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Cruelty-free cosmetics company Lush will open its first ‘Naked’ plastic-packing free store in the UK to inspire customers to make more sustainable choices when shopping.
Lush Cosmetics have championed plastic-free cosmetics for some time, with a wide range of ‘naked’ products including solid shower gel, shampoo and face serums.
The store also operates a system which allows customers to return 5 empty black plastic pots (which are made from recycled material) to stores to exchange for a free fresh mask. The black plastic pots are reused by the company to create new pots as part of its closed-loop system.
But now the company is taking it’s eco-credentials once-step further as it announces the opening of its first plastic-packing free store in the UK after the successful launch of their first ‘Naked’ store in Milan in June 2018 and Berlin.
Discussing their hopes that the store will encourage customers to make more sustainable choices when shopping, designers at Lush said: “I think visitors to the ‘Naked’ shop will hopefully realise how easy it is just to either bring their own bags with them when they’re shopping or to make a better choice about how they’re taking products away.”
Lush Lens
The store will also give customers the chance to get interactive using the recently launched #LushLabs app, which will give them the ability to scan products in the store using a feature called ‘Lush Lens’.
The ‘Lush Lens’ gives customers the chance to explore the ingredient information of the products without the need for plastic labelling on the back of cosmetic items and give them the option to watch “how to use” demonstrations of the products on their phones.
Speaking about the new concept, Mark Constantine OBE, Lush Co-founder and Managing Director explained that not only is the store kinder to the environment, it will also make the products cheaper for consumers, stating: “In Lush 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. This seems like a raw deal to us. If we can cut out all the plastic packaging, we can give our customers better value for money.
“Reducing packaging is something Lush has been working on for many, many years. This shop aims to push the boundaries and is an exploration into what further things we can do, a discussion between us and our customers and a celebration of the fact that, after 20 years of development, we are able to fill up a whole shop with innovative naked cosmetic alternatives and offer a brand new shopping experience using technology alongside it.”
Lush recently released it’s Valentine’s Day range which has been causing a stir with customers thanks to its cheeky x-rated product designs.
The new store, located at 10 Market Street in Manchester will open on 18 January.
Image credit: Lush UK/Facebook
