We’ve all been there, standing at the counter in a Lush store, hands glittering from handling products and completely shrouded in clouds of fragrance, from bath bombs, to shower gels to shampoo bars.
Have you ever been asked whether you’d like to purchase a Charity Pot whilst checking out? Probably. But what is the Charity Pot, and does it really benefit charities, or is it just clever marketing?
For the last 15 years, Lush has been supporting more than 13,000 grassroots charities across the world with their Charity Pot initiative – raising more than £65 million in the process and £3.4 million last year.
100% of the retail price of the Charity Pot – so everything minus sales taxes - goes to small charities, campaigning groups and other good causes via a funding ‘pot’ that organisations can apply to
Supporting a worthy cause whilst keeping skin soft and smooth? Sounds too good to be true. It isn’t.
You can pick up the Charity Pot in three sizes, a 10g solid ‘coin’ – released in 2020, or 45g and 240g pots.
It would be all too easy to sell a sub-par product with a do-good angle, but the Charity Pot doesn’t just talk the talk, it walks the walk. The formula is chock-full of ingredients to nourish and replenish skin that are sourced from farmers using sustainable agricultural techniques like topsoil regeneration and vitality in addition to following the principles of replicating natural formations within their work.
The rich formula melts into skin, just apply from the pot or swipe your Coin over your hands and forearms – due to the low melting point of the product, it softens upon contact with skin and massages in easily. Self-preserving, the lotion is made with ingredients sourced from across the world: Fair Trade Columbian cocoa butter, geranium oil from Kenya, and Fair Trade shea butter from Ghana.
As with all other Lush products, they aren’t tested on animals and don’t contain animal derivatives.
Charity Pot is sold in 42 counties across the world and has resulted in more than 13,700 grants with key focuses on animal protection, human rights and the environment – these are reflected in the three imprints you’ll find on the Charity Pot Coins, a leaf, a handprint or a pawprint.
The grand funding is delivered in a targeted way to small organisations with annual incomes of below £250,000 and a high proportion of volunteer makeup.
"These grants prioritise projects that aim to create long-term systemic change – because we feel it’s crucially important to fund projects that aim to prevent and address the root cause of the problem." - Lush
Who has been in receipt on one of these grants?
Catflap – CATFLAP is a Scottish based charity dedicated to rescuing and rehoming cats and kittens in and around the Glasgow area.
Beyond Gender – A youth group for people aged 16-25 who identify as transgender or non-binary, or are questioning or exploring their gender identity.
Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit - A marine conservation charity dedicated to the study, conservation and understanding of UK whales, dolphins and porpoises
I love everything about this product, from the ingredients that support farmers, to the funds that enable grassroots charities to make a difference and the effectiveness of this product when applied to the skin. Win, win, win. - Rowena Bird, co-founder
This is all well and good, but is the product worth the purchase?
In one word, yes. I've never been a fan of hand creams or lotions, I hate the stickiness and leaving smeary fingerprints everywhere - this manages to leave skin feeling supple and soft without any of these side effects. I keep a Charity Pot coin on my desk whilst working from home, I can grab it through the day and it leaves my hands smelling nice too.
A little bonus I've discovered is that although I pick the skin around my nails as a nervous habit, using this puts me off as I like how soft my skin feels. Plus - it lasts forever.
I really love the idea that I'm making a positive difference whilst being good to my skin, plus, I've never needed much of an excuse to pick up an extra body lotion!