As multicultural marketing strategies continue to evolve across the US beauty and personal care sector, seasonal launches tied to cultural holidays are drawing closer scrutiny from both consumers and industry stakeholders.
“True inclusion happens when the communities you’re trying to reach are invited to collaborate with you, from start to finish,” Amanda Lee Sipenock Fisher, Lush’s DEIB Lead. told us. “Lush colleagues from all around the world who celebrate Lunar New Year worked with product inventors to bring it all to life.”
The collection, which includes the Sunrise Shower Gel, Gallop to Success Bath Bomb, Horsepower Massage Bar, and Black Tea Mochi Fresh Face Mask, was developed through Lush’s Co-Create program, which connects staff members to product inventors, formulators and creative teams. According to Fisher, the initiative is designed to elevate employee perspectives in the development of culturally specific and seasonal launches.
“This isn’t new work to Lush,” she added. “Our CoCreate Program has connected Lush staff to the product creation process, aiming to promote diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging by lifting up authentic stories from respective communities as we aim to create a product for every need.”
The program has previously supported seasonal ranges for Eid, Hanukkah, Día de Muertos, Diwali and St. Patrick’s Day.
“The Lush staff who take part in Co-Create influence and guide the work from start to finish, whether that’s working with product inventors, expert formulators, mold builders, copywriters, or film and photo teams,” she explained, and “their ideas, feedback, and guidance are taken with weight, which results in products that ‘feel’ right to the communities who know best.”
Seven-month global collaboration across Asian markets and diaspora teams
Lunar New Year is celebrated differently across regions, including China, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia, as well as within diaspora communities. Fisher said this diversity informed the development timeline and consultation process.
“One facet of Lunar New Year that makes it so beautiful as a holiday is how differently it’s celebrated across communities and cultures,” Fisher said. “We’re lucky to have Lush colleagues who live and work across our Asian markets with an incredible presence in Japan, Korea, Greater China, and more – and then on top of that, we have vast communities of staff around the world who represent the Asian diaspora at Lush.”
The 2026 range began development in May 2025.
“Our whole Lunar New Year Co-Create process started in May 2025, involving seven months of the creative input of Lush Co-Create colleagues from around the world, eager to encapsulate a celebration so meaningful to them in Lush’s 2026 range,” Fisher said.
She added that discussions and voting shaped key decisions across formats, fragrances and visual elements.
“Most of the process involved group members sharing the significance of Lunar New Year to them and how it is celebrated differently across all their cultures,” Fisher explained. “Many votes and discussions were decisive on different factors of the range, ensuring that it is representative of Lunar New Year and those that celebrate it in their own unique ways.”
Translating Year of the Fire Horse into format and fragrance
The Horsepower Massage Bar and Gallop To Success Bath Bomb were both explicitly designed to reflect the Year of the Fire Horse through shape and sensorial cues.
The Gallop To Success Bath Bomb drew inspiration from historical Chinese references. “Gallop To Success Bath Bomb’s Co-Create Designers – two Lush staff from our Greater China market – were specifically inspired by Chi Tu, often referred to as ‘the Red Hare’ in English, the powerful horse recorded in historical Chinese texts belonging to Lü Bu,” Fisher explained.
Horsepower Massage Bar draws on traditional massage oils like camphor, menthol, and essential oils to create “a warming, spicy experience traditionally used for practices like gua sha and massage,” she said.
Fermented rice water and black tea anchor skin care SKUs
Beyond bath and body formats, the collection includes Black Tea Mochi Fresh Face Mask, incorporating fermented rice water, black tea and black sesame oil.
“One of the many benefits of involving our colleagues who have cultural ties to Lunar New Year is a range of products that incorporate traditional smells, ingredients, imagery, inspirations, and names in a culturally accurate and relevant way so that the end result of their work feels informed and authentic,” Fisher said.
She pointed to the dessert-inspired origin of the mask concept.
The product format evolved during development.
“The Co-Create Designer behind this product – a Lush staff member from the US – initially pitched it as a Shower Gel, but when they learned our Sunrise Shower Gel was returning, they thought a Face Mask would be a better route to go,” Fisher explained.
She added that fermented rice water was selected for its longstanding use in skin care rituals.
“The fermented rice water found in Black Mochi Face Mask is an ingredient that has been used in many cultures for centuries to keep the skin soft, fed, and looking healthy,” Fisher said.
Black sesame oil and agar agar seaweed were included to support skin feel and barrier considerations “to protect the skin’s microbiome while it softens and treats it with nutritious and moisturizing ingredients,” she added.
Compensation and internal collaboration shape future launches
As US manufacturers and suppliers navigate growing demand for culturally specific launches, Fisher said Lush views internal collaboration as central to its approach.
“What Co-Create makes clear is that when brands are looking to increase representation at all levels and areas of their business and want more staff and customers to see themselves in their company, the most impactful thing to keep close is involve and collaborate with the communities who you’re trying to be more inclusive of every step of the way – and start with your internal talent,” Fisher said.
She added that compensation is built into the program structure.
“Anyone whose application to Co-Create was successful receives an additional bonus for their contributions and of course, have their hours and any related expenses compensated,” Fisher said. “The work that they’re doing is so valuable to our business.”
For suppliers and contract manufacturers supporting seasonal launches, the program offers insight into how early-stage employee engagement can influence ingredient selection, fragrance direction, product format and visual design in culturally specific collections.
“We want to meet our staff and customers where they’re at, join them in their most treasured celebrations, and actively work against cultural appropriation and inauthenticity that would get in the way of true inclusion,” Fisher said.
