How Green are Lush products?

Cardew

callansdad wrote: »

This may help you http://www.akamuti.co.uk/

£3.75p for a small bar of soap!!

I wonder how many of these firms advertise in papers or TV etc instead of the internet.

The Advertising Standards Authority have no jurisdiction over internet advertising of course.

I freely admit to being cynical but there are so many of these firms advertising ‘green’ products on the internet at hugely inflated prices. Many(most?) of these firms are small and simply haven’t got the resources to verify their claims – it takes a well equipped laboratory to test products.

I don’t doubt they often import goods in good faith; but but but!!!

Seakay

Some other sites:

http://www.summernaturals.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=70&zenid=80e2d759f3bb0ebfc371bfe6018c617c

http://www.naturallythinking.com/catalog/bodycare-pamper-body-lotion-cream-c-22_36.html

http://www.potions.co.uk/section.php?xSec=3&jssCart=eea8d60882db17c737fc5cc591ab613a

adouglasmhor

Cardew wrote: »

£3.75p for a small bar of soap!!



The Advertising Standards Authority have no jurisdiction over internet advertising of course.

they do they have jurisdition over all broadcast and non broadcast advertising in the UK. So that does include the internet.

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/about/Guided%20Tours/New%20Media/

Cardew

adouglasmhor wrote: »

they do they have jurisdition over all broadcast and non broadcast advertising in the UK. So that does include the internet.

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/about/Guided%20Tours/New%20Media/

Unfortunately it doesn't!

From the website link you gave:

The Code administered by the ASA is flexible and adaptable; this flexibility makes it applicable to new media as they emerge. Not all types of commercial communication in new media are covered by the Code, however. Claims companies make on their own websites, for example, do not fall within the scope of the Code.

Thats how firms get away with advertising magnets for fuel lines that give 20% more MPG etc.

nona85

It's so nice to know I'm not the only one in the UK that considers this an important topic!

Lush are more or less your safest option for shampoo, soap etc - and I like to be able to smell and get a good look at my products before buying!

For make-up it's a lot harder.

It's not widely known (unless you care about this sort of thing!) that The Body Shop are owned by L'Oreal as of February this year, and that by buying products from The Body Shop you are practically funding L'Oreal - a company that in Japan and the US still test their ingredients on animals, often by getting other companies to do it on their behalf, but this isn't common knowledge either! Not to mention that all L'Oreal products contain really dodgy chemicals.....

I know two friends of mine who have had bad reactions to using certain branded shampoo's and face creams, and I just don't understand why any company uses all these weird synthetic chemicals when natural ingredients can do the job just as well if not better. Ok so we would have to compromise with the use by dates, but to be honest, I've always noticed that once opened for a while these branded face creams, make up, shampoo etc all start to smell really odd.

I love the idea of using recently made products, and that's why I go with Lush.

This is such a difficult topic but it's great to discuss and share ideas/opinions.

If anyone knows of any genuinely cruelty-free, natural suppliers of make up please share the info! So far, only Barry M and Avon are cruelty free but not exactly natural...

liz545

1jim wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your input, there is so much to consider with all of this, it would be great if someone somewhere made a product that ticked all of the boxes, how hard can it be for Mr Lush to launch a product range of fairtrade/organic/chemical free hygine products..all supplied in very little or no packaging and made in the uk

I think Lush are pretty good, as far as natural skin & bodycare goes. They're based in the UK, they're privately owned & run rather than being part of the L'Oreal empire, the majority of their products are natural. But I think it is quite difficult to make a range of fairtrade/organic/chemical free products with minimal packaging made in the UK - fairtrade and organic ingredients are still in the minority, and cost more to buy than the equivalents. Minimal packaging has implications for the manufacture and transit of goods (i.e. more damaged goods in transit), and manufacturing in the UK is more costly than doing so overseas; particularly if you're a smallish company without huge buying power. They're not perfect, but they're good enough for me, for the money; I'd definitely suggest reading up on the ingredients in things so you can work out what you want to avoid and why, it'll demystify the product labels and help you make informed choices. :j

sarah84

Lush are quite good, they have in my opinion the best anti animal testing policy. They also discourage packaging where they they can-the bath bombs, soap, solid bubble bath, solid shampoo, solid deodorant etc have no packaging, and the optional packaging for them is now paper bags rather than plastic. They have also stopped individually wrapping mail order products.
They have campaigned for Animal Aid and a lot of the products are vegan too.

shakka

For makeup it might be worth looking at mineral makeup which contains no chemical nasties, and as far as I know no animal testing? There's a seperate thread elsewhere on here about the various brands, with lots of helpful advice.

vegankris

nona85 wrote: »

I like to be able to smell and get a good look at my products before buying!

For make-up it's a lot harder.

If anyone knows of any genuinely cruelty-free, natural suppliers of make up please share the info! So far, only Barry M and Avon are cruelty free but not exactly natural...

I buy most of my makeup online, because there aren't many cruelty free suppliers in high street stores unfortunately.

Here are a few suppliers I recommend...

Lush's sister company(if you're lucky enough to be in London they have an actual shop there!), B never 2 busy to b beautiful

eyes lips face's mineral makeup

Lavera, (if anyone's in the Glasgow area, Entrading sell this instore!)

Honesty cosmetics

greenbee

There are plenty of companies selling natural/ethical/organic toiletries/skincare/cosmetics if you have a look.

Useful resources include the Womens Environmental Network, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Ethical Consumer

Websites I source from are SoOrganic, NaturalCollection, EthicalSuperstore, LoveLula

Products I use and like (they vary in their adherence to ethical/natural standards) Weleda (metal or glass packaging), Neal's Yard (glass packaging), Faith in Nature (who do 5l containers of organic shampoo, conditioner, shower gel & handsoap), Lavera, Logona, Kingfisher (toothpaste), Burts Bees, Caudalie, Dr Haushka.

Hope this helps!