Cosmetic brand Lush has closed all its UK stores and shut down its website in a protest at the famine in Gaza.
Posters on the shop windows reads ‘Stop starving Gaza. We are closed in solidarity’.
The chain, which has 104 stores across the country, has also closed its factories in a one-day gesture.
Lush said in a statement’Across the Lush business we share the anguish that millions of people feel seeing the images of starving people in Gaza, Palestine.
‘Like the rest of the world, we struggle to find ways we can help whilst the Israeli government is preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza.
‘One thing Lush can currently send into Gaza is our love and a strong message that we stand in solidarity.
‘This will take the form of halting business-as-usual by shutting our UK shops, website and factories for one day on Wednesday 3rd September 2025, with our shop windows displaying the message STOP STARVING GAZA – WE ARE CLOSED IN SOLIDARITY.
‘Providing our customers with the very best service is ingrained into everything we do at Lush, so shutting our shops is not an easy decision – we ask for forgiveness from any customers we inconvenience should they come to us on 3rd September and find us closed.
‘However, we know that many of our customers share the same anxiety about the current situation in Gaza.’
Who owns Lush?
Lush was founded in 1995 by six co-founders.
Husband and wife Mark and Mo Constantine as well as Rowena Bird, Helen Ambrosen, Liz Bennett and Paul Greeves.
As of April 2024, Mark and Mo still owned a majority 56.2% per cent of the company’s shares.
Lush is also 10 per cent employee-owned.
A famine was officially declared in Gaza for the first time in history last month.
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) made the announcement as more than half a million people in the enclave face catastrophic conditions.
Metro previously spoke with Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA, the UN agency, which supports Palestinian refugees, who called the starvation ‘manmade by the government of Israel’.
He added: ‘It is the direct result of banning food & other basic supplies for months including from UNRWA.
‘The spread of famine can still be controlled by a ceasefire and allowing humanitarian organisations to do their work and reach starving people with aid.’
Israel continues to deny there is a famine in Gaza, calling the reports ‘lies’ and ‘modern blood libel’.
They say the IPC relies on Hamas sources and accused the system of having ‘twisted its own rules’.
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Lush also said they will begin selling their fundraising Watermelon Slice soap again.
They called the fundraising product the ‘most successful’ in the company’s history, with the proceeds going to medical services and charities in Gaza.
The cosmetic brand admitted that their decision to shut stores would hit their revenues, but they said it would also hurt the government’s coffers.
The company explained: ‘Whilst Lush is losing a day of takings, this also means that the UK Government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush and our customers.
‘We hope they too hear the message our closure sends, with more Government action needed to bring an immediate stop to the death and destruction, including an end to arms sales from the UK.’
Lush, which has 951 stories in 52 countries, once described itself as ‘the overly friendly cosmetics shop’ on its X account
While today’s action from the Poole-founded company is limited to the UK, the firm warned they would follow suit in other places.
Lush added: ‘However, we know that sentiment across the international Lush business is strong and we expect similar actions may follow as other Lush countries seek ways to express their solidarity.’
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