Pros
The products have serious supply chain scrutiny put into knowing the source farmers, and the company is seeking to pay what they consider a fair wage for every employee or contractor that engages with Lush. Projects like "Mi Casa es Su Casa" was (is?) a program that stated asylum seekers and anyone persecuted by ICE can seek asylum inside a Lush and would not be turned over to immigration authorities which really stuck with me. The so-called essential components of the business (fresh products, going back to fair wages and a good supply chains; all products are vegetarian or vegan; all glitter and additives are biodegradable and many products are ditching palm oil (a devastating deforestation & monoculture farming practice which destroys biodiversity and leads to high carbon emissions); the focus on the charity pot program where all procedes go to on-the-ground charities and communities (which, admittedly, is a tax write off but does appear to benefit marginalized folks and their communities); and finally a lot of good faith actors in middle management and from Lush headquarters who are working to make Lush a more inclusive work environment and build that into the culture of Lush (e.g. a series on Black hair and how to best help customers with varied hair types/textures rather than leaning on a few stereotyped Lush textured hair products). Even though this is still retail and upper management is profit focused over these concerns, it is a company which does largely practice what it preaches from my experience. I have had excellent relationships with my co-workers and they were probably the kindest and most considerate sales associates I've worked with in a job given how Lush attracts folks who believe in their ethical charter and ECs. It is really lovely working with customers in consultations which seek to find the best product(s) for them with the guarantee that if it doesn't work and there is the significant amount of product left they can return/exchange and seek a better/more tailored product. I found people really appreciated that service and honestly in service and it made working with clients all day really enjoyable, especially in concert with coworkers who also felt similarly.
Cons
My store manager as of 2022 criticized how I led two store evacuations, once where there was a supposed shooting (which she actively downplayed in the last phone call I had before I resigned which certainly gave me significant trauma which made coming into work difficult for at least several weeks) and a second where although she was standing in the hallway about ten feet from the entrance to the store on her break, she decided to chase after the person who stole a woman's iPad; the woman screamed, we shut the gate, and especially because the two employees I was working with were in the first evacuation, two of us immediately decided to evacuate and follow the safety plan which as far as I understand the regional manager and my store manager collaborated on. My manager said we didn't have to evacuate and then went in to say if I don't feel comfortable in my position (I told HR I don't feel safe in shop as this manager not only downplayed serious safety concerns, she antagonized a mallgoer who was actively aggressive and angry outside our store (which has no door and takes about 2minutes to securely lock the gate, despite the regional manager and thus manager cutting tickets very often; one time after the gate was 'fixed' (a few pins were shoved back into place) it broke either that day or the next so my assistant manager watched the technicians so as to be able to fix it herself because we were getting so little support from anyone at the company. The store manager suggested that she talk with the regional manager if I was not prepared to hold the responsibilities of a key holder to a multimillion dollar business (a bludgeon phrase she and the regional manager used to belittle my safety and interpersonal / management style concerns more than once) then maybe I would be more comfortable being