Watch the making of LUSH’s Bûche de Noël.
LUSH Cosmetics are known for their fresh handmade products but did you know that they have a New Zealand kitchen in Silverdale that makes their products too? The brand recently put out a new behind the scenes video showing the making of their Bûche de Noël fresh cleanser which is full of festive ingredients.
We were curious to know more about the video and how things are made in the LUSH fresh kitchen so we chatted to Tracey Miles, Fresh Manager LUSH Cosmetics, New Zealand who features in the clip. Find out what she loves best about her job, her favourite LUSH products to make and more about the video.
How long have you worked for LUSH New Zealand and what’s the best thing about your job?
I started working for LUSH Cosmetics in 2014 as a sales assistant in Queen Street. In 2015, I started working at LUSH in Botany where I was promoted to Trainee Manager and later Manager.
At the beginning of 2017, the opportunity to work at LUSH New Zealand’s Fresh Kitchen came up. I jumped at it as I’m also a professional chef and have always been interested in making LUSH’s products. Fortunately, LUSH thought I was right for the job and here I am, whipping up LUSH’s beautiful products fresh from scratch every day in our kitchen in Silverdale.
As for the ‘best thing’ about my job, I’d have to say I just love the fact that we include fresh, whole fruit and vegetables in our products and that I essentially still get to be a chef.
What are your favourite LUSH products to make and why?
I really enjoy making our Volcano Foot Mask. In addition to several other ingredients, it contains whole, fresh potatoes, papayas, tomatoes, lemon oil and pumice which have to be combined very carefully in order to bring out the best in the product. Interestingly, it took a while for Volcano to catch on in New Zealand but it’s becoming very popular now.
What was it like making the video and how long did it take?
We filmed two videos on the day, each of which took around half a day. It was a new experience for me so I found it quite tiring but really fun. I’ve always wanted to work on product videos for LUSH so I was thrilled to be given the opportunity. The fact that it was also my birthday that day made the experience that much more special.
Why was Bûche de Noël chosen for this ‘making of’ video and what makes it special?
Bûche de Noël is a LUSH Christmas classic which we wanted to give a Kiwi Christmas twist. It’s worth pointing out that even though it was originally invented with a northern winter climate in mind, it’s perfect for New Zealand because of the enzymatic fruit it contains. Enzymatic fruit is good for oily skin which is quite prevalent at this time of year. The kaolin also helps to cleanse and exfoliate the skin.
I’m looking forward to creating more videos like this in the future. We really want to show New Zealand and the broader region what we’re doing and how we are championing local people and local ingredients. It’s something to be proud of and celebrated.
What are your favourite products from the LUSH Christmas range?
I love all of the Christmas products which have a citrus or apple scent. Buck’s Fizz Body Conditioner, Once Upon A Time Body Lotion, Bubbly Shower Gel, Golden Wonder Bath Bomb and Santa’s Belly Shower Jelly are all good examples of citrus and apple infused products which leave you feeling fresh and invigorated.
This year, we challenged ourselves to create solid, ‘naked’ or packaging-free versions of all our Christmas products in a bid to reduce waste. For instance, should you prefer, you can purchase the solid, packaging-free version of our Bubbly Shower Gel which works exactly the same as our liquid version when it hits the shower. What’s more is that none of our products are tested on animals and the Christmas range is 100% vegan.
Video supplied.