A UK-based brand called Lush Cosmetics, popular for its fresh and handmade beauty products, recently came under fire as the message “Boycott Israel” was displayed at one of its stores in Dublin, Ireland. This comes in the wake of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
As soon as the image became viral across social media platforms, it triggered mass outrage.
For those uninitiated, Lush Cosmetics is co-owned by its six founders Mo Constantine, Mark Constantine, Rowena Bird, Helen Ambrosen, Liz Bennett, and Paul Greeves, as per the company’s official website.
All you need to know about Lush Cosmetics
Founded in 1995, Lush Cosmetics is co-owned by all six original founders. It is a British cosmetics retailer based in Poole, Dorset, UK. However, it is 10 percent employee-owned.
According to Appropedia, it all began when trichologist Mark Constantine and his wife Mo met beauty therapist Liz Weir (now Bennett) in a salon in Poole in the 1970s. Throughout the 1980s, the trio started producing their beauty products and supplied them to major cosmetics stores, including Anita Roddick’s The Body Shop.
However, soon, they sold the product formulas to The Body Shop and used their assets to form a mail-order company called Cosmetics-To-Go. But its success was short-lived. Meanwhile, by 1995, they were joined by the other three, and soon all of them were involved in making cosmetics by hand on the second floor of their store, while the first floor served as the selling point. Eventually, the brand was renamed Lush Cosmetics after a customer suggested the name.
Today, there are over 678 Lush stores across 45 countries worldwide. The brand is free of animal cruelty, vegan and eco-friendly. Its wide range of beauty products includes soap, shampoo, body wash, hand and body lotions, make-up, and perfumes. It is still 100 percent handmade, including its packaging. Lush was ranked 33 in the latest WWD Beauty Top 100 brands.
Lush is known to support women's empowerment, and most of their employees are females who not only make cosmetics but also recycle scarves and canvas bags. The brand also has its own The Lush Prize, which was founded in 2011 and awards those who practice environment-friendly cosmetics production.
Lush Cosmetics earned online backlash for their ‘Boycott Israel’ message
In the Henry Street branch of Lush Cosmetics in the Irish capital Dublin, the message ‘Boycott Israel’ was displayed on its front window over the weekend. By Monday, it was all over social media, bringing the brand under controversy. In fact, since the image became viral, it has earned severe backlash online. Here are some of the reactions:
Lush Cosmetics did not take responsibility for the message. In fact, one of their spokespersons issued a statement to the press saying:
“We are a diverse company with a staff of all nationalities and religions, whose personal lives and opinions may vary.”The statement further clarified how Lush Cosmetics did not take sides and deplored “all violence” and “all injustice” and wished for “peace and safety for all Israeli and Palestinian people.” It also added how the brand supported international law and human rights for one and all.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Lush has advocated for Palestine, as per The Jewish Chronicle. Earlier, the brand allegedly promoted an independent pro-Palestinian song called Freedom for Palestine that triggered a controversy in 2011.
The latest Israel-Palestine conflict began on Saturday, October 7, when the Palestine-based Hamas group launched a surprise attack on Israel. In response, Israel declared a counterstrike. Since then, over 1350 people have died (including both sides), and more than 3000 have been injured.
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