Lush Co-Founders Awarded an OBE

Lush Co-Founders Awarded an OBE

On Friday 31st December 2010, Lush co-founders, Mark and Mo Constantine were recognised in the Queen's New Year's Honours List for 2011 and each appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for their services to the beauty industry.

Mo Constantine commented: "For us this award represents recognition for all those people who have worked so hard and shown such dedication and commitment to the company over the years." Mark Constantine added: "We are delighted to accept this award for services to the beauty industry. We would like to thank our loyal customers who have supported and encouraged us over the past 25 years."

Mark & Mo Constantine co-founded Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics in 1995 with five co-founders and have been involved in the creation and manufacture of innovative beauty products for the past 25 years.

Mark is the driving force behind the business and also works as part of the product development team creating hair, skincare & body creams and spa treatments. Mo specialises in inventing solid, unpreserved and unpackaged products and was granted her first patent in 1988 for the invention of the resoundingly popular solid shampoo bar.

Some of the most memorable and creative products are down to Mo. The most famous being the world's first bath bomb. The Lush Bath Ballistic is Mo's bomb taken to a supreme state. This creation saw her add 'Inventor' as her occupation on her passport.

Mo (56), lives with husband Mark (58) in Dorset, England and they have three children, all of whom work within the Lush business.

Since establishing 15 years ago, Lush Cosmetics has been driven by innovation and its ethics. Creators of pioneering beauty products such as the fizzing bath ballistic, shower jellies and solid shampoo bars, Lush places emphasis on fresh ingredients like organic fruits and vegetables. Lush operates a strict policy against animal testing and supports Fair Trade and Community Trade initiatives. Lush leads the cosmetics industry in combating over-packaging by running public awareness campaigns and developing products that can be sold 'naked' to the consumer without any packaging. Lush has been awarded the RSPCA Good Business Award for 2006 and 2007, the 2006 PETA Trailblazer Award for Animal Welfare. Lush currently has 702 shops worldwide and are present in 44 countries, with manufacturing sites across the world.