Ingredient

Honey

Honey is a fragrant, sweet, sticky liquid made by bees from flower nectar. Its moisturizing properties have led to its use as a skin treatment for more than 2000 years. It's self-preserving and will remain usable for years.

We use honey in many of our products for its highly moisturizing, softening and cleansing properties on the skin and hair. Honey is a humectant, and will draw moisture into the skin, providing a protective barrier in lip balms and cleansers. Honey is also a natural preservative, and is often used in combination with other natural ingredients in our self-preserving formulas.

The honey we use in North America is mainly sourced from Canada and Guatemala. In Canada, we source from several producers who are local to our factories in British Columbia and Ontario. It is polyfloral honey, which means the bees forage from a variety of flowers and plants throughout their season. Our Guatemalan honey is produced in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in North Guatemala, which actively helps fight against deforestation in the region.

The honey in Honey I Washed The Kids Shower Gel and soap is sourced from Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve (partnering with the Sheno Begati Cooperative) and Kafa Forest Biosphere Reserve (partnering with the woman-led Andinet Cooperative). This light-colored monofloral honey comes from an indigenous tree, Geteme (Schefflera abyssinica), which serves as an important shade tree in Ethiopia's invaluable coffee growing forests.

The honey in Fairly Traded Honey Shampoo is sourced from a Fair Trade cooperative in North Eastern Zambia, where the honey is produced by a network of 1100 keepers who live in the Miombo forest. Buying this honey helps protect the subtropical forest from deforestation and directly supports the communities who produce the honey.

At Lush, honey is the last animal byproduct in our formulations. It is essential to work with producers who practice beekeeping methods that ensure the bees and their colony come first. We work with beekeepers who understand the importance of managing hives in a minimally invasive way and who ensure their methods support the bees natural behaviours. The beekeepers prioritize the health of their hives, not just the production of honey. Where possible, we aim to work directly with beekeepers who provide full traceability and insight into their methods, ensuring the welfare of honeybees is respected in our supply chain. We routinely engage with our beekeepers and select those who are active in their communities, furthering the conversation on beekeeping, honeybee health and the environment. Our beekeepers deeply honor the relationship between honey and the environments the bees forage in. Without healthy biodiverse environments, successful hives and honey production could not be possible.