Today marks exactly a year since my I started working at Lush Cosmetics. I had my interview hours after my contract law a-level exam and my first training took place on this evening 366 days ago. I’ve always been very fascinated by Lush. I remember in my early teenage years popping into this very small and narrow Lush store that was on my way home and smelling all the lip scrubs. The big versions of the soaps were by the window and of course it was the large pink Rock Star soap that caught my attention most. My first Lush product was a Butterbear bath bomb, which was a Christmas edition of the Butterball classic but shaped like a bear, like last year’s soap. My second product was the Santa’s Kiss lip scrub which smelt and tasted like cherry cola. To celebrate the past bubbly year, I thought I would share just some of the things I have learnt.
Here is the obvious one – ingredients. This is a very big (and continuing) lesson that translates into my everyday life. Every single ingredient used has a purpose, whether it be fragrance or soothing properties. I have learnt which ingredients work best for me, and now look for them in many products. This has shown me that the back of the bottle is just as important (if not more) as the front. Before Lush, I didn’t pay that much attention to ingredients, especially in hair care, I thought the hair world was limited to ‘dry’, ‘normal’ and ‘oily’, I wasn’t aware that the ingredients made a difference. After using Jersey Bounce and Big shampoo, I’ve noticed that my favourite hair ingredient is sea salt due to its volume properties. This is what I search for now. This also works with skin care of course. Due to my skin being quite acne prone, I focus on ingredients such as chamomile oil to help relax and calm my skin like in the Herbalism clay cleanser for example. More specifically, I pay attention to ingredients like tea tree oil, rosemary oil and witch hazel extract. The first works as an antimicrobial, the rosemary is an antiseptic and witch hazel cleanses, this is why I fell in love with Tea Totaler naked cleanser when I purchased it a few weeks back. Knowing more about ingredients has also allowed me to figure out my favourite scents - bergamot and cassis absolute. Yes, this means I am a very big Comforter fan. I actually treated myself to the big bubble bar version to celebrate the anniversary.
The second lesson I want to talk about is the fact that I have become more aware of my own plastic consumption. Realising that the market is filled with plastic free alternatives really opens your eyes to the fact that the amount of plastic I used to use really isn’t necessary. I learnt this mainly through the use of naked products, such as the Tea Totaler naked cleansing balm mentioned above. My own recycling skills have also improved in the past year – not just at work, but in my day to day life. This truly is a life skill, and most importantly, makes a very big difference to the Earth’s health.
I could go on and on about the messages and skills I have learned over the past year, it is a fairly long list. But I will finish on my favourite point which was a message that was really reinforced in my life during my first year at Lush. Everyone is equal. Everybody matters. Of course, this is a fairly obvious message, but it is very clear at Lush – and I truly appreciate that. No matter your race, hair colour, age, gender or any other variable, every single soul is treated with the exact same level of respect. This is wonderful. With so much evil going on in the world, having spaces and communities that are so welcoming towards everyone is vital. And well of course, I adore a Comforter bath.
Let the good times roll (or, keep rolling),
K x