Lush Cosmetics Champions Pollinators: Why They Matter More Than Ever

Lush leads the beauty industry with innovative campaigns and products to protect pollinators and support biodiversity.

By Medha deb

Created on Sep 27, 2025

Lush leads the beauty industry with innovative campaigns and products to protect pollinators and support biodiversity.

Pollinators—bees, butterflies, bats, and other creatures—are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat, and their health underpins both natural ecosystems and human supply chains. Recognizing this, Lush Cosmetics has made protecting pollinators a central part of its environmental advocacy. Through bold campaigns, fundraising initiatives, and ingredient innovation, Lush is bridging the gap between cosmetic consumers and environmental action like never before.

Pollinators: The Unsung Heroes of Nature

Pollinators are the beating heart of healthy ecosystems. Their tireless work ensures the reproduction of 75–95% of flowering plants, including those that give us the fruits, vegetables, oils, nuts, and botanicals indispensable to daily life and the beauty industry.

Bees are responsible for pollinating a huge portion of our crops, such as almonds, apples, and blueberries.
Butterflies and moths transfer pollen between countless wildflowers, boosting biodiversity.
Bats, birds, and beetles also support natural plant regeneration and food systems.

Without these humble creatures, much of the world’s plant life—and the foods and fragrance ingredients built upon it—would simply vanish. Yet today, pollinator populations are declining dramatically, facing threats from habitat loss, pesticides, climate change, and disease.

Lush Cosmetics’ Bold Campaign for Pollinator Awareness

Lush Cosmetics, a globally recognized ethical beauty brand, launched an eye-catching campaign during Pollinator Week to illuminate the direct link between pollinators and the products we love. In a dramatic move, some flagship stores emptied their shelves and paused sales to demonstrate what a world without pollinators would look like—not just for food, but for beauty and wellness products, too.

Impactful symbolism: Empty shelves served as a striking reminder that most Lush products—built on fresh flowers, butters, oils, and herbs—rely on healthy pollinator populations.
Community engagement: Through the campaign, Lush distributed over 140,000 pieces of native, non-invasive seeded paper, encouraging customers to plant wildflowers and expand pollinator habitats directly.

Carleen Pickard, a Lush spokesperson, emphasized the campaign’s urgency: “Awareness about the impacts of the climate emergency on pollinator populations could not be more critical.” The company’s message: to protect what we love, we must take action at every possible level.

The Rose Butterfly Bath Bomb: Product With a Purpose

To support direct pollinator protection, Lush launched a limited-edition Rose Butterfly Bath Bomb. One hundred percent of the sales price (minus tax) was pledged toward raising $150,000 for organizations like Pollinator Partnership, which works to safeguard pollinators’ habitats, raise awareness, and fund critical research.

Product fundraising: The Rose Butterfly Bath Bomb not only indulges customers with soothing botanicals but also channels their purchases into environmental impact.
Global reach: The campaign spanned both the UK and North America, amplifying its message through physical stores and online channels.

This wasn’t Lush’s first foray into purpose-driven products: they’ve used limited edition releases many times to raise funds and draw attention to environmental and social causes. Such initiatives showcase how the beauty industry can wield its supply chains and consumer engagement for positive change.

Tackling Pesticides: Protecting Pollinators, People, and Planet

One of the greatest threats to pollinators remains the pervasive use of harmful pesticides, like glyphosate, in agriculture and landscaping. Recognizing this, Lush dedicated a major portion of product revenue—up to 75% of select releases’ profits—to support the work of the Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK). Their shared goal: to restrict hazardous chemical usage and foster community-led, pollinator-friendly gardening and land management.

Empowering gardeners: Lush and PAN UK encourage everyone to eliminate glyphosate and similar chemicals from their personal gardens and public spaces.
Restoring habitats: By reducing reliance on harmful pesticides, communities create resilient corners of nature where bees, butterflies, and other wildlife can thrive.

“We all have an important role to play in protecting our precious pollinators,” explains Josie from PAN UK. “By ditching glyphosate and other harmful chemicals, we can create thriving habitats where both people and wildlife flourish.”

From Supply Chains to Source: How Lush Rewilds Beauty

Lush’s approach to sustainability extends beyond consumer-facing campaigns, reaching deep into its ingredient sourcing and supply chain philosophy. Their goal: to go beyond simply doing no harm, and instead create regenerative supply systems that actively restore and preserve biodiversity.

“Rewild Your Routine”: Lush’s campaign urges customers to choose products made with ingredients that support wild habitats—for example, sea salt sourced from suppliers who safeguard nesting seabirds in Croatia and Portugal.
Sourcing Hubs: Lush invests in “sourcing hubs” where local communities grow ingredients in biodiversity-friendly and regenerative ways. This supports sustainable livelihoods and protects vulnerable landscapes.

One standout project: in southeast Lebanon, Lush established a 44-acre bitter orange orchard on a bird migration route, planting over 13,000 trees and creating natural water features to support wildlife. The neroli oil from this orchard is now found in several Lush products, showcasing how ethical sourcing can deliver both luxurious sensorial experiences and tangible conservation outcomes.

The Beauty Industry’s Role in Biodiversity Protection

With global ingredient purchasing power and a commitment to ethical sourcing, the beauty industry can help drive an economy that protects biodiversity. Lush spends over £90 million annually on raw materials in 80 countries, giving them substantial influence over how lands are managed and habitats preserved.

Key steps the industry can take, inspired by Lush’s leadership:

Prioritizing ingredients sourced from regenerative agriculture and biodiversity-friendly suppliers.
Investing in community-based projects that support threatened habitats and threatened species.
Raising consumer awareness about pollinators, biodiversity, and the impact of everyday choices.
Campaigning for policy changes to reduce pesticide use and habitat destruction.

Lush has made biodiversity protection foundational to its buying strategy, conducting research on key migration and biodiversity zones and embedding environmental stewardship in every transaction.

How You Can Help: Everyday Actions to Protect Pollinators

Pollinator protection isn’t just a corporate responsibility—it’s one everyone can embrace. Simple changes in gardens, consumption, and advocacy can add up to powerful outcomes for pollinators worldwide.

Plant native wildflowers using seed paper or region-appropriate seeds to provide nectar sources for bees and butterflies.
Avoid harmful pesticides like glyphosate on lawns, gardens, and public spaces; opt for natural pest control methods wherever possible.
Support brands and products committed to pollinator-friendly practices and sustainable sourcing.
Educate friends and communities about the crucial role pollinators play in food production and healthy ecosystems.
Choose local, organic produce that fosters farming systems respectful to pollinators.

As Vicki Wojcik of Pollinator Partnership points out, “Every human has the power to create massive change through even the most seemingly insignificant action. Pollinators do so much for us; it’s time we make a difference for them.”

Why Lush’s Campaign Matters Now More Than Ever

Pollinator populations around the globe continue to decline at alarming rates—yet, public awareness and policy action still lag. Campaigns like Lush’s play an essential role in connecting everyday purchases with the fate of ecosystems, turning consumer choice into a force for regeneration.

Threat	Impact on Pollinators	How Lush Responds
Habitat Loss	Reduces nesting/feeding spaces	Funds habitat restoration via seed cards and sourcing hubs
Pesticide Use	Poisons pollinators, disrupts navigation and health	Supports PAN UK, advocates chemical-free gardening
Climate Change	Alters flowering & migration patterns, stresses populations	Promotes climate-resilient supply chains and adaptive habitats

Through visibility, fundraising, and supply chain change, Lush is proving that the beauty industry can be a powerful force for biodiversity and pollinator recovery. And in doing so, it sets a high bar for consumer engagement and environmental stewardship.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Why did Lush empty its shelves for the pollinator campaign?

A: Lush temporarily emptied shelves at flagship stores to visibly demonstrate how dependent their products—and by extension, our entire food and wellness ecosystem—are on pollinators. Most of Lush’s ingredients require pollination; without pollinators, shelves would indeed be bare.

Q: What is the significance of the Rose Butterfly Bath Bomb?

A: This limited-edition bath bomb symbolizes the vital role of pollinators and funds protection and advocacy initiatives. Proceeds go to organizations working on pollinator conservation and pesticide reduction.

Q: How much of the profits from pollinator-themed products go to conservation?

A: Depending on the release, anywhere from 75% to 100% of sales (minus tax) of limited-edition pollinator products like the Rose Butterfly Bath Bomb is donated directly to conservation and advocacy groups such as Pollinator Partnership and PAN UK.

Q: What else does Lush do beyond fundraising product sales?

A: Lush embeds biodiversity-friendly sourcing across its supply chain, invests in regenerative agriculture, funds habitat restoration through seed distribution, and advocates for reduced pesticide use both inside and outside the beauty industry.

Q: How can customers support pollinators through daily choices?

A: Customers can plant wildflowers, avoid chemical pesticides, shop from environmentally-committed brands, support organic farming, and educate others about the importance of pollinators. Every small action can help build healthier habitats worldwide.

References

Author

medha deb

Medha Deb is an editor with a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad. She believes that her qualification has helped her develop a deep understanding of language and its application in various contexts.

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