Lush - how do they get away with charging so much?

[Marissa5]

I've never shopped at Lush before. Not my kind of thing and they're a bit of an odd brand. However I just asked a friend what her child wanted for his birthday, and apparently he's after lush Mario products. I've just had a look online:

• £21 for a relatively small shower gel (290g).
• £12 for an egg bath bomb.
• £35 for a bottle of body spray.

This just seems absolutely insane to me! I buy mostly Korean bath products as they're a safe zone for my eczema, they have decent ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and have hardly any chemicals (they use ceramides instead) or weird colouring. The ingredients are far superior yet they're half the price.

The lush products have SLES listed as the third product so obviously have a lot of it, three different fragrances and tin oxide (glitter) which aren't great.

Do people actually spend this much money on gimmicky products? Are they actually good? Do they smell incredibly to justify that price.

£21 for shower gel just blew my mind.

I love their ro’s body conditioner which I used through out the entire pregnancy and my body/skin was so soft… No SLS or SLES in that products as it doesn’t need to foam… some products are meh and some for quite horrible smell, but not all, in my opinion.

I suspect some of their custom is longstanding customers who like particular niche products. I’ve used their henna and the Roots scalp treatment for over ten years because they do wonders for my fine, frizzy hair. Their shampoo bars last for ages and are great if you’re travelling, plus no plastic bottles. I’ll pop in occasionally for those bits and maybe treat myself to a bath bomb or shower gel while I’m there.

I used to buy a lot more from them but the cost is too prohibitive now.

Wow really! Weird.

I used them a lot when they were mail order only and called Cosmetics to go. I get my daughter the odd bath bomb but generally stock up in the sales.

A lot of that is the "Mario" premium.

They have an awful lot of bath bombs etc for £3-£4 which is much more reasonable!

I don't go in as often as I used to, I was devoted to the lullaby shampoo bar until they discontinued it! I haven't found one which matches up.

Because people are happy to pay it.

I used to love Lush maybe 20 years ago. The shampoo bars were great and everything was reasonably priced. They've gone wrong since and I haven't shopped there for yonks now.

I have two anecdotes about Lush. My friend's housemate used to work at the Lush factory back in the day and she always smelled like a Lush shop. It was very overpowering. 😂

I was also kicked out of a Lush shop as a young student when I was doing research for a uni project. Felt like a right rebel.

I avoid it like the plague, the smell is fake, overpowering and gives me a banging headache

I lived near the factory to where they made the products and the local towns had shops. The students would get part time jobs making the stuff so they used cheap labour. How they can charge the exorbitant prices god only knows but as other PP have said, the shops are always busy.

Revolting stuff, I'm so glad DC never grew an obsession with the products. The staff were awful...really pressurising you to buy products which I found really rude so avoided the shop. Can't remember the last time I ventured into one...15 years ago? Also their breast binding and gender woo crap pisses me off. The stench of the shop as you approach it is revolting and it's so artificial too. and don't get me started on cleaning out all the glitter from a bath bomb!! yuk...

They pay their taxes and they pay their suppliers and staff a fair wage and also support charity.
Unfortunately I can no longer shop there due to their support for gender ideology. Shame as I used to have their products as a treat.

It is expensive but I really like a few of their products. I buy the sleepy shower gel and use it as part of my wind down before bed routine. Also love their body sprays, the scents last all day and people always comment on how nice I smell. Also love their other shower gels but they’re not worth the money but always happy to receive as gifts.

They have always been expensive, even at the beginning with Costmetics to Go. I used to buy some of it back in the day as it was different and some of it good. Lush though now leaves me cold, too much glitter, too much dye, bath bombs are thrush bombs now, soaps that no longer last. Even things like their solid bubble bars in the CTG days people were told to put a 50p sized chunk in their bath, now they are marketed as putting the whole thing in, so £8 for one bath! Very greedy, strange company now.

I’ve used their shampoo bars for years and the kids like a bath bomb sometimes. I’m very happy as an occasional customer.

I like their bubble bars so buy a couple every few months.
Dd1 likes their solid soaps and hair masks, a couple of their perfumes and body sprays. Dd2 likes their shower gels and body scrubs.
So we are people choosing to spend our money in Lush. Didn’t think we were especially ‘out there’ tbh, it’s just another high street shop that will appeal to some and not to others.

Their shampoo bars and soap bars are good (if you avoid the glitter ones). The rest is shit I agree but I’ve not found better shampoo bars for the price/long lasting

I went in at Christmas and was stunned by the prices! It was always on the pricey side but they've definitely increased massively. I walked back out again pretty sharpish.

I used to be a big fan about 20 years ago. Then their prices started increasing. The first one I noticed was when they brought out ‘Skins Shangri-La’, IIRC it was about £30-£40, no small amount then. But Crème De La Mer had appeared around the same time and was £200+ so…

I went in just before Christmas as my DN likes Snow Fairy so I got her a gift set. I got a small bubble bar for myself, more for nostalgia than anything else. It was fine, I still have a bath’s worth left. I won’t be in a rush to go back. I use stuff from an independent shop I found or from the Yorkshire Soap Company now.

I used to buy their soaps and solid shampoos a long time ago. They used good quality ingredients and were viewed as an ethical company. But over the years the quality dropped. I found out they weren't treating their staff well. And they also started using hard sell tactics in their stores. I haven't shopped there for at least 15 years.

Because people buy it. If they didn’t, they’d go out of business. I’ve never bought a lush product and never will.

Because it isn't supposed to be an everyday product. Its a 'luxury' marketed at teens. Its for exactly the circumstances you are in - a gift for a teen who will be delighted to get it. Is it expensive for what it is? Yes. Is it expensive in the grand scheme of things? No.
Thing is, if you are a teen with no financial responsibilities, heading to Lush with your mates and dropping 20 quid on some bath bombs is probably quite exciting. I am fairly surprised they are still around as if they fall out of fashion, they are done for. They have an extremely expensive business model with actual physical stores and tons of staff. So no doubt they will fold soon enough.
In the meantime, but the teen some Lush bits and raise yourself to god-like status!

Because they are the easy go to for blokes who suddenly realised they missed their wife's birthday. Not me I get to go because Mrs scarf always and I mean always after 32 years of marriage says 'i don't want anything for my birthday' and gives me no clue what to buy. So they are the default

I like their shower gel, a little goes a long way, but I don't buy it often because of the price, but its a lovely treat. A lot of their glitter is plastic free, so check that before making assumptions and they use a lot of essential oils so its more natural than a lot of products. However, I find the shops very strong smelling and a little overwhelming.

They need to charge more to ensure a percentage of profit goes to the terror organisations they support.

I bought stuff from them when they were mail order Cosmetics To Go.

As Lush, they used to be one of the brands that didn't do animal testing, when a lot of brands did. In my mind they were always a place for getting presents and treats rather than every day things. Some of their products are/were really good, the solid shampoo bars, the face creams and thry used to do a lovely soap (rassoul???) .

Is the Mario bath bomb really £12?? I was going to get one for DS as he’s Mario obsessed and loves a bath bomb, but not for that price. A local craft shop to us had some in at Christmas shaped like Mario and Luigi - homemade and they were only £4 each! They smelled lovely, he was thrilled to find them in his stocking. £12 for something that literally dissolves is ridiculous.