Brand differentiation has never been more important for success & growth. And put simply, it helps brands stand out from their competitors.

Whether this applies to the products they sell, the number of consumers they reach or what they want to be associated with, it’s all about being different.

And Lush does this brilliantly.

They identify as a “unique solution for health & beauty products”. And as Fabrik states, Lush reaches out to customers with a familiar, “warm, welcoming verbal identity that comes across in everything from their packaging, to their messaging”.

Here are some of the ways Lush has achieved this over the past 28 years:

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🧼 Pushing the ethical side

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Lush is well-known for being an extremely ethical brand, a highly relevant factor for some time.

None of their products undergo animal testing & the packaging they use clearly shows what they stand for, with the famous “Fight animal testing” slogan.

And it’s backed up by the fact that, since 2007, none of the ingredients used within their products have been tested on animals prior. This shows they’ve been moving with the times & when it comes to what their customers want, they know exactly how to deliver.

Lush stands out where many brands within the beauty industry still test their products on animals.

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🛁 Standing out & being unique

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Even with the gradual decline on the UK high street & more brands moving predominantly online, you can still smell the iconic Lush stores from a distance when you’re shopping.

The products on the shelves have an iconic smell everyone instantly recognises & this alone is a great sign of both brand awareness & differentiation, comparing it to high-street competitors like The Body Shop.

It’s not just the smell, though, it’s also their photogenic appearance. With 1000s of online blogs & YouTube channels sharing Lush hauls, their favourite Lush products & product reviews which reach millions of people across the internet.

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Plus, there are multiple benefits for brands when it comes to selling their own unique products. In terms of brand differentiation, this decision helps boost the products being sold & brand awareness.

Something Lush does fantastically. For example, when you type “bath bombs” into Google, Lush appears organically right at the top of page one.

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📱 Doubling down on important channels

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Lush courageously departed from social media in 2019 to double down on face-to-face interactions & focus on direct communication with customers through their website & physical stores.

By doing this, they’ve been able to foster a more genuine & personal connection with their community.

While some questioned the decision, it’s largely been positive.

It aligns with their commitment to simplicity, sustainability & ethical values, making their brand even more authentic & trustworthy in the eyes of their loyal customers.

Succeeding offline in this digital age is a testament to their ability to maintain their unique brand identity.

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📽️ Following trends

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Lush makes sure they’ve got their finger on the pulse when it comes to what’s going on. They’re always ahead of the cuve by creating product ranges for popular films such as The Super Mario Bros Movie & Barbie, coming from their long standing partnership with film studio, Universal.

And they don’t just slap a brand name on their products. They’re always well-thought-out collaborations.

For example, within the Mario line, each question-block bath bomb contained one of six different soaps like collectables like gold coins, mushrooms or star power-ups. This follows the theme of the Mario franchise & the element of surprise really nicely.

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🥳 Making it fun

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Above all else, when it comes to brand differentiation, the most important thing is customers will enjoy the product.

Not only does this make them feel as though they’ve made a worthwhile purchase, but it also leaves them wanting more.

Websites such as Cosmopolitan have even ranked Lush’s most popular bath bombs, turning a business product into something people deem fun.

In conclusion, it’s no secret brand differentiation played a huge part in the success of Lush.

Having been the leading company in the handmade cosmetics industry for some time, they’re doing something right & it’ll be interesting to see whether this continues another 28 years from now.

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Key takeaways

👉 Lush knows their audience & makes sure they’re speaking to their individual needs.

👉 They stay loyal to their brand ethics. And they advertise these ethics publicly as well as the initiatives they focus on to achieve them.

👉 They have their finger on the pulse. They get involved with popular pop culture moments such as new movie releases & they do it in their own unique way.