you could buy a luxury brand like l'Occitane for that.

Yes you can but you wont get the same amount of shower gel for your money and the OPs mother doesn't like L'Occitane or another Luxury brand she likes this particular product and for £28 for 1kg or it the price seems fair and comparable to other products of that size.

OP if you have a large budget then maybe ask her if there is something else she would like and leave her to buy the shower gel herself so she can see how much it costs. Either that or maybe someone else in the family could buy it for her instead, is there someone who has a lower budget to spend and this product would fit into their price range?

I've used their angels on bare skin cleanser for years as its the only thing my skin doesn't freak out at. It used to be around a fiver, noticed yesterday it's gone up to £8.50! May have to look for alternatives

Am I missing something here? Why are they measuring a shower gel in weight rather than ml?

But yeah, £28 is a joke - particularly given their target demographic is predominantly students (yet they never run student discount promos?!)

Ultimately, it's made cheaply and synthetically, and comprises the same standard of ingredients as a £1 bottle of Original Source from the supermarket, which is certified vegan, fwiw.

...If my mum asked for it though, I'd probably just buy it and have a grumble at the til ¯\(ツ)/¯

They’ve shut their Kings Road shop - maybe they’ve had to hike prices to keep going.

I'm probably just going to stomach the cost and pay it. She doesn't use any makeup or other cosmetics so I suppose it's a luxury she enjoys. Still think it's wayyyy overpriced though...

I'm a huge lush fan, but I'm waiting for their after Christmas sale. I don't go very often but I love their soaps. 1kg of soap is a lot though.

I use other brands such as faith in nature from holland and barret and yves rocher have a lovely lavender soap.

I don't like Lush anymore for various reasons including hollow ideology and aggressive sales staff and so I try not to give them my custom. However, I have one friend who loves Lush and I do treat her for her birthday as she doesn't buy herself much and I'd rather buy her a present I know she'll love. I normally give her a £10 voucher as the best value for money option for both of us and a bathbomb as a little extra, my limit being £3.00 tops on whichever goodie I think she'll like. She just got a voucher this year as I was at the price of bbs being much nearer a fiver ! She was so pleased to spend it but I honestly don't think £10 will get her far in Lush now.

Thanks to everyone recommending other, smaller brands. Will look into those for next time!

Other places for solid shampoo bars for those unsure where else to go, Bomb Cosmetics (they also do face masks, soap, bath bombs etc), Ethical superstore, friendlysoap.co.uk, noplasticshop.co.uk.
All far cheaper than Lush too.

Thank you for the rec, TheMythicalChicken! We are proud to be the UK's first certified palm oil-free company and work hard to keep our prices as low as possible, though being small batch and tiny, that's not always easy! However, as we grow and are able to source high quality ingredients and packaging for cheaper, we have been able to lower prices :)

I don’t actually think £28 for a huge bottle - though a lot - compares too badly with the other toiletry vendors that don’t animal test, eg Neal’s Yard (very pricey!), Liz Earle, or indeed with the big brands that do test on animals, eg Clinique, Clarins.

Went in Keihls (?) at Kings Cross a while back - £££! Eg tiny bottle of face oil, £50!

@Albatross26 this may be a good alternative www.friendlysoap.co.uk/product/shea-butter-facial-cleansing-bar/

I have a candle which smells exactly like snow fairy from another company who I’m sure do shower gels etc. I’ll see if I can find it.

I haven't been in since they stopped doing Flying Fox. I might abandon all principles and return if it made a comeback.

Ah, the company is Berry Cocoa on Etsy. The scent of the candle is identical to Lush but they don’t have the shower gel.

I only go in for the boxing day sale when Snow Fairy is far more reasonable :)

Well if a 500ml bottle is £16:50 I will get Molton Brown instead for a treat.

bloomtownuk, I assume you usually post under another name or do you get some sort of notification when your name is mentioned.