We Chat With Lush Co-Founder Rowena Bird About All Things Self-Care, Ethical Beauty, and the History of Bath Bombs

A visit to a Lush store is an incredibly sensory experience. From the vibrantly colored products to all the fabulous scents, the brand brings its own unique, creative vision to making self-care fun.

One of the products that Lush is best known for is its iconic bath bomb. And the brand isn't just famous for bath bombs —Lush is actually credited with inventing them altogether.

Lush was first awarded the trademark for bath bombs in 1990 after being invented by Lush co-founder and product inventor, Mo Constantine in her shed in 1989. Since then Lush has gone on to sell more than 400 different bath bomb designs.

Beyond bath bombs, Lush offers a wide range of ethical, eco-conscious skincare, haircare, bath products, and gifts. They also have spas in the UK in cities including London, Leeds, Liverpool, and Edinburgh.

Lush is guided by a strong set of core values which includes contributing positively to animal protection, human rights, and environmental conservation. They have donated more than $60 million to over 3,200 grassroots charities in 92 countries.

We caught up with Lush co-founder Rowena Bird to learn more about Lush's history, ethical practices, must-try products, and what to look out for next.

Lush Co-Founder Rowena Bird [Photo by Zelda de Hollander]

Can you share a little about your background and your journey to co-founding Lush?

I have a background as a beauty therapist. When I first started with the co-founders, we had a beauty salon, and that's where we started.

Mark (Constantine) is a trichologist, so he was hair and scalp. Liz (Bennett) and I were both beauty therapists doing beauty treatments. But we used to do lots of other things.

We manufactured our own products, and we invented the products that we used in our spa or beauty rooms. We also manufactured and invented products for The Body Shop.

It was around 40 years ago, and people didn't think of spa and beauty in the same way that they do today. Now you can have a beauty room and be busy. Then you had clients, and in between times I'd be typing up invoices or filling essential bottles or making soap washables.

Beauty therapy is at my main core and customer service also runs through me. I think that comes with being a therapist because you want to please people, you want to help people, and you want to make a difference for them. And that’s been my journey throughout the business.

We were manufacturers, then we became mail order. Then we started Lush, and that was 27 years ago.

You mentioned you have a history of inventing products. Can you share a little about Lush’s history inventing the bath bomb?

We did –Mo invented the bath bomb in 1987. And it came from the idea of the Alka Seltzer headache tablet that you plop in the water. We thought, ‘Oh, that'd be a bit of fun.’ So they worked out how to do that and then put essential oils in it.

Bathing has always been really important to us as a group because we know all the benefits of that. It's good for your mind, for your health, for your body, the core temperature of your body, and aiding a good night's sleep. There's so many beneficial elements to bathing.

Mo had very, very sensitive skin and could never put anything in her bath water. Coming across the mix of the bicarb which deodorizes and softens the water was just absolutely fabulous for her. She could actually use those, and then get the benefit of the essential oils as well. That was 1989, and we haven’t looked back since!

For those who are new to Lush and aren't familiar with your products, what are your recommendations?

If you’re new to Lush, the thing to do is come in with a little bit of time, talk to one of our team members on the shop floor, and take a tour because you can't just pick one element of Lush.

Lush is always described as like an iceberg. You've got the top bit that shows and that's the shops, then you've got the whole chunk underneath. And goodness me, is there a lot going on here!

We are jam-packed full of all the work that we're doing – from the ethical work, from the charity work, from the campaigning work, from the way we buy our raw materials, from the way we compile and create our products, to all the ingredients that we're using.

Don't just pop in and think that we just sell moisturizers and things for the bath. We are so much more than that. You have to come in, and give us 10, 15 minutes or as much time as you can. Take a tour, stick your fingers in everything, try things out, and sniff things.

Come in, breathe deep, and have a free aromatherapy treatment while you're in there because over 60% of our products are naked. Therefore, the essential oils are in the air. Yes, we're known to be a smelly shop, but we're a smelly shop in a good way.

It's so much fun to go into your stores, and pick products out. Do you have any personal favorites?

I have favorites in each category. I have got a new product coming out which I am totally in love with and that's called Co-Mingle.

We've got Rose Argan Body Conditioner coming out in May, which is a product that I invented. And that is all about saving time.

I absolutely adore body scrubs, and I really love our jelly products. We have a shower jelly that is just jam-packed full of seaweed. Seaweed is one of the most nutritious ingredients and is just so perfect for your skin.

We've reintroduced the hennas, and we've packaged them in a different way. We've also written a book called True Colours because we’re very keen on people understanding what they're using on their skin, hair, and their body.

When it comes to our products, we know the quality of the raw material that we're using. We know that the farmers, the growers, and the producers are all getting the true value of that ingredient – and it's not the middleman.

So when you're buying a Lush product, you're contributing to all of those things unbeknownst to you. That's why I want people to come in and take a tour because you learn all the stories about what goes on behind the product.

Can you tell us about your sustainable practices?

All our packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable. I think that's pretty unusual from what I'm hearing out there about how much packaging goes into landfills. 60% percent of our product is unwrapped.

We like to give our customers choices. We have shampoo bars which are worth two to three bottles of shampoo. So it’s a great value for money, washes your hair, and is wonderful.

It's your choice – would you like to have a shampoo bar that gives you 80+ washes with nothing left over at the end of it? No bottles going into landfill or recycling. Or do you want to take it in a bottle that's 100% recyclable and recycled? And we do the same with bath oil. Wherever we can, we're going to make a solid and then give you the liquid version.

**Lush does not use Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Snapchat. Why did Lush decide to adopt an anti-social media policy?**

We did it because we became so aware of all the algorithms and the harm they were doing, especially to youngsters. It's the same algorithms as they used for betting where they keep bringing you back in, and it just feeds negativity. We don't use any ingredients that harm you. We're not gonna be using anything within Lush that's gonna harm you.

What should people know about your spas in the UK?

The spa treatments made at Lush are created in the same way as our products. We're using beautiful ingredients and we're going to affect all your senses. The whole idea is that we pick you up from one place and put you down somewhere where you feel much more comfortable and happy.

There's no general bland music, (however, lovely it is as spa music). We have our own musicians. Each treatment has its own soundtrack. That can be anything from music that was recorded in an underground cave for the bath treatment in the city of Bath in the UK to reworked Beatles songs from A Hard Day's Night to upbeat songs for the “Comforter” to full on orchestral music for the “Synesthesia.”

Then we have the products that are exactly right for their treatment. With Synesthesia, you get to choose a word. I think there are about 11 words on a blackboard, and one word will always leap out at you. And then we've blended the essential oils for that need. They all have a touch of magic.

The spas are not white clinical-looking spas. There's lots of beautiful deep olive green, there's lots of wood, there's lots of easy chairs, there's lots of greenery, and all the lighting is really quite subtle. And then there’s the music.

Do you have any favorite beauty or wellness tips?

Keep smiling and then take time for yourself, even if it's only five minutes.

Breathe in, close your eyes, feel the sun on your face, feel the breeze on your face, feel the night air on your face, gaze at the moon for five minutes. Whatever minimum time it is, always do something for you. Find those minutes, they’re precious.

[Images courtesy of Lush Cosmetics]

A University of Michigan graduate, Lizzy Sherman is an award-winning digital content writer/editor. Her work has appeared in publications including Beauty Launchpad, Nailpro, DAYSPA, CNET, Entertainment Tonight, and more. She has been a featured guest speaker at Cal State University Northridge, Digital LA, and The National Association of Audience Marketing Professionals. When she's not writing, Lizzy enjoys yoga and playing guitar. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter: @zillizy, @zillizy16

beautyLizzy ShermanMay 20, 2022Lush, lush cosmetics, Rowena Bird, interview, sustainable beauty brands, sustainable spotlightComment