Is Lush Cosmetics ethical?
Lush is one of the very few large, multinational companies which ranks highly on Ethical Consumer’s scoring system. However, our research did also identify areas where the company’s approach to workers’ rights, supply chain transparency and sourcing offers room for improvement.
Below we outline some of these issues. To see the full detailed stories, and Lush's overall ethical rating, please sign in or subscribe.
Animals
Lush has long positioned itself as a leader in cruelty-free cosmetics, and it genuinely does stand out from the pack on this issue. Since 2012, it has run the Lush Prize in partnership with Ethical Consumer. This is a global prize fund working to end or replace animal testing in scientific research. And with a £250,000 prize pot awarded annually, it is the largest prize fund in the non-animal testing sector. The prize is split between researchers, institutions and advocacy organisations pushing for change.
Within its own operations, the company operates a fixed cut-off date policy, meaning it won’t source from suppliers who’ve conducted animal testing on any products or ingredients after that date, and actively promotes alternatives to animal testing methods. Read more about ‘fixed cut off dates’ and what makes a strong no animal testing policy in our introduction to animal testing.
Around 95% of its products are vegan, and the company has published policies covering animal welfare in ingredients such as honey and beeswax.
This strong stance helps explain why the brand has become a go to for ethical beauty shoppers seeking vegan cosmetics and eco-friendly personal care.
Palestine and Israel
In September 2025, Lush closed all its UK stores and website for a day in solidarity with Gaza. Lush said that the company had struggled “to find ways we can help whilst the Israeli government is preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza.”
The closure – which was estimated to cost the company £300,000 in lost sales – “also means that the UK Government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush and our customers,” the company said. “We hope they too hear the message our closure sends, with more Government action needed to bring an immediate stop to the death and destruction, including an end to arms sales from the UK.”
Lush also confirmed to Ethical Consumer in early 2026 that it no longer sources from any companies based in Israel.
Lush and tax conduct
Another area where Lush performs particularly well is tax transparency. The company holds Fair Tax accreditation, and publishes a clear public tax policy and country-by-country financial reporting, including revenue, staff costs and effective tax rates.
For consumers interested in ethical companies that pay their fair share of tax, this level of disclosure places Lush ahead of almost every brand in the cosmetics sector.
Lush's company ethos
Lush has cultivated a reputation as a campaigning ethical company and is partly employee-owned, with around 10% of the company shares held by staff.
However, it lost marks for not disclosing the amount of money paid to its directors. As Lush’s annual turnover is £736 million, it’s possible its directors could be paid excessive sums (Ethical Consumer classes £1m as excessive compensation). For those concerned with corporate accountability and fair pay ratios, greater openness here would strengthen Lush’s otherwise strong credentials.
Environment and ingredients sourcing
Lush promotes packaging-free cosmetics and solid products designed to reduce plastic waste and transport emissions. It also funds regenerative agriculture and environmental projects through its sourcing programmes.
However, some ingredients remain difficult to source sustainably. The company says it no longer uses palm oil directly, but some synthetic ingredients still rely on palm oil based derivatives, highlighting ongoing environmental challenges faced by the cosmetics industry. Lush is in the process of replacing palm derivatives across its product lines, but does not currently use certified palm oil for its remaining palm-based products.
Workers’ rights
Lush has published a supplier code of conduct covering issues such as forced labour, discrimination and workplace safety, and has stated a commitment to building long-term relationships with suppliers.
However, some media reports have criticised aspects of the company’s labour practices. Lush was one of a number of companies that came under fire from trade unions in 2024 for allegedly using gig economy platforms to hire freelance workers without basic employment rights during the festive period. Hiring agency workers is normal practice in these periods, but, unlike agency workers, self employed gig economy workers have no legal guarantee of employment rights such as holiday pay, rest breaks and the national minimum wage. Lush responded to the criticism, stating: “This was the first and only time that staff have been recruited this way and there are no plans to use this method in the future.”