How is the Marketing Strategy of Lush Revolutionising Sustainable Beauty in 2025

By Aditya Shastri

Updated on Dec 10, 2025

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Lush marketing strategy in 2026 continues to capitalise on its eco-friendly and ethical practices, emphasising sustainability and natural beauty products. 

Lush employs a blend of traditional and digital marketing, with a strong emphasis on influencer partnerships and social media engagement. Their campaigns are designed to educate consumers on environmental issues while promoting their handmade cosmetics and cruelty-free products.

About Lush

Lush, founded in 1995 in Poole, UK, is a leading global beauty brand known for its handmade, ethically sourced skincare, bath, and hair products.

Marketing Strategy of Lush A Case Study About

Specialising in natural ingredients and environmentally responsible practices, Lush has carved a niche in the beauty industry by offering cruelty-free, vegan, and sustainable products. The brand operates in over 40 countries and has earned a dedicated following for its transparent and activist-driven approach.

In recent years, Lush has experienced significant growth through its advocacy for environmental sustainability and efforts to reduce plastic waste in the beauty industry. It’s now a key player in the green beauty space, competing with other eco-conscious brands, such as The Body Shop and Aveda.

Lush’s marketing efforts are rooted in creating a deep emotional connection with its consumers, advocating for social and environmental causes while offering high-quality products.

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Marketing Objective or Business Challenge

In 2026, Lush aims to maintain its strong position in the competitive beauty market by amplifying its sustainability messaging and further embedding itself in the ethical consumer movement. One of its key challenges has been increasing consumer awareness about the impact of fast beauty and offering alternatives that do not compromise on product quality or ethical values.

Additionally, expanding its digital presence to appeal to younger, socially conscious consumers has been a challenge as the brand continues to differentiate itself from larger, mass-market beauty brands.

Lush seeks to maintain its brand loyalty while expanding into new digital channels and platforms. The objective is to foster deeper customer engagement through storytelling, influencer collaborations, and more personalised marketing while staying true to its core values of sustainability and ethical responsibility.

Buyers Persona:

Maya Patel

Age: 28-35

Motivation

  • Ethical & Sustainable Products
  • Fresh & Effective Formulas
  • Sensory Experience
  • DIY Enthusiast

Interest & Hobbies

  • Creating engaging beauty content for social media
  • Attending vegan and eco-conscious events
  • Trying new and innovative beauty products
  • Yoga and meditation

Pain Points

  • Finding truly effective natural beauty products.
  • Difficulty navigating large beauty stores
  • Products generating excessive packaging waste

Social Media Presence

  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Tik Tok
  • Engages with the Lush community online and participates in brand challenges.

Marketing Channels Used by Lush:

  • Main Channel for Marketing:

Digital Marketing, with a focus on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Luah Cosmetics - image

Subparts of Marketing Channels:

  • Social Media: Active engagement on Instagram, showcasing new products, behind-the-scenes content, and environmental campaigns.
  • Influencer Marketing: Collaborating with eco-conscious influencers to promote products and educate consumers on environmental issues.
  • Content Marketing: Strong presence in blog posts and videos, focusing on ethical sourcing, sustainability, and product ingredients.
  • Email Campaigns: Personalised offers, sustainability education, and new product announcements to drive customer engagement.

Brand-Specific Adjustments

Lush has shifted from traditional marketing to a more digital-first strategy, targeting younger, socially conscious consumers.

Additional Insights

Lush also uses partnerships with eco-activist organisations and charity campaigns to strengthen brand loyalty and credibility.

Marketing strategies of Dove explore how purposeful messaging and social impact campaigns enhance brand identity.

Lush Marketing Strategy Breakdown

Digital Marketing

In 2026, Lush has significantly improved its digital marketing efforts, with a strong focus on SEO. The brand’s website, lush.com, receives approximately 2.7 million visits per month, with 46.59% of traffic coming from organic search. By optimising its content for high-traffic keywords such as "sustainable beauty" and "cruelty-free skincare," Lush has improved its organic visibility.

Additionally, Lush’s eCommerce sales reached $120.3 million in 2024, reflecting a strong online presence and successful digital marketing strategies.

Content Strategy

Lush continues to emphasise educational content in its marketing strategy. Through blog posts and videos, the brand educates consumers on topics like environmental responsibility, vegan beauty, and the benefits of cruelty-free products. The "Naked Products" campaign, which promotes packaging-free alternatives, has been highly successful, with sales of naked products rising by 30% year-over-year.

Furthermore, Lush’s YouTube videos and interactive tutorials have contributed to a 40% increase in brand engagement, reaching over 2 million views.

Influencer & Brand Partnerships

Lush has expanded its influencer marketing efforts by collaborating with over 50 eco-conscious influencers in 2026. These partnerships have boosted engagement on platforms like Instagram and TikTok by 20%, helping Lush promote sustainability and eco-friendly beauty products.

Lush has also worked on co-branded collaborations with other sustainable brands, which have resulted in a 25% increase in product awareness and customer reach.

Social Media

Lush’s social media strategy in 2026 has evolved significantly, with the brand taking a step back from major platforms due to its "anti-social" media policy. This move is designed to prioritise mental health and ethical engagement.

Despite this, Lush maintains a strong presence through platforms like Pinterest and YouTube, focusing on meaningful content and collaborations with influencers to drive engagement and spread its sustainability message.

App Marketing

The Lush mobile app has gained significant importance, with 1.75 million users worldwide. The app now accounts for 29% of Lush's digital sales, reflecting its growing role in the brand's marketing strategy.

In 2026, Lush launched "Lush Club," a rewards program that offers exclusive experiences and community-driven content. 

This initiative is designed to increase customer loyalty and further enhance engagement with the brand, both online and in stores.

Marketing strategy of Sephora delves into how curated experiences and loyalty programs shape customer engagement in the beauty industry.

Results & Impact

Sales/Revenue

  • Total Revenue: £690.1 million for the fiscal year 2024
  • Growth: +3.2% year-over-year increase in combined retail and digital sales as of June 2024.

Website Traffic

"The Above Data is Extracted from SEMRUSH"

  • Monthly Visits: 2.49 million in June 2026
  • Growth: -15.32% decrease from May 2026
  • Average Session Duration: 5 minutes and 37 seconds
  • Bounce Rate: 54.24%
  • Organic Search Traffic: 4 million visits, representing a +1% increase
  • Paid Search Traffic: 2.56K visits, showing a +10,567% increase

Engagement Metrics

Instagram Engagement: Lush has ceased active engagement on Instagram since November 2021 due to concerns over mental health and data privacy. There is currently no data available on Instagram engagement.

SEO & Search Ranking

Keyword Rankings: Lush's website ranks for approximately 636.5K keywords

  • Backlinks: Approximately 2.02 million backlinks
  • Referring Domains: Around 56.36K referring domains

Influencer Marketing Impact

  • Influencer Collaborations: Lush has adopted an ambassador-style model, collaborating with a core group of content creators for long-term partnerships.
  • Campaign Reach: Engaged influencers across platforms like YouTube, Pinterest, and affiliate marketing programs.

Emotional Connection & Loyalty

  • Mobile App Users: Approximately 1.75 million users globally
  • Newsletter Subscribers: Around 3 million opted-in subscribers

Other Key Metrics

Global Expansion: Lush has expanded into new markets in Asia and Latin America, resulting in an 18% year-over-year increase in customer acquisition.

The data and insights displayed above for this analysis were sourced from Marketing Brew, Lush Life, and Cosmetics Business.

What Worked & Why

Lush’s success lies in its ability to create authentic, sustainability-driven campaigns that resonate with its target audience. Social media engagement, particularly Instagram, has been key in educating consumers on ethical beauty.

Lush’s commitment to reducing plastic waste through its "Naked" product line has attracted environmentally-conscious customers. Influencer partnerships have further enhanced the brand’s credibility, driving trust and engagement.

Additionally, Lush’s content strategy focused on sustainability has provided the brand with significant visibility and a loyal customer base.

The focus on transparency and aligning values with customers’ expectations has been central to Lush’s marketing success.

What Didn’t Work & Why

While Lush's eco-friendly stance has won it many loyal customers, some of its product offerings were initially perceived as too niche, limiting their broad appeal.

The lack of packaging in certain products has led to consumer confusion and hesitation, particularly in regions where consumers are less familiar with zero-packaging beauty products. Furthermore, Lush's limited availability in physical stores outside of major metropolitan areas meant it struggled with market penetration in some regions.

Additionally, while influencer marketing has been effective, a few campaigns did not achieve high conversion rates due to a disconnect between influencer messaging and customer purchasing behaviour.

Lush could have improved audience targeting and product education to enhance these campaigns.

The marketing strategy of L'Oréal is a great example of how large beauty brands balance luxury and mass appeal, something Lush navigates differently but intentionally.

IIDE Student Recommendations: Key Areas for Brand Improvement

Lush has firmly established itself as a leader in sustainable beauty and eco-conscious skincare. However, to further strengthen its position in the market, here are seven actionable recommendations that could elevate Lush’s marketing strategy:

1. Strengthen Regional Presence

Key Tactic: Expand retail locations or set up temporary pop-ups in underserved regions to boost brand recognition and accessibility.

Why: Greater physical presence in emerging markets will help Lush penetrate regions with high growth potential. Establishing pop-up stores will create localised brand experiences, generating buzz and engagement in new markets.

2. Further Digital Engagement

Key Tactic: Increase the frequency of interactive content like live streams and Q&A sessions with influencers to drive engagement.

Why: Interactive content encourages real-time conversations and deeper engagement with Lush’s community. Live streaming allows for a more authentic brand presence and boosts consumer connection.

3. Expand Product Range

Key Tactic: Introduce more product variants tailored to different customer segments, including skincare, beauty, and wellness lines.

Why: Expanding the product range will allow Lush to cater to a broader audience and meet diverse consumer needs. A more varied product offering will enable Lush to strengthen its market position across different beauty and wellness categories.

4. Localise Marketing Campaigns

Key Tactic: Customise marketing campaigns to align more closely with regional consumer preferences, particularly focusing on sustainability in emerging markets.

Why: Localised marketing campaigns will resonate better with consumers in different regions. Customisation in messaging about sustainability will make Lush more relatable and address the growing eco-conscious sentiments in emerging markets.

5. Leverage Data Analytics

Key Tactic: Use deeper analytics to understand consumer preferences and improve product offerings and content strategy.

Why: Data analytics provides actionable insights into consumer behaviour, allowing Lush to refine product development and content strategy. Tailoring the brand’s offerings based on customer data will improve relevance and conversion rates.

6. Partnership with Eco-friendly Initiatives

Key Tactic: Collaborate more with eco-friendly campaigns and environmental movements to further strengthen Lush's commitment to sustainability.

Why: Partnerships with eco-friendly initiatives will reinforce Lush's positioning as an advocate for sustainability, boosting brand credibility and fostering stronger consumer loyalty among environmentally conscious customers.

7. Improve Packaging Education

Key Tactic: Offer clear product education around packaging choices to increase customer trust and reduce hesitation on "naked" products.

Why: Educating consumers about the sustainability benefits of packaging-free products will help reduce misconceptions and boost confidence in Lush’s eco-friendly offerings. This will increase adoption rates and consumer loyalty to Lush’s "Naked" product line.

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Conclusion

Lush’s marketing strategy in 2026 has solidified its reputation as a leader in sustainable beauty, focusing on digital engagement, influencer collaborations, and content marketing to educate and connect with eco-conscious consumers.

The brand’s success in balancing sustainability with innovative marketing tactics has created a loyal customer base, positioning Lush as a trendsetter in the green beauty industry.

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Author's Note:

I’m Aditya Shastri, and this case study has been created with the support of my students from IIDE's digital marketing courses.

The practical assignments, case studies, and simulations completed by the students in these courses have been crucial in shaping the insights presented here.

If you found this case study helpful, feel free to leave a comment below.

Aditya Shastri - Trainer at IIDE

Aditya Shastri

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Lead Trainer & Business Development Head at IIDE

Aditya Shastri leads the Business Development segment at IIDE and is a seasoned Content Marketing expert. With over a decade of experience, Aditya has trained more than 20,000 students and professionals in digital marketing, collaborating with prestigious institutions and corporations such as Jet Airways, Godrej Professionals, Pfizer, Mahindra Group, Publicis Worldwide, and many others. His ability to simplify complex marketing concepts, combined with his engaging teaching style, has earned him widespread admiration from students and professionals alike.

Aditya has spearheaded IIDE’s B2B growth, forging partnerships with over 40 higher education institutions across India to upskill students in digital marketing and business skills. As a visiting faculty member at top institutions like IIT Bhilai, Mithibai College, Amity University, and SRCC, he continues to influence the next generation of marketers.

Apart from his marketing expertise, Aditya is also a spiritual speaker, often traveling internationally to share insights on spirituality. His unique blend of digital marketing proficiency and spiritual wisdom makes him a highly respected figure in both fields.