Lush Launches United Bath Bomb to Fund Immigrant Rights Groups

Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics is selling a $6.50 limited-edition United Bath Bomb across all 206 of its U.S. stores, on Lush.com, and through the Lush app, with a stated goal of raising $150,000 for immigrant rights organizations before the in-store campaign closes March 22.

The bath bomb is shaped like a house and comes in purple and blue, scented with lemon, grapefruit and vanilla. It directly recreates the Mi Casa Es Tu Casa soap Lush released in 2020, which raised $127,000 for U.S. immigration activism organizations. The United Bath Bomb is the product's bath bomb iteration, carrying the same visual and political identity into a new format.

On every sale, Lush donates 75% of the purchase price minus taxes to organizations fighting for the rights of immigrants and all people. The five named partners for the launch are the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, Mijente, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Storefront windows across U.S. locations are dressed with the message: "United in the fight for immigrant rights. Know your rights and freedoms."

Seth Laxman, Lush's activism and advocacy campaigner, explained the company's motivation plainly. "In the U.S., we're seeing backlash and attacks on immigrants, their families and their communities," he said. "We're a global business. We think everybody should have the freedom and right to pursue a better life, opportunities and even just explore new places."

The campaign is the latest step in more than a decade of immigration-focused activism from Lush. The brand launched its No One is Illegal campaign in the U.K. in 2011, followed by its Refugees Welcome campaign during the Syrian refugee crisis in 2016. In 2017, it added "we believe in the freedom of movement" to its guiding We Believe statement. Then in March 2020, during its Sanctuary for All advocacy campaign, Lush declared all U.S. shops ICE-free zones. Lush describes that designation as now permanent: "a statement in solidarity with migrant communities," with staff trained on the rights customers hold when interacting with ICE agents.

Running alongside the United Bath Bomb sale, Lush has compiled resources from dozens of leading social justice organizations into six Know Your Rights guides, available in stores for a limited time and downloadable from the Lush site. The guides are intended to "provide information on how to effectively raise your voice and keep yourself safe," according to Lush's campaign language. Lush is explicit that the guides carry no legal weight: "These guides and their contents are not a replacement for legal advice. If you need legal advice, contact a lawyer. The information in this resource is accurate at the time of printing and while we've made every effort to ensure its validity, it may be subject to change without notice. Lush Cosmetics assumes no liability for any inaccuracies or omissions."

At $6.50 a unit with 75% of the pre-tax price flowing to beneficiaries, hitting the $150,000 target would require sales of roughly 30,000 bath bombs before the campaign wraps on March 22.