Lush Cosmetics.Photo: Dinendra Haria/getty
At a time where most companies are ramping up their online presence, Lush Cosmetics isdisconnecting from social media.
The bath products brandannounced in a press release this weekthat they would be shutting down their Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat accounts until the platforms “take action to provide a safer environment for users.”
The policy, which rolls out Friday across all the 48 countries where Lush operates, is intended to emphasize the “serious effects of social media” and its impact onusers' mental health, according to the release.
“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, the Chief Digital Officer and product inventor 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.”
“I’ve spent all my life avoiding putting harmful ingredients in my products,” added Mark Constantine Obe, the co-founder, CEO and product inventor at Lush. “There is now overwhelming evidence we are being put at risk when using social media. I’m not willing to expose my customers to this harm, so it’s time to take it out of the mix.”
Lush, which is known for its cruelty-free and organic bath products, currently has a massive social media presence, with 4 million Instagram followers, over 275,000 Twitter followers, more than 1.2 million Facebook followers, and over 157,000 TikTok followers.
In addition to promoting their clean products on social media, the brand also openly supports causes, likeBlack Lives Matter,Pride,animal crueltyandenvironmental sustainability.
Despite their large following, Lush said they recently decided to step back from most social media sites in the wake of thewhistleblower accounts from ex-Facebook employees, which allegedly proved that “Facebook knows the very real harms being caused on their platform, but are choosing not to act.”
The internal documents, which were leaked to theWall Street Journal, claimed that Facebook ignored data showing its apps were harmful to users.
Facebook CEOMark Zuckerberglaterresponded to these claims, saying he and his company “care deeply about issues like safety, well-being and mental health” and that “at the most basic level, I think most of us just don’t recognize the false picture of the company that is being painted.”
In their release, Lush said of the events: “We don’t want to wait for better worldwide regulations or for the platforms to introduce best practice guidelines, while a generation of young people are growing up experiencing serious and lasting harm. Now is the right time.”
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Finishing their note, the company vowed to do its best to find new ways to connect with its consumers and confirmed they would still have a presence onTwitterandYouTube.
“We wouldn’t ask our customers to meet us down a dark and dangerous alleyway – but some social media platforms are beginning to feel like places no one should be encouraged to go,” they wrote. “Something has to change. Wehopethat platforms will introduce strong best practice guidelines, and wehopethat international regulation will be passed into law. But we can’t wait. We feel forced to take our own action to shield our customers from the harm and manipulation they may experience whilst trying to connect with us on social media.”
The announcementcomes two years after Lush previously attempted to disconnectfrom social media in 2019, the company stated.
The brand cited their “FOMO [fear of missing out] … and our compulsion to use the various platforms” as a reason for re-joining the platforms.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
