From a small home workshop in Dorset, Mark Constantine and Liz Weir created Lush: the ethical brand that has conquered the world with natural and handmade products.
In the 1960s, Mark Constantine was an ordinary boy from provincial England, with a vague dream and little means. At just 16, he found himself homeless, forced to sleep in a tent in the woods and rely on the help of others for shelter. "I was dependent on friends and charities," he said years later. But that experience of precariousness, which could have broken many, instead became the seed of his tenacity.
Over time, Mark trained as a hairdresser and then as a trichologist, specializing in the study of the scalp. It was in a beauty salon in Poole, Dorset, that he met Liz Weir, a curious, creative beautician driven by the same desire to experiment. Their professional connection was immediate: both dreamed of more sincere cosmetics, made with natural ingredients, without artifice or waste.
Together, they founded a small artisanal company that produced natural cosmetics for salons and health stores. It was a time when talking about cruelty-free products or vegetarian formulas was almost avant-garde. But their genuine and rigorous approach soon attracted the attention of an already well-known name, that of Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, who purchased several formulas from them to include in her line. That agreement gave them visibility, but also bound them by a non-compete clause that kept them away from the direct market for years.
The Birth of Lush
When the contract with The Body Shop expired, Constantine and Weir tried to re-enter the market. Thus was born Cosmetics To Go, a mail-order company offering natural cosmetics delivered directly to customers. It was a brilliant idea, but too far ahead of its time. The business grew rapidly, but production and logistics costs surged, so much so that in 1994 the company went bankrupt, leaving behind significant debt and excess inventory.
For Mark, it was a hard blow, but not the end. "We learned a lot from that failure," he later said. Instead of giving up, he, his wife Mo, Liz, and other partners turned the lessons learned into a new beginning. Thus, in 1995, Lush was born.
The first store opened in Poole. Inside, wooden shelves, essential oils, bright colors, and enthusiastic staff. The products were handmade, with fresh, organic ingredients, without unnecessary chemical preservatives. The "bath bombs," now one of the brand’s symbols, became a viral phenomenon even before the era of social media. Each item had a face—that of the person who made it—and a transparent label, symbolizing a clear ethic that celebrated respect for nature, people, and animals.
An ethic that becomes a global business
Lush chose from the beginning to go against the grain by taking a radically different path from traditional marketing. No conventional advertising, no influencers, just word of mouth and direct customer engagement. Each store was intended to be a sensory and relational experience, more than a point of sale. And it’s no coincidence that the brand’s language, irony, and sincerity quickly won over a global customer base.
Today, Lush has over 860 stores worldwide, with six production centers spread across Europe, America, and Asia. In fiscal year 2024, the group recorded revenues of £674.5 million, equivalent to approximately €785 million. Despite a negative EBITDA of approximately €11 million, due to investments and inflation, the brand remains one of the strongest examples of sustainable growth in the ethical beauty segment.
Mark Constantine, still at the helm of the brand today, has repeatedly emphasized that their strength "is not profit, but consistency." Indeed, Lush has often shied away from digital platforms for privacy reasons and has taken public stands on environmental and social issues, even at the expense of short-term sales.
Liz Weir, for her part, remains the creative soul of the early phase: it was she who imagined many of the first products and gave the company the human dimension that still distinguishes it today.
Original article published on Money.it Italy 2025-10-15 14:21:00. Original title: Come un ex senzatetto e un’estetista hanno portato questo brand a un fatturato di €785 milioni
