A non-toxic beauty blog focusing on botanical ingredients, honest reviews, affordable options, lifestyle musings, and more than a touch of humor.
"I now look back fondly at those being the most constructive years for preparing me for life in the real world...You have to have pretty thick skin and you have to have big shoulders." - Tom Curley

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Revisiting LUSH - Let's Go Shopping!


I know what you're saying. Now Sadie, you threw a lotta shade at LUSH back there, then said that you support it! What gives? Which products are actually safe?

Well, lucky for you, I'm a crazy person and I've compiled a huge list of all of the products at LUSH that I consider clean and safe, plus their ingredient lists!

A couple of notes: in most cases, I don't use products that contain perfume, parfum, fragrance, or flavor, because it's nearly impossible to figure out what's in them and they're notorious for hiding nasty toxins like 1,4-Dioxane. After some research, I've determined that LUSH is trustworthy enough not to do that. Fun fact: LUSH is one of (if not the) largest purchaser of rose essential oil and rose absolute. These are horrifically expensive fragrance and skin care ingredients and there are plenty of cheaper, sometimes toxic synthetics that could be used instead. To me, that speaks volumes. A brand willing to spend more on the better ingredient? Shocking.

Also, several of the products listed contain potentially abrasive botanicals: Geraniol, Eugenol, Limonene, and Linolool. These are components found in some essential and fragrance oils that some people may be sensitive or allergic to. I have never had any trouble with them. They can also have harmful effects when exposed to certain other factors, such as sunlight, but in products that never see the sun and are only used occasionally (masks, bath bombs, etc.), I consider them fine. If you have problems with these ingredients, or are uncertain, just err on the side of caution and don't use them.

Without further ado, here are my picks!



Bath Bombs
Fox in the Flowers:  
Sodium Bicarbonate , Citric Acid , Perfume , Roman Chamomile Flower (Anthemis nobilis) , Rosebuds (Rosa centifolia) , Blue Mallow Flowers (Malva sylvestris) , Lime Tree Flowers (Tilia europaea) , Lavender Absolute (Lavendula hybrida) , Nettle Absolute (Urtica dioica) , Lavendin Absolute (Lavendula hybrida) , Water (Aqua) , Chlorophyll 
Butterball:
Sodium Bicarbonate , Citric Acid , Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao) , Synthetic Musk , Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata) , Fragrance 
Honey Lumps: Sodium Bicarbonate , Citric Acid , Honey (Mel) , Tangerine Oil (Citrus Tangerina) , Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha) , Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax benzoin) , *Limonene , Perfume 
The Sicilian:
Sodium Bicarbonate , Citric Acid , Orange Slice (Citrus Aurantium dulcis) , Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis) , Tangerine Oil (Citrus reticulata) , Mandarin Oil (Citrus nobilis) , Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara) , Bergamot Oil (Citrus Aurantium bergamia) , Marigold Petals (Calendula officinalis) , *Limonene , *Linalool , Perfume , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides) 
Fizzy O'Therapy
Sodium Bicarbonate , Citric Acid , Ginger Powder (Zingiber officinale) , Mustard Powder (Brassica alba) , Clove Bud Oil (Eugenia caryophyllus) , Cinnamon Leaf Oil (Cinnamomum cassia) , Coriander Oil (Coriandrum sativum) , *Eugenol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Perfume 

Cleansers
Herbalism:  
Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Kaolin , Glycerine , Chlorophyllin Water (Aqua) , Nettle, Rosemary, Rice Vinegar Extract (Urtica dioica, Rosmarinus officinalis) , Rice Bran (Oryza sativa) , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides) , Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia) , Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis) , Sage Oil (Salvia sclarea) , Perfume 
Aqua Marina:
Glycerine , Calamine Powder , Kaolin , Irish Moss Infusion (Chondrus crispus) , Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis) , Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride) , Nori Seaweed (Fucus vesiculosus) , Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis) , Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin) , Carrageenan , Perfume 

Toners
Tea Tree Toner Tab:
Sodium Bicarbonate , Citric Acid , Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) , Aloe Vera Powder (Aloe barbadensis) , Chlorophyllin 

Fresh Face Masks
Cosmetic Warrior:
Kaolin , Fresh Green Grapes (Vitis vinifera) , Fresh Free Range Eggs , Honey (Mel) , Cornstarch (Zea mays) , Glycerine , Fresh Garlic (Allium sativum) , Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) , *Limonene , Perfume 
Love Lettuce
Agar Agar Gel , Kaolin , Honey (Mel) , Fullers Earth , Glycerine , Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) , Ground Almond Shells (Prunus dulcis) , Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula augustifolia) , Chlorophyllin , *Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Perfume 
Ayesha
Fullers Earth , Honey (Mel) , Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) , Lime Tree Flowers (Tilia europaea) , Glycerine , Fresh Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) , Fresh Organic Kiwi Fruit (Actinidia chinensis) , Kaolin , Witch Hazel Extract (Hamamelis virginiana) , Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena) , Rosemary Oil (Rosmarinus officinalis) , Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin) , Elderflower Vinegar , Bentonite Gel , *Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Perfume 

Lip Balms and Scrubs
Popcorn Lip Scrub:
Castor Sugar , Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis) , Fine Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride) , Corn Meal (Zea Mays) , Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera) , Fizzy Candy (Isomalt, Lycasin, Carbon Dioxide) , Flavor 
Mint Julips Lip Scrub:
Castor Sugar , Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis) , Vanilla Extract (Vanilla planifolia) , Tagetes Oil (Tagetes minuta) , Peppermint Oil (Mentha piperita) , *Limonene , Flavor 

Body Lotion
Ultrabalm Body Balm
Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis) , Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia cerifera) , Rose Wax (Rosa damascena) 

Gorilla Perfumes
I generally feel that LUSH's perfumes and incense are safe, as long as you don't slather them all over your body, snort them, or are sensitive to certain essential oils.

So that's that! LUSH is making some strides to reduce the amount of toxic preservatives they use and offer more preservative-free products, which is great. I just hope that they continue this trend and cut out more harmful ingredients, especially talc! 

All in all, if you choose to shop at LUSH, you're frankly pretty safe. Their ingredients are miles ahead of conventional cosmetics and skin care. The products I've listed are, in my opinion, your safest bets. Happy shopping! 

Check out Part One of this series on LUSH for more info. 

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