Testing Our Dream Cream

In 1998, Lush Co-Founder and Product Inventor Mark Constantine created Dream Cream Body Lotion, a skin-soothing blend of oat milk, chamomile, lavender and tea tree. In 2024, after being asked time and time again, we finally answered the question: Is Lush’s Dream Cream good for easily irritated skin?

Over the years, many Lush fans have claimed that Lush’s Dream Cream Body Lotion has helped soothe redness. Some even spoke to the press and had our customer service phones buzzing for a while. Lush founders, inventors, staff, and their friends and families have used this product more times than can be counted and are already convinced it's a wonder, but that's not enough to sing and dance about it publicly. Legally, we need to have real clinical proof of its benefits for various skin concerns before shouting. Which, let's be honest, is super fair. So here we are, 28 years after Dream Cream was invented, 10 years after its formula was upgraded to a self-preserving version, and (probably) billions of applications after its first release. The time has come to test the dreamy effects of our cream!

The study

We conducted a clinical study to assess the effects of regular use of Dream Cream Self-Preserving Body Lotion on fifty participants with easily irritated skin. For four weeks, the lotion was applied to problem areas, most commonly the inner elbows, inner thighs and back of the knees. Skin color was an important consideration within the study, as conditions can present differently on different skin tones. The lab performing this study for us used a well-known measurement of skin color, the Fitzpatrick Grade, to look at the skin tone of participants. All skin tones were represented from Fitzpatrick Grade 1 and 6, but a majority had pale skin (Fitzpatrick Grade 2). With this in mind, working with a test house to improve diversity and inclusion would certainly be a priority for us in any future clinical tests we commission.

An external medical consultant assessed the lotion’s impact on the skin, evaluating whether the product reduced the severity of the symptoms, including redness, dryness, irritation, skin thickening and scaling. The dermatologist met the participants before, two weeks into, and after a four-week application period. Additionally, participants kept a diary and completed questionnaires before and after the study, including a self-grading assessment and a perception questionnaire regarding the product.

The results

The overall evaluation showed significant improvements with regular use of Dream Cream Self-Preserving Body Lotion over four weeks. 

Results from the questionnaires revealed that:

•  85% of participants reported reduced redness, dryness and irritation on their skin.
•  85% of participants found the product enjoyable to use.

Nothing like the original. Really?

In a separate clinical trial, we also tested our preserved formula (the “original” Dream Cream) so we could compare the effectiveness of both versions. This original formula uses added synthetic preservatives called parabens to keep the product fresh, while the self-preserving (SP) formula is formulated to stay fresh and effective without these. Dream Cream preserved is slightly lighter in texture, and so we were eager to know if the self-preserving formula would live up to its predecessor. Interestingly, while both products achieved clinical benefits, our SP version of Dream Cream slightly outperformed the preserved version. 78% of participants felt the preserved product was effective after four weeks of use, and 70% enjoyed using it. 

Although the study authors evoked that the time of year may have influenced these findings, we can certainly be reassured that the SP version of this product is just as good as the preserved version, if not better! 

For Helen Ambrosen, Lush co-founder and product inventor who managed to make Dream Cream self-preserving after 90 trials, the hero ingredient here is oat milk. It makes up over 30% of the SP version! “We make an infusion of oats and water that creates a very thin ‘porridge’,” she explains. “This enables us to get the best out of the oats and onto the skin. The olive oil in the product is also lovely, but it's a surface emollient that keeps the skin soft and from losing moisture. Oat milk is the magic.”

Shop this soothing fan-favorite on our website and in our shops. Ask our staff what they think of it — they may give you a nice, calming arm massage! 

Written by Florence Bossière, ingredient writer