What Are Fresh Cosmetics (And Why Should You Care)?

“If you enjoy fresh food in your belly, why wouldn’t you enjoy fresh ingredients on your skin? 

We’re in a great position to offer this, because of the nature of the formulas we use and the methods we use to put these together, which enable the richness of the ingredients to be transferred to the product and to the skin.”

- Product Inventor & Lush Co-Founder Mo Constantine

For us, freshness is not a marketing ploy: it’s a way of life.

Fruits and vegetables receive a vibrant stream of nutrients from their plant. Once harvested, that source of life and energy is depleted and the nutrients inside begin to degrade. We believe that serving those ingredients as fresh as possible delivers maximum nutrition to your skin. That’s why our business has been built on the manufacture and sale of fresh cosmetics.

What does Lush mean by “fresh”?

Freshness is our commitment to quality and vitality from source to skin. It represents our passion for harnessing the power of whole ingredients and whole foods, minimally but expertly processed, and served in what we believe to be their most active form. 

With no internationally recognized standard for “fresh cosmetics”, it’s a principle that we have defined through innovation and passion since 1995. This is what you can expect from our fresh cosmetics.

•  Products crafted with fewer synthetic and more grown, known and naturally derived ingredients. Freshness means celebrating the potency of nature, and working with crops, clays, fruits, vegetables and essential oils that are known for their active compounds and beneficial properties. Most of our raw materials are classified as minerals, of natural origin, or naturally derived, and we use some thoroughly tested safe synthetics to make our formulas work more effectively when we need to. 

• Products handmade with minimal processing and maximum expertise. Our skilled buyers and compounders handle the delicate and variable natural ingredients we use with care, and know what quality looks, feels and smells like. We embrace minimal intervention and process most of our raw materials by traditional methods such as grinding, distilling, drying or fermenting. This follows in the herbalist tradition, drawing on the wisdom of traditional use and lived experience with ingredients. 

• Products that embody quality over quantity, and plant life over shelf life. We’ve been adding best before dates and QI (quantitative ingredients) lists to our products from the start of Lush in 1995 — that’s before regulation was even in place to require them. Our products are made to be used, not stored, which is why they are crafted in small batches by a skilled compounder who puts their name (and face) on each one. Our batch stickers also tell you just how quickly your product passed from our hands to yours: tangible, credible proof of freshness.

When you shop with us you’ll find products that range from fridge fresh to minimally preserved, empowering you to make lifestyle choices that meet your needs. Our Ultra Fresh range is made for customers who want to shop for their skincare like their food: regularly, mindfully and curiously. 

What are the benefits of Lush’s Ultra Fresh range?

• Our deli-style formulas have a freshness window of 14 days to three months, meaning they are ripe with vitality and vibrancy. Some require refrigeration and can even be in your local Lush the day after they are made — they really are that fresh.
• Field-fresh formulas inspired by the time of the season and the cream of the crop to feed skin and soul with seasonal stories and timely ingredients. 
• These products contain our highest concentrations of fresh fruits and vegetables: ingredients with naturally-occurring enzymes, vitamins and live cultures inside.
• Our fridge-fresh formulas utilize cold-therapy benefits to momentarily tighten and brighten for skin that looks plump and sparkling.
• Composed of exclusively self-preserving products with no added synthetic preservatives and few to no additives. Perfect for customers who scrutinize their labels and are rightfully discerning about what goes on their skin.
• Key products include eye pads and eye masks, fresh face masks, fresh facial cleansers and hair treatments, fresh hair and body washes, fresh facial cleanser rolls and more.

Championing freshness back in 1995 offered an alternative to long shelf-life formulas and overwhelmingly synthetic ingredients lists. We did it because we believed customers deserved better. 30 years later, fresh cosmetics are still revolutionary and customers still deserve better. 

Breathe life into your skincare routine: choose fresh.

Written by Milly Ahlquist

Created: April 2026