youhe announcement that cosmetics chain Lush would be collaborating on the Super Mario Bros. Movie was met with some disbelief in the gaming press last week. The animal-friendly brand isn’t exactly associated with movie licensing or tech ties, so the idea of Mario shower gel or Princess Peach body spray came as a shock.
So, driven by an insatiable desire for investigative journalism, I acquired a few. And look, it’s a good thing: Mario’s gooey red shower gel has a lovely subtle flavor of cola, while Luigi’s has sweet notes of apple and rose and the vibrant green color and consistency of fluorescent slime. The gold coin soap uses the Honey I Washed the Kids brand’s popular, dizzyingly candied scent, while Bowser’s version has a spicy, dare I say it, masculine scent. Most are based on established Lush ingredients, but the Princess Peach Body Spray is a whole new fragrance, a peach-pineapple sugar bomb, that I probably shouldn’t wear, but definitely do. I smell like a traveling candy store.
So why do these soaps exist? “We have had a long working relationship with [movie studio] Universal; we chose them as one of the most ethical partners we could work with,” says Melody Morton of the Lush collaborations team. “The main reason we love Super Mario is because he is very intergenerational. My husband is a huge fan, but my kids love to play too… Games will be a big part of our collaborative strategy. Having spoken to our younger generation of customers, this is what they want to see. It’s part of the future for us.”
Game-themed soap operas may seem unlikely, but they make sense as a way to market to teenage customers (and their parents, who grew up with Mario). In November 2021, Lush withdrew from all social media platforms, citing Lush’s continued inability to create secure environments for users. The decision generated a lot of publicity, but it also cut off a key communication channel with Generation Z, who are hard to reach through traditional advertising. Plus, there’s something a little video game about the Lush stores, which have the look of apothecaries from the realm of fantasy, with cauldrons of goods, swirls of bright color, and pun-laden product names.
The Mario line is well thought out: each question block bath bomb contains one of six different soaps, for example collectibles like gold coins, and if you love saccharin, natural scents and weird colors, it’s worth it. look for the range while they are. is still available. The only disappointment is the lack of mushrooms in the Super Mario collection. Lush has a product that uses mushrooms, Morton tells me, the Full of Grace Face Serum, but apparently it’s a tricky ingredient.
“We were desperate to put mushrooms in the product, we were all obsessed with the Mushroom Kingdom setting,” Morton sighs. “But they are a challenge for skin care, just because of the fungal element – they need a batch product development… However, we love mushrooms.”
after newsletter promotion
Lush promises more gaming collaborations in the future, but given that fungal reveal, we can probably rule out a Last of Us range.
