Lush Is Quitting Most Social Media & It Won't Come Back Until Things Are Less 'Harmful'
Lush doesn't want to lead anyone down a "dark and dangerous alleyway" online 👀
Lush is officially that friend who quits social media because they can't take it anymore.
The cosmetics brand says it'll shut down most of its social channels under a new "anti-social media policy" this week, in a not-so-subtle jab at several companies including Facebook Meta.
Lush says it'll deactivate several of its social media accounts on Black Friday, November 26, at the same time its competitors are going big with holiday sales.
"We wouldn't ask our customers to meet us down a dark and dangerous alleyway," Lush said in a statement. "But some social media platforms are beginning to feel like places no one should be encouraged to go."
Lush says it will deactivate its accounts on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat and TikTok, because it doesn't want to use platforms that are "harmful" to people's mental health.
Lush said it doesn't want to engage with platforms that push people toward negative and fake content — a practice that Meta deliberately chooses to do, according to recent allegations from a Facebook whistleblower.
"We wish to only use platforms and services that do their very best to protect users from harassment, harm and manipulation," Lush says on its site.
It's a big move to make for any brand in this era, but Lush has a long history of taking activist stances. It's backed causes such as Black Lives Matter, Orange Shirt Day and various environmental movements, and it often shares those views on social media.
"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 wellbeing," Jack Constantine, a product inventor and the chief digital officer at Lush, said in a statement.
"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."
Lush also admits that it's tried and failed at this before. The company attempted to close its social media in the U.K. in 2019, but it said its "FOMO was vast" and that's why it eventually came back.
We don't know how long this new policy will stick but Lush says its choice of platforms will "change over time."
For now, the company will only be using Twitter and YouTube.
"We hope that platforms will introduce strong best practice guidelines, and we hope that international regulation will be passed into law," the company says. "But we can't wait."
Lush didn't say exactly what might change its mind about certain platforms, but for now, it sounds like it's about to disappear from your Insta feed.