From humble beginnings in Poole to a global beauty empire, LUSH co-founder Rowena Bird shares how the brand continues to thrive without social media, why luxury is more than just packaging, and the unexpected story behind the first-ever bath bomb.
When you think of LUSH, chances are your mind jumps straight to the colourful bath bombs that fizz, swirl and scent your bathroom like a spa. But as co-founder Rowena Bird explains, there’s so much more to the brand than meets the (beautifully wrapped) eye.
This year marks 30 years of LUSH, yet Rowena and her team have been working together for over four decades — long before the first store even opened. “I’ve worked with the same team of people for 44 years,” she says with a warm smile. “LUSH is just the latest thing we’ve done together.”
Rowena started her professional career as a Beauty Therapist before moving from to Poole from Northamptonshire, having wanted to always live by the sea. “I joined Mark, Mo and Liz on September 7th 1981, closely followed by Helen then Karl and Paul” She says. Rowena supported the business in any way she could, mixing henna, typing invoices, washing hair in Mark’s trichology clinic.
Being adaptable was one of my key skills and throughout the 39 years I have flowed through the company looking for opportunities, creating catalogues, inventing packaging, writing copy, doing whatever has needed to be done” Rowena explained.
From Kitchen Table to Global Movement
When Rowena and her small team first dreamed up LUSH in Poole, England, they weren’t planning a global empire. “We just thought we’d open a few shops in London,” she laughs. “Then when we opened on the King’s Road, people started visiting from abroad saying, ‘We want to take this brand to our country.’ That’s how it all began.”
From there, stores popped up across Canada, Croatia, and Australia — some of the earliest international markets for the brand.
But what truly set LUSH apart wasn’t just its handmade approach or the now-iconic bath bombs. It was the brand’s radical transparency, ethical practices, and unwavering focus on product quality over profit.
“We Don’t Sell Dreams — We Sell Products That Work”
In a beauty landscape dominated by glossy packaging and celebrity-endorsed formulas, LUSH stands proudly against the grain. “We’re not about selling dreams,” Rowena says. “We sell product that actually works.”
It’s a refreshing philosophy in a world where so many beauty products promise instant transformation. For LUSH, the magic happens not in the packaging, but in the ingredients.
“The luxury starts after the box,” Rowena explains. “It’s in the ingredients, the freshness, and the craftsmanship. We make our products fresh, which means we don’t need heavy preservatives — and that’s much better for your skin.”
It’s this commitment to integrity and quality that’s helped the brand endure for three decades — without compromising its values.
Saying No to Social Media (and Still Thriving)
In an age when social media can make or break a brand, it’s surprising to learn that LUSH has stepped away entirely. “We’re still off it,” Rowena admits. “And honestly, we don’t think it’s affected us.”
For LUSH, the decision to leave wasn’t about defiance — it was about protecting mental health and standing up for ethical digital spaces.
“People should be able to use those platforms safely,” she says. “Until they make them safe, we don’t want to be part of it. The minute they do, we’ll be straight back.”
Instead, LUSH connects with its community through in-store experiences, creative collaborations, and its own LUSH Club app — proving that authenticity and customer trust can go further than likes and shares.
The Accidental Invention That Changed Bath Time Forever
Few people know that the first LUSH bath bomb came from a personal struggle. “Mo [Constantine, LUSH co-founder] has very sensitive skin and couldn’t use traditional bath products,” Rowena recalls.
One evening around the kitchen table — where many of LUSH’s greatest ideas were born — Mo combined citric acid, bicarbonate of soda and soothing oils, inspired by the fizz of an Alka-Seltzer tablet. “She put the mix together and created the first bath bomb,” Rowena smiles.
From there, everything changed. “The Butterball and Blackberry bath bombs were among the first — and we’re still making them today.”
Back then, LUSH didn’t even have a shop. Due to a non-compete clause with The Body Shop, where they’d sold product formulas, the team ran the business entirely through mail order. “Someone wrote about us in the Daily Mail, and it just started from there,” she recalls.
The Scent of a Story
If you’ve ever wondered how LUSH creates its iconic fragrances, Rowena reveals it’s as creative and intuitive as you’d expect.
“Our perfumer Mark often starts with music,” she says. “We’ll put on a song — say Mumford and Sons — and then talk about a memory or feeling. I told him about a couple I met on the Orient Express who were very in love and actually met as pen pals, the woman’s red heels, matched with their honeymoon in Paris reflected exotic and romantic notes, and he wrote it all down. From that came a fragrance called Pen Pals.”
Other LUSH classics have been inspired by everything from city skylines to favourite albums. “We once made a black shower gel with glitter to look like the New York night sky,” Rowena adds. “It had apple notes — because it’s the Big Apple.”
The Industry Practice She Wants Gone
When asked what beauty industry practice she’d like to see disappear, Rowena doesn’t hesitate. “Lying,” she says firmly. “Stop fooling people into spending their money on false promises.”
She’s equally passionate about cutting down packaging and standing firm on animal testing. “We only buy raw materials from companies that don’t test on animals — not just the ingredient we’re using, but any ingredient,” she explains. “It’s the only way to really stop it.”
With three decades of innovation, ethical courage and creative flair behind her, Rowena Bird’s influence reaches far beyond LUSH’s rainbow-hued bath bombs. Her philosophy is simple yet powerful: keep it honest, keep it fresh, and keep it kind.
And that, perhaps, is why LUSH continues to thrive — proving that true beauty has always been about more than what’s on the surface.
Read our review HERE on one of LUSH’s high selling products Sticky Dates Shower Gel, which was because of the due to its decadent, “gourmand” scent, resembling sticky toffee pudding with notes of vanilla and caramel. The viral popularity led to it becoming one of the best-selling products for Lush in the UK and Ireland in August 2024
