Lush Is Sold at Ulta and the Debate is Real
You can purchase Lush Cosmetics at Ulta now! Well, actually you can buy Lush at Ulta in select gift sets! They aren’t carrying the entire line of products and they likely won’t in the future. A great debate has broken out because of this! Talk of how it cheapens Lush’s image, musings if products will be homemade, discussions of how Lush won’t be “exclusive” anymore or “indie”. It’s a lot.
Here are some of my thoughts of Lush being available at Ulta.
Right now Lush is selling bath bombs, bubble bars, and a few select items like body creams and shower gels in gift sets at Ulta that range in price from $22-$32. A lot of chatter I’ve heard is now this makes the brand a little less exclusive. Let’s be real for a second here. Lush is far from an indie brand and hasn’t been one in nearly twenty years or more now. I remember Cosmetics on the Go, I remember B Never Too Busy Too Be Beautiful, my relationship goes way back with Lush and trust me the brand hasn’t been “exclusive” or “indie” in a very long time so why anyone is upset about how it being sold at Ulta makes it less exclusive is absurd. Secondly, is everyone forgetting Lush is sold at ASOS UK? This isn’t the first time they are appearing a larger retailer.
Let’s not forget this is about exposure as well. Ulta is becoming bigger and bigger every single day not to mention they have collected a ton of brands in recent years like NARS, Dior, Chanel, MAC Cosmetics, Colourpop, and so many others. Some of which Sephora doesn’t even carry (MAC in the US, Colourpop, etc…). Lush is a smaller brand compared to some brands and this being available at Lush gives them a certain level of exposure to a brand new audience and in this economy that’s a smart move as you can’t depend on your loyal fan base alone.
Another important fact is Lush North America and Lush UK were operating as almost separate entities are one point but Lush UK sued Lush NA over financial mismanagement three or so years ago! Lush UK paid $$143 million to take over its North American partner after this and from my understanding Lush UK now runs both sides of the pond.
Lush just isn’t as exclusive as it once! I think we realized that long ago and if we didn’t the collaborations like Barbie, Spongebob, and Mario Brothers definitely made it clear.
I think the important question that begs answering is how homemade are the products that will be available at Ulta and where are they being made? Lush NA is located in Canada. Are they being shipped from there or is there a special warehouse creating the Ulta products? Most Lush products expire within a year or less. So, how homemade are these products? How fresh and preserved will they be when sitting on Ulta shelves? I think that’s my main concern.
I think it’s interesting Lush is being sold at Ulta. I don’t mind it at all and I think it’ll help sustain Lush in an economy like this one as it’ll introduce their products to an entirely new audience that may have never heard about them. But I do wonder how the products are being made and if they are as homemade as they once were or are these factory produced with ingredients that will help maintain their freshness? Curious minds about that!
Lush is now sold at ulta.com should you wish to indulge. I’m not sure if they will be sold at stores too but I’m assuming at some point they will be!