It has grown from one Dorset shop to a celebrated and thriving business – Laura Williams looks at the continuing success of home-made beauty on the High Street at Lush

W alking into a Lush store is like walking into the most divine patisserie imag- inable. Soaps look more like chunks of chocolate cake, shower gel shakes in giant slabs of jelly and pots of soap are whipped up like the finest Italian ice cream.

It takes a lot of willpower and a little common sense not to reach out and eat the toiletries. When you learn just how they are made, it all makes perfect sense.

The products are cooked up in the same way Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall would whip up a treat – with the finest local ingredients in a massive kitchen.

People got a behind-the-scenes look at the company during the recent series of the Apprentice on BBC1, when candidates were asked to come up with a new product. They may have failed, but Lush certainly hasn't.

Launched in Poole, Dorset, in the mid-Nineties, Lush was set up as a back to basics yet modern-thinking company. Founder Mark Constantine now lives nearby in Dorchester with his wife Mo (who is also heavily involved in the business).

It all started when, as a teenager, Mark made some beauty products that were dismissed at the time by those "in the know" as not commercial enough.

But Anita Roddick, who was then running just two Body Shops, was impressed and he became a close associate and supplier.

Body Shop went on to buy the intellectual property rights to his supply business, Constantine & Weir, in 1991 for £9m.

It has not all been plain sailing since. Mark's mail order business Cosmetics To Go collapsed through a combination of over-trading and flooding. But three months later the same team had created an inspired new venture and Lush was born. And its innovative marketing approach has proved a hit.

"Lush is such an evocative word," says Mark. "It can mean green, make you think of a rain forest or a passage of poetry, a piece of music, or a woman who has had too much to drink. It has a wonderfully addictive feel about it."

The first shop opened in Poole in April 1995 and the business has been profitable since day one. But Lush's expansion, while rapid, has been controlled.

The head office continues to be based in Poole and there are now 89 shops in the UK, with more than 600 in 44 different countries including America, Japan and Australia.

Two spas have also recently opened, one at the flagship branch in Poole and one on the King's Road in London.

In 2006, Lush stuck to its ethically-traded roots and ran a campaign urging customers to sign postcards to MEPs asking for animals not to be used for testing. More than 68,000 cards were signed.

It's perhaps not surprising the company holds awards from the RSPCA and animal welfare campaign group PETA.

Then there's the "fresh" produce – of its 233 or so products, about 154 are unpreserved. Those that do contain preservatives are liquids containing water, such as moisturisers and lotions, and require some preservatives to give them some shelf life.

"We use the safest and mildest we know – namely methyl and propyl paraben," says Mark.

The in-store experience – something unique to Lush on the High Street – is another big part of the chain's charm.

Mark says: "I've always loved the way fruit and vegetables are displayed in a grocery store. The inspiration behind the store design was cheese shops and German veggie restaurants – and any fresh fish counter.

"The plan was to make cosmetics that were as natural as possible and to avoid using synthetic preservatives.

"Freshness is intrinsic to Lush – it's at the heart of our philosophy. It means we can minimise the use of synthetics and it means that we can create wonderfully effective products when the ingredients are at their most potent."

Lush buys 25 tonnes of organic fruit and 50 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables a year, both organic and conventional and locally sourced – weather permitting.

"It is important to us to source and buy the very best ingredients we can find," says Mark.

This includes honey from beekeepers in Dorset, yoghurt from farms in Somerset and seaweed from fisherman working on the Jurassic Coast.

The products aren't made on a production line but in large kitchens in Poole by dedicated teams of local workers.

Mark believes this is more energy efficient (better for the environment to fuel people with food than it is to power big industrial machines with electricity) and it means the cosmetics are made with a human, personalised touch.

When Lush products reach the customer, they are literally weeks, days or even hours old. No product in any shop is more than six months old, which is no mean feat.

Designers also endeavour to reduce the environmental impact, by using as little packaging as possible – and Lush has also picked up a number of environmental accolades.

Mark adds: "We believe that the best way to tackle recycling is to not create the waste in the first place. Lush tries to remove it at the design stage, then if there is any waste we will aim to reuse it. If we can't reuse it anywhere, then it will be recycled."

There's no doubting that ethical companies thrive in the West Country. Among them, Lush is refreshing in every sense of the word. Not only are it's products pure but it really does live by it's morals.

Bosses say the company is faring well in the recession due to customer loyalty and a dedicated creative team who come up with new products every month.

And if ever a company could illustrate how being genuinely green can make excellent commercial sense, it's Lush.

100 per cent not tested on animals

100 per cent fresh, handmade products, made with organic produce where possible

100 per cent suitable for vegetarians and approved by the Vegetarian Society

76 per cent of products are suitable for vegans and approved by the Vegan Society

69 per cent of products are preservative free

57 per cent of products are unpackaged