Never afraid of taking a stand, Lush announced a new Global Anti-Social Media Policy to address mental health challenges by leaving for social platforms. Lush follows the lead of a handful of luxury fashion brands—Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, and Louis Vuitton—that have all done an Instagram purge.

Just when other brands and retailers will up their social game for the holidays, Lush will shut down its Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat accounts across all 48 countries where Lush operates effective November 26.

In the same way that climate-change evidence was ignored for decades, concerns about the effects of social media aren't being taken seriously.

Lush tried getting off social media in 2019 with its Lush UK Channels, but FOMO is powerful, and the pandemic upended the best of plans. Despite its best intentions, the brand found itself back on the platforms. However, the brand's resolve has been strengthened by all the latest information from courageous whistleblowers, which lays out the known harms based on current algorithms and loose regulation.

“As an inventor of bath bombs, I pour all my efforts into creating products that help people switch off, relax and pay attention to their well-being," said Jack Constantine, Chief Digital Officer and product inventor at Lush. "Social media platforms have become the antithesis of this aim, with algorithms designed to keep people scrolling and stop them from switching off and relaxing.”

In place of relying on four of the dominant social media platforms, the company is planning a series of initiatives, including growing its YouTube presence with a long-form video strategy, using Twitter for customer care, producing email newsletters for campaigns, and tapping Pinterest for inspirational content and experimenting with other digital platforms such as Reddit. Offline, it will invest in more physical events, community activations, and maybe even old-fashioned postal catalogs.

“I've spent all my life avoiding putting harmful ingredients in my products. There is now overwhelming evidence we are being put at risk when using social media," said Mark Constantine OBE co-founder, CEO, and product Inventor at Lush. "I'm not willing to expose my customers to this harm, so it's time to take it out of the mix.”

Lush has more than 900 stores worldwide, including 240 across the United States and Canada. Jack Constantine believes the brand should have a bigger community through its own channels, but "with social media it's easy to get stuck in a honey trap and get lazy, and now we are going to have to think outside the box."

The brand’s Global Anti-Social Media Policy outlines that the brand's global presence across these platforms will remain deactivated until the platforms provide a safer environment for users.