Lush moves to heighten its eco kudos by supporting controversial cause

Lush has been a grass roots supporter of the ‘Frack Off’ campaign for a number of years, and even has a webpage devoted to the cause, where the company highlights the potential threat of fracking – which relies on pumping millions of gallons of chemical-laced water to extract natural shale gas – to the environment and specifically local water supplies.

The process is controversial because of the a number of potential environmental threats, but on the other hand, there are many proponents of the method, who say it brings news jobs and is a good solution to a lack of natural energy resources.

Lush tackles a topic many would shy away from​

Wading in on the debate, Lush has taken a stand that many big brands would never dare to tackle, and in a recent interview with UK national newspaper The Telegraph, Lush’s ethics director, Hilary Jones, revealed details about the company’s role in the campaign to stop fracking the country.

“Last year Frack Off received £20,000 (€23,000). Instead of asking for money this year Frack Off were given the chance to put their case in specially designed window displays in all our British stores and Frack Off leaflets were given to our customers. The country needs to know what's going on,”​ Jones told the newspaper.

Lush also lent its in house communications resources to the campaign, helping Frack Off to produce an animation as the start of the nationwide campaign aimed at helping to educate people about the potential environmental problems that fracking can lead to.

Fight Against a Fracked Future video​

You can view the lush ‘Fight Against A Fracked Future’ webpage by clicking here​. This page also contains a link to the co-developed animation

Lush has always promoted itself as cutting edge cosmetics company, being one of the first brands in the UK to promote natural ingredients alongside sustainable and eco-friendly supply chain practices.

But it has also carved a name out for itself as a supporter of both ethical and environmental issues, having promoted campaigns to bring attention to issues such as Freedom For Palestine, environmental issues relating to Palm oil and the imprisonment of political prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.

The publicity does not seem to harm the company though, having last month been voted the number one brand in the UK for cosmetics, according to a survey of over 11,000 shoppers conducted by consumer watchdog, Which?.

Despite courting controversy, Lush grows​

The company has also continued to expand in recent years, expanding into new markets as well as new categories.

Last month the company also confirmed that it was moving into colour cosmetics for the first time with a new make-up concept, Emotional Brilliance.

According to the global player, the range spent two years in development and has been created to match the psychological needs of the consumer choosing which colour they desire.

“This range – consisting of lip colours, eyeliners and eyeshadows – is less about wearing make-up that’s in-season or on-trend and more about wearing colours that shape your mood,”​ the company said in a statement.