Lush unveils holiday gift sets for Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah and Dia de los Muertos, alongside Bath Robot debut

19 Sep 2023 --- Ahead of the holiday season, Lush has introduced several gift categories themed in accordance with Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah and Dia de los Muertos – each marketed by the soap and cosmetics brand with designs, wrap and packaging that “doesn’t cost the Earth.” It has also introduced the new Bath Bot, a waterproof robot companion that plays music.

Lush is encouraging a shift away from traditional packaging, increasing its range of Knot-Wraps – fabric alternatives to gift wraps – by 40%. For its offered gift sets, papers used are made from 100% recycled paper, upcycled cotton t-shirt offcuts, lokta (Nepali wildcrafted and handmade paper) and banana fiber. 

The UK brand also discloses it has recycled one million plastic bottles into gift ribbons.

The new festive ranges were created in partnership with Co-Create, a UK-based product creation internship for Lush seasonal ranges, to “lift up authentic stories from their respective communities, promoting diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging.”

Lush is encouraging a shift away from traditional packaging, increasing its range of Knot-Wraps – fabric alternatives to gift wraps – by 40% (Image credit: Lush).Marigolds and butterflies for Dia de los Muertos
Lush unveiled a four-piece collection celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Mexico’s “Day of the Dead”), launching September 28.

Dia De Los Muertos is a holiday typically celebrated on November 1 to 2 that reunites the living and dead. Unlike any other holiday, mourning is exchanged for celebration and it is often found to be a healing experience.

The new collection features key symbols of Mexican legend, including the Cempasúchil – a Mexican variety of marigold which is said to have been given to people by the Sun god Tonatiuh to honor the dead.

The event’s themed Knot-Wrap features monarch butterflies which, for some Dia de los Muertos celebrators, represent the souls of the beloved, deceased family members who return home from the spiritual world in time to participate in the earthly celebration, as well as the iconic colorful calavera – “skull” in Spanish.

“I cannot believe that I got to showcase everything I love about my culture, and my favorite holiday, if you would’ve told this to a young Rodrigo, growing up in Mexico, they would’ve been beside themselves,” says Rodrigo De La Monja, sales assistant and Co-Create inventor.

“It has taught me so much about collaboration, and the hard work that goes into turning an idea into a solid tangible product.”

Celebrating India’s festival of light
Lush’s 2023 Diwali collection will be launching online and in stores nationwide on October 5, inspired by Indian culture and celebrating “new beginnings, unity, peace and harmony.”

Diwali, also sometimes referred to as Deepavali, means “row of lights,” and marks the start of the New Year. The celebration focuses on the light bringing loved ones together, enjoying beautiful traditions and cultures.

Symbolizing prosperity in the new year, Lush has introduced the Diya Bath Bombshell and Melt as a soft warm floral blend of jasmine absolute, ylang ylang oil and vanilla absolute to “gently light up the senses.” 

Inspired by the lighting of Diyas during the festival of Diwali to bring positivity, the base of the product is decorated taking the concept of rangoli, and the middle is yellow to represent oil, while the shape of a flame represents fire.

Lush has introduced the Diya Bath Bombshell and Melt as a soft warm floral blend of jasmine absolute, ylang-ylang oil and vanilla absolute (Image credit: Lush).Rangoli is a traditional Indian art form practiced in India, using powdered materials such as limestone, rice flour, sand and flower petals. Bringing luck and prosperity, rangoli is used during festivals such as Diwali, and is passed down through generations, preserving the art and tradition.

Flowers are an intrinsic part of many faiths that celebrate Diwali, as well as being symbolic or sacred. Another product within the range, Flower Gel, is a shower gel that “blooms with a marigold petal and vitamin-rich lotus root infusion to add earthy notes,” adding antioxidant benefits for healthy skin. It also contains jasmine absolute and rose absolute for a “celebratory fragrance bursting with flowers.”

Sensations of oils and warmth for Hanukkah
Lush’s 2023 Hanukkah range is inspired by the celebration of oil, light and warmth using some of the symbols found during this occasion such as dreidels, menorahs and sufganiyot.

Natalie Blackman from the Lush Brent Cross (UK) store co-created the range’s chocolate-scented Gelt Melt Lush melt.

“Creating Lush’s first Hanukkah product, The Gelt Melt, was incredibly special for me – a chance to showcase my culture and heritage in a way that’s both fun and accessible,” she remarks.

The Hanukkah range also includes a sparkly purple dreidel-shaped bath bomb for a cinnamon-scented soak.

This years’ Hanukkah gift paper and Knot-Wrap are designed by Jewish artist Daniel Sulzberg. Based in Santa Barbara, California, Sulzberg’s work is “infused with the diverse melting pot of laid back culture and creativity that his home state is famous for.” It’s described as “colorful, fun, positive, whimsical, detailed and sometimes a bit zany.”

Bath robot companion
In time for Christmas, Lush is set to launch Bath Bot (“think of it as a digital bath bomb”), the cosmetics brand’s first offering of a consumer-facing home technology product. It is currently available for pre-orders.

Lush invented the bath bomb concept in 1989. The Bath Bot is now marketed as an “elevation” of the bathing and well-being experience, offering a “solution to some of the issues of the current consumer tech market.”

Lush introduced its Bath Bot concept, which features a 180-degree sound speaker and ambient lighting (Image credit: Lush).When paired with the Bathe feature on the Lush app via Bluetooth, along with any of Lush’s fresh, handmade bath bombs, the result is a “highly personalized, sensory-transformational experience.”

Lush Bath Bot is identical in size and shape with Lush’s original bath bomb and features a distinctive domed convex speaker for 180-degree sound and full-spectrum multidirectional lights that fill the bathroom with “a radiant light show.”

The robot is labeled sustainable, vegan and waterproof, without the use of animal-derived glue. It was invented, engineered and manufactured by the brand’s in-house Tech & Digital teams in the UK over the course of five years.

“Although the Bath Bot is a bathing accompaniment for life, the components aren’t glued so could be disassembled if required and reassembled by Lush for future use,” details the brand.

Lush’s chief digital officer, Jack Constantine, says the glueless design and sustainability of Bath Bot means “the product is an industry first.”

“At Lush, we believe in making immersive, handmade products and that same ethos is carried into our first tech product, Bath Bot,” he remarks. “With Bath Bot and the Lushapp, our goal is to use tech for good – for unique and sensory-transformational experiences. Unlike other artificial bots that manipulate or frustrate you, Lush Bath Bot is likable and honest.”

By Benjamin Ferrer