Since establishing more 25 years ago in the UK, Lush has been driven by innovation and its ethics.
Now, the beauty retailer is taking a stand against social media.
From this Friday, November 26, the global Lush brand will be turning its back on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat.
This policy is rolling out across all the 48 countries where Lush operates.
Mark Constantine OBE, Co-founder, CEO and Product Inventor said he was “not willing to expose my customers to this harm”.
“I’ve spent all my life avoiding putting harmful ingredients in my products,” he said.
“There is now overwhelming evidence we are being put at risk when using social media. I’m not willing to expose my customers to this harm, so it’s time to take it out of the mix.”
Meanwhile Jack Constantine, CDO and Product Inventor, said he poured “all my efforts into creating products that help people switch off, relax and pay attention to their wellbeing”.
“Social media platforms have become the antithesis of this aim, with algorithms designed to keep people scrolling and stop them from switching off and relaxing,” he said.
A company statement shared by Lush read:
“Like so many teenagers have experienced before us, Lush has tried to come off social media, but our FOMO is vast, and our compulsion to use the various platforms means we find ourselves back on there, despite our best intentions.
“So here we are again, trying to go cold (plant-based) turkey. Having previously attempted this in 2019, our resolve has been strengthened by all the latest information from courageous whistleblowers, which clearly lays out the known harms that young people are exposed to because of the current algorithms and loose regulation of this new area of our lives.
“We wouldn’t ask our customers to meet us down a dark and dangerous alleyway – but some social media platforms are beginning to feel like places no one should be encouraged to go. Something has to change. We hope that platforms will introduce strong best practice guidelines, and we hope that international regulation will be passed into law. But we can’t wait. We feel forced to take our own action to shield our customers from the harm and manipulation they may experience whilst trying to connect with us on social media.
“So Lush will be signing out from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, until these platforms can provide a safer environment for their users.”