LUSH Malaysia charts new advocacy path with purpose-led products and deeper NGO partnerships

FOR years, LUSH Malaysia’s brightly coloured soaps and creams have carried messages about ethical consumption and environmental responsibility. But starting from late March this year, the cosmetics brand is taking its advocacy a step further, embedding social and environmental causes directly into its product line.

The fresh handmade cosmetics company has unveiled a renewed advocacy and giving framework that will see an ongoing series of purpose-led products launched in partnership with selected non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Each product will be developed collaboratively with the NGOs and released sequentially, placing real-world causes at the forefront.

The shift signals what LUSH Malaysia describes as a more sustained, action-oriented approach to advocacy, one that aligns product innovation with on-the-ground efforts in conservation, community empowerment and environmental justice.

LUSH Malaysia director Dr Harvinder Harchand said the company’s impact has always been built on long-term collaboration with NGO partners.

“The impact we celebrate today is built on long-term collaboration with our NGO partners. From conservation to community empowerment, each initiative reflects LUSH Malaysia’s commitment to action beyond advocacy," she said during the LUSH Charity Pot Showcase at LUSH NU Sentral on Thursday.

The showcase brought together NGOs the brand has worked with since the launch of Malaysia’s Charity Pot initiative in 2022 and served as a reflection on what partnerships between businesses and civil society can achieve when sustained over time.

LUSH Charity Pot Showcase at LUSH NU Sentral on Thursday.

Charity Pot, LUSH’s long-running global giving programme, was launched in 2007 and named after its best-known hand and body cream.

Under the initiative, 100 per cent of the product’s purchase price, excluding tax, was channelled to small grassroots organisations championing animal rights, human rights and environmental justice.

While the Malaysian chapter of Charity Pot concluded at the end of 2025, its legacy continues to shape the brand’s next phase.

Since 2022, LUSH Malaysia has partnered with a diverse network of NGOs including Coralku, Turtle Conservation Society (TCS), MareCet, Pulihara, Kumpulan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (KUASA), Marine Ecology Research Centre (MERC) and Tengah Island Conservation (TIC).

Each collaboration addressed specific environmental or social challenges, translating public awareness into tangible action.

Since 2018, beach clean-up initiatives supported by LUSH Malaysia have removed more than 12,500 kilogrammes of waste from coastlines nationwide, from Batu Ferringhi in Penang and Teluk Cempedak in Kuantan to Pantai Kelanang in Selangor and Pantai Chakar Hutan in Terengganu.

Marine conservation projects have also made an impact. Through Charity Pot collaborations with Coralku, as well as separate initiatives with MERC, TIC and Pulihara, 1,248 corals were planted and 35 coral frames restored, strengthening reef ecosystems that support a quarter of all known marine species despite covering less than one per cent of the ocean floor.

Mangrove restoration efforts with MareCet and Pulihara saw hundreds of saplings and seedlings planted, reinforcing natural coastal defences while supporting biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

Wildlife conservation work led to the adoption of turtles and turtle nests, resulting in the release of more than 1,600 hatchlings, alongside terrapins returned to the wild through partnerships with the Turtle Conservation Society.

Education and inclusivity were also central to these efforts. Through the “From Classroom to Conservation” programme, nearly 400 students in Terengganu participated in hands-on environmental learning, fostering early awareness and a sense of responsibility towards nature.

As LUSH Malaysia transitions from Charity Pot to its new advocacy framework, the focus remains on collaboration rather than one-off campaigns. By placing NGOs at the centre of its upcoming product launches, the brand hopes to use its reach not just to raise awareness, but to mobilise sustained public support.