In November 2021, Lush announced it would stop posting on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat globally, citing concerns about mental health, algorithm manipulation, and harmful content. The move reads like a high‑drama protest more than a marketing pivot. While Lush claimed to “turn its back” on major platforms, critics note it still maintains brand visibility via other channels and uses influencer strategies.

Lush’s CEO publicly said he was “happy to lose” an estimated £10–13 million by quitting social media as part of its protest against harmful algorithms and platform practices. That’s a bold financial sacrifice, if taken at face value. The declaration boosts their moral branding, but skeptics question whether the move was purely symbolic given their still‑active marketing in other mediums.

On September 3, 2025, Lush shuttered all its UK stores, factories, and its website for a full day to protest what it called the “starvation” of Gaza. Shop windows were emblazoned with “Stop starving Gaza, we are closed in solidarity.” The company estimates losses of about £300,000 for the day, and insists staff were paid. Critics argue such stunts are optics more than sustained commitments.

Lush faced backlash after placing a 24‑page leaflet on transgender issues into party bags for children aged seven or eight. The leaflet claimed a "media assault" on transgender people and minimalized concerns like side effects. Many saw this as pushing ideologized content into kids’ hands. Lush responded that the leaflet was intended as in-store display material, not automatically for children, yet admitted it should not have been placed indiscriminately.