From a subtle Princess Peach lip jelly to a Yoshi egg that’s been traumatising children, the cosmetic chain’s latest tie-in is out of this world
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hen The Super Mario Bros Movie came out in 2023, it came with a rather unlikely tie-in: a range of skincare and bathing products from cosmetics chain Lush. The store, known for its devotion to natural ingredients and support for social justice causes, didn’t seem like the obvious partner for a major video game franchise. Because of this, I thought I should try them out, assuming that my dalliance with beauty journalism would be short-lived.
I was wrong. The collection was so successful, Lush later released a Minecraft range, which I also reviewed, and now there’s a Super Mario Galaxy range to tie in with the new movie. Somehow, I have become the Guardian’s Lush correspondent and it seems I am now trapped in a sweet-smelling cycle of video game-branded toiletries. There are definitely worse fates, so I’m just going with it.
As a dedicated professional, I tried most of the tie-in products, including body sprays, shower gels and lip balms. The new movie has Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Peach blasting off into the cosmos to help cosmic guardian Rosalina escape infamous dinosaur criminal Bowser. So, naturally, there are a lot of space references. The Princess Rosalina lip scrub contains little edible stars, the Protect the Galaxy shower gel has a lovely sparkly lustre, and the shower jelly has little Lumas suspended in it as though they’re floating in zero gravity.
