Lush will no longer include egg in any of its products, the beauty brand has announced, citing concerns over animal welfare for the decision.
Egg has been removed from all seven beauty products on Lush’s shelves that contained it as an ingredient, including: D’fluff strawberry shaving soap, Hair Custard hair dressing, Curly Wurly shampoo, Jersey Bounce shampoo, H’suan Wen Hua hair treatment, Brazened Honey fresh face mask and Cosmetic Warrior fresh face mask.
The company said it was scrapping eggs in response to the “hard truths of egg production” – which includes male chicks being killed after hatching in favour of egg-laying hens.
“We can no longer, in good conscience, use an ingredient that we are unable to be transparent about because the truth is so unpalatable,” Lush said in a statement.
Some of the replacement ingredients include chickpea aquafaba, tofu, soya yoghurt and wheat gluten. However, only one of the effected products – D’Fluff strawberry shaving soap – will be reclassified as vegan, because the rest of the products still contain either honey or lanolin.
Lush’s move has been welcomed by campaigners. “Even free range and organic egg production causes enormous animal suffering,” said Toni Shephard PhD, Executive Director (UK), Animal Equality. “Male chicks – who will never lay eggs and are the wrong breed for meat – are killed just a few hours after hatching in all types of egg farming.
“Similarly, when the hens’ bodies start to wear out from their unnaturally high laying rate, they too are killed just like chickens raised for meat.”
Lush will still be selling its popular vegan foundation ‘eggs’ in 40 shades.