Lush expands package-free range with shower gummies and solid gels

Lush has launched a range of package-free shower gummies, shower gels, and shampoo bars in the UK and Ireland, aimed at tackling “unnecessary” packaging in the personal care industry. 

The cosmetic company reports that it sold 37 million package-free products in 2025 globally. This makes up 58% of all individual products sold, with 45% of all year-round products now sold without packaging. 

In the personal care sector, package-free products are gaining prominence as consumer concern over packaging waste increases. Yet, Lush says wide-scale adoption is hindered by consumer perception of what package-free entails. 

Practicality is one of the biggest issues preventing consumer adoption, a Lush spokesperson tells Packaging Insights. “Consumers often wonder how to store package-free products, or worry they’ll become messy in the bathroom or while traveling.” 

“There’s also a degree of unfamiliarity, as many people haven’t tried products like shampoo bars or naked shower gels. At Lush, we help overcome these concerns by offering clear guidance on how to use and store our naked products, recommending they are kept in a cool, dry place between uses.”

Lush’s new range includes five shower gummies — a shower gel in the form of soap — and four chromotherapy-inspired solid shower gels. The solid shower gels use a patented foam technology that produces a colored lather when reacting with water. 

Back to basics 

Lush’s launch encourages its consumers to “strip self-care routines back to basics” during the summer season and embrace packaging-free options.

The spokesperson tells us Lush also offers reusable storage tins for products like shampoo bars and massage bars, making them easy to store at home and take on-the-go. 

“Combined with in-store demonstrations and expert advice from our staff, we aim to make switching to package-free cosmetics as simple as possible,” they say.

Following its brand philosophy, the brand says that all ingredients are made with the “ripest, ethically sourced ingredients” and no preservatives.

Lush's Brilliance solid shower gel, fragranced with rose oil and vanilla.Mark Constantine, co-founder and product inventor at Lush, argues that soap in a bottle doesn’t qualify as soap at all.

“We don’t make liquid soap because it’s not a soap but a liquid detergent, so it is not alkaline. It also has to be preserved, or it grows bugs. Soap doesn’t [do this] because of the alkalinity, [but] the dirty water around the bar will if it isn’t properly drained.” 

Packaging waste in personal care

Lush says most bathrooms contain “half-used beauty products” that are often impulse purchases, “enticed by social media algorithms and FOMO (fear of missing out).” The hygiene brand has sold certain package-free products since 2005, and says it has saved over 15,000 metric tons of plastic. 

According to The Upcycled Beauty Company’s Zero Waste Beauty Report 2025, packaging accounts for 70% of the beauty industry’s waste, and 95% of cosmetic packaging is thrown away.

Constantine adds: “We work in an industry where the packaging costs the customer more than the product. Now, the customer needs to worry about how to recycle something they didn’t want to buy in the first place.”

Recent industry efforts to curb industry packaging waste include a recovery initiative from L’Oréal and Kraft Heinz targeting small plastics and plastic-free options. 

Last week, Greenpeace US called on Dove and parent company Unilever to phase out plastic packaging amid the FMCG giants’ partnership with the FIFA World Cup 2026.