How did Lush Grow: From Humble Beginning to Bath Bomb Bliss

by Craig Cochrane March 19, 2024

Lush, the vibrant and fragrant haven of handmade soaps and bath bombs, hasn’t just grown into a global success story, it’s revolutionised the way we think about bath and body care. But the journey from a small shop in Poole, England, to a brand with over 900 stores worldwide is anything but ordinary. So, how did Lush rise to such fragrant heights?

How did Lush Grow – A big break with The Body Shop

The story starts in 1977 when Mark Constantine along with his partner Liz Weir identified what they felt was a gap in the market and started creating and selling all natural beauty products from their home. Some product development and refinement later, Mark and Liz scored a lucrative contract with the Body Shop in 1977. As the years went by the business became the Body Shops biggest supplier until the early 90s when it sold its formulations manufacturing rights to the body shop in 1994 in a deal worth £6m.

A transition – Cosmetics to go

Fresh off the back of success Mark and his partner Liz set up a mail order cosmetics brand “cosmetics to go”. It was here Mark and his business partners discussed the idea of getting something that would fizz when contacting water and could be targeted at the market for children. Some brief experiments and product development later the “Aqua Sizzler” was born….However through research it transpired that adults were using these more than children so a quick re-brand later and a soon to be market leading product was born.

Cosmetics to go ran for 8 years. Proving to have very popular products, but ultimately failing due to cash flow and expense issues.

The rise of Lush

Not to be discouraged the same team, along with its experience and key learnings set to try again. This time with a brick and mortar offering. A quick naming competition in the local community later and Lush was born.

Needless to say its youthful and edgy branding, engaging in store experiences and unique product set. Set it apart from the competition and Lush went from strength to strength. Becoming the now instantly recognisable brand we know and love today.

How did Lush Grow – Key Learnings

Cash flow is vital to the success of your business. As cosmetics to go proved, you can have popular products and a viable market, but without managing the cash properly you are going to hit issues.
Research and Pivot on product innovation – The bath bomb was born from innovation that initially wanted to target kids. However research into the customer base showed the market for adults. Don’t be afraid to re-brand and re-market once you begin to know your customer
Branding and differentiation – Unique product offerings and an edgy brand gave Lush a different feel to its more “sophisticated” rivals. It brought cosmetics mainstream and developed a real community buzz.