The untold story of… Lush’s Bath Bomb

When Lush created its first-ever Bath Bomb in 1989, little did the British retailer know that it had created a beauty item so iconic that 37 years later it would be synonymous with the bathing ritual. 

That level of awareness in the public consciousness is something beauty brands only dream of achieving, which is why Lush’s tale of selling roughly 30,000 Bath Bombs in its first year of business in the UK in 1995 to now selling more than 20 million globally per year is a huge feat.

The product has grown into a huge category for the ethical chain, ranging from classic spherical shapes to more intricate designs with fun inserts – plus, collaborations with giants like Sanrio’s Hello Kitty and Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros, which resulted in the sell-out success of the Question Block Bath Bomb.

The reason the Bath Bomb will continue to maintain its success is the quality ingredients which we use

“In 2025, we sold 1.5 bath bombs per second, which equals 40 bath bombs per minute globally,” says Ruby West, Lush’s Bathing Category Lead.

But how did Lush come up with the idea and manage to grow it to reach cult status? West reveals all in Cosmetics Business’ ‘Untold Story’ series.

Lush's Question Block Bath Bomb created in collaboration with Nintendo's Super Mario Bros

How Lush’s Bath Bomb came to be…

Lush was launched in 1995 by six co-founders – Mo Constantine, Mark Constantine, Rowena Bird, Helen Ambrosen, Liz Bennett and Paul Greeves.

The business emerged from the demise of a previous mail order business, Cosmetics To Go, which collapsed through a combination of over-trading and flooding – it was the same team that created and inspired the Lush venture.

But the story of how the Bath Bomb came to be began six years before Lush’s launch. 

Mo invented the Bath Bomb in her garden shed in 1989, alongside Jeff Brown, who, West explains, was