Lush to stop its social media until it's 'safer'

Cosmetics firm Lush says it is deactivating some social media accounts until platforms "take action to provide a safer environment" for users.

The company said that from Friday, its Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat pages will be shut down.

The policy will be rolled out across all 48 countries Lush operates in.

However, the company will continue to operate on Twitter and YouTube "for now", as looks to "build better channels of communication elsewhere".

The retailer previously closed several of its UK social media accounts, but said it found itself "back on the channels, despite the best intentions".

It said it decided to bring back "some limited use of the channels we had mothballed", to offer service to customers during coronavirus lockdowns.

Lush said the "serious effects" of social media were barely being acknowledged and compared the situation to when "climate change was ignored and belittled for decades".

The company has four million followers on its Lush Cosmetics North America Instagram page and 1.2 million on Facebook.

"I've spent all my life avoiding putting harmful ingredients in my products. There is now overwhelming evidence we are being put at risk when using social media," said Mark Constantine, co-founder and chief executive of Lush.

"I'm not willing to expose my customers to this harm, so it's time to take it out of the mix."

Lush said it hopes platforms will introduce "best practice guidelines" and that international regulation will be passed into law.

"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," said Jack Constantine, chief digital officer and product inventor at Lush.

"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."