Founder Story: Rowena Bird — The Woman Who Helped Build a Global Beauty Revolution Without Compromising Her Values

Rowena Bird never planned on creating one of the most iconic, ethical, and joyfully disruptive beauty brands the world has ever seen — and yet, 30 years on, Lush has become exactly that. When you speak to Rowena, what comes through most clearly is her mix of curiosity, conviction, and quiet rebellion. She didn’t just help co-found a brand; she helped shape a philosophy that has held its ground for three decades and continues to challenge an industry obsessed with perfection and profit.

The Beginning: A Gamble, a Shop Above, and a Whole Lot of Heart

Rowena still remembers the early days not with glossy nostalgia, but with raw honesty. Trepidation, excitement, living above the first London shop, planning a wedding, and not knowing if anyone would buy what they were offering. But even back then, the seeds of Lush’s now-global identity were present: handmade products, fresh ingredients, and deep respect for people and the planet.

“No, I didn’t imagine that at all!” she says, laughing as she looks back at those beginnings. “It was exciting going into retail for the first time, moving to London and living above the shop and planning a wedding at the same time. The uncertainty of it all, such a gamble.” What you feel from her words is that the foundation of Lush wasn’t built in boardrooms but in the messy, intimate reality of everyday life and instinctive passion.

Values That Don’t Bend — Even When the World Does
Lush’s core values were never a marketing strategy — they were a non-negotiable blueprint. What the founders believed then still holds true now: fresh handmade cosmetics, ethical sourcing, fighting animal testing, and welcoming all humans, always. “Everything we wanted to be we still are,” Rowena explains. “We created our ‘we believe’ statement right at the beginning and it has not changed.”

Lush’s commitment to regeneration runs deeper than sustainability. Regeneration means improving ecosystems, working with suppliers to support wildlife and communities, and leaving the world better — not just “less bad.” In Rowena’s words: “We need to be bringing things back to life, revitalising soils and oceans, rebuilding communities and eco-systems so life can thrive.”

LUSHmas 2025: Nostalgia, Colour, and the Conscious Joy of Giving

Christmas at Lush has always been iconic, and Rowena admits that the inventing team starts working on the next Christmas collection almost as soon as the current one hits stores. This year? They went all in. “We wanted this year to be more Christmassy than ever,” she says. “More festive colours, scents and creative imagery.”

What makes LUSHmas magical isn’t just the products, but the intentionality behind every detail. Gift boxes are 100% recycled and recyclable, wrapping paper made from waste cotton T-shirts and banana fibres, ribbons crafted from recycled plastic bottles. Even the creativity is inclusive — through Lush’s Co-Create program, staff around the world contribute to the product development process, bringing cultural inspiration and global perspectives into each festive invention.

Ethical Beauty Before Ethical Was Cool
Before sustainability became a buzzword, Rowena and the Lush founders were already pioneering it. She talks about those values not like external commitments, but like oxygen — essential, unquestionable, and inseparable from the brand’s existence. “Each brings their own passion: people and human rights, wildlife conservation, eliminating plastic pollution, ending animal testing.”

Ethical sourcing, compostable packaging, plastic-free “naked” products — these innovations weren’t responses to trends, but expressions of belief. And that belief hasn’t wavered, even as Lush expanded into a global beauty powerhouse with millions of loyal customers.

Invention From the Heart — Not From the Boardroom

When asked how Lush creates products that become cult favourites — from bath bombs to Snow Fairy — Rowena laughs at the idea of a rigid formula. “There isn’t really a process,” she admits. Ideas come from customer needs, from travel, from films, from music, from conversations. The inventing team doesn’t chase perfection; they chase purpose.

Fragrance, texture, emotion — it’s all connected. “Toasted sugar is the note to watch,” Rowena explains when talking about why gourmand scents like Sticky Dates and Super Milk have exploded in popularity. “It feels nostalgic yet sophisticated, like a grown-up treat.” It’s that emotion — the warmth, the comfort — that keeps people coming back.

Handmade in a High-Tech World
As Lush scaled globally, Rowena stayed committed to the one thing many brands sacrifice first: the handmade touch. “We believe in handmade — hands can make the intricacies of our inventions better.” That’s why each product carries a sticker with the face of the person who made it. “If you’re proud of what you’ve done, you put your face on it.” In a world of automation and mass production, there’s something beautifully human about that.

Building a Culture That Thrives on Colour, Creativity and Chaos
Ask Rowena how Lush fosters creativity and she doesn’t give you a strategic playbook — she gives you a simple answer: “You hire the right people and build a good team!” When you meet a Lush staff member, you can feel that energy — they’re warm, vibrant, curious, and a little rebellious. It’s a culture that invites experimentation, celebrates joy, and encourages thinking differently.

Teaching the Next Generation to Care — Without Perfection

Parents make up a huge part of the Lush community, and when Rowena talks about teaching kids to live consciously, she keeps it simple — and achievable. “Learn about recycling. Turn lights and taps off. Buy from Lush and return your pots and we’ll take care of recycling them for you.” Small habits, big impact — and no pressure to be perfect.

The Future of Lush: More Magic, More Innovation, More Possibility
What excites Rowena most about the future of Lush isn’t a roadmap — it’s the freedom. “The beauty of Lush is you can have absolutely no idea where it’s heading!” she laughs. More spas. More Hair Labs. Maybe even a Lush hotel. New inventions. Regenerative ingredient sourcing. Products that don’t exist yet but someday will.

“We’re not bound by investors, so we have the freedom to do whatever we like, which is the exciting thing.” Freedom — to experiment, to innovate, to challenge norms, to create joy — that has always been the beating heart of Lush.

And maybe that’s why, 30 years on, Rowena’s voice still carries the same spark she had when she lived above that first shop. Because when a brand is built on purpose instead of perfection, on values instead of trends, on people instead of profit — the story never really stops. It just gets lusher.