Fresh handmade cosmetics company Lush is giving away one brand new and one best-selling product this week, to help London Marathon runners get back on their feet after the gruelling 26.2 mile race.
Several of Lush’s London stores will be giving away the all-new Cold Water Soother Epsom salt cube, and Wiccy Magic Muscles solid massage oil bar, which has over 100 five star reviews on the brand’s website.
Lush stores taking part include Oxford Street, Paddington Station, Waterloo Station and Victoria Station. Each store will be giving away Lush’s Wiccy Magic Muscles solid massage oil bar (worth £8) – a self-preserving, packaging-free alternative to massage oil which melts on contact with the skin, created to care for aching muscles.
Lush will be gifting London Marathon completers its new Cold Water Soother Epsom Salt Cube (worth £6) one week before it officially launches for World Bath Bomb Day – a bath bomb with a difference, the first of its kind to be designed to fizz in cold water, made with 20% Epsom salts for a soothing bath. Packaging-free, self-preserving and handmade fresh in the UK, this magnesium-powered product is a staple post-run!
All London Marathon runners have to do to redeem their free running aftercare goodies is head to a participating Lush shop between Sunday 21st April and Sunday 28th April and show their London Marathon 2024 medal to a member of staff.
The benefits of cold water bathing are well known – in the field of athletics and other sports, ice baths are thought to aid recovery and to reduce inflammation. The use of warmth directly afterwards can help this process further, especially if it is a warm comforting soak in a bath or shower. A warming massage can then help with delayed onset muscle soreness.
Helen Ambrosen, Lush co-founder, cosmetic scientist, 25 time marathon runner and inventor of the Cold Water Soother, said: “So many people are enjoying the benefits of cold water bathing. Those lucky enough to live near the sea or a river can take cold water dips as often as they like, but if you don’t have that nearby, a bath with a Cold Water Soother bath bomb means you can enjoy the effect and the relaxation in your own bathroom.”
Cold Water Soother’s relaxing fragrance stems from the aroma that comes with rainfall. A chemical called Geosmin is responsible for the earthy smell that coincides with falling rain, and it is thought to be beneficial for the human mood, aiding calmness and relaxation.
Magnesium is thought to alleviate joint stiffness, help aid recovery and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by aiding the body’s natural process of removing waste products after exercise, such as lactic acid – this makes it a great material to include in an invigorating bath – or a cool-down massage.
Wiccy Magic Muscles is one of Lush’s best-selling massage bars, packed with extra virgin coconut oil to soften skin and stimulating aduki beans to work away stubborn knots. Scented with a warming blend of cinnamon leaf and peppermint essential oils and composed of Fair Trade organic cocoa butter and organic shea butter, which are naturally rich in vitamin E.
The organic Fair Trade cocoa butter in all of Lush’s massage bars comes from communities living on the edge of the biodiversity-rich Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone, home to pygmy hippos. The supplier supports farmers in protecting and conserving the forest, encouraging farmers to stop deforestation and encroachment on wild land – instead growing in biodiversity-friendly ways.
Cold Water Soother and 28 other new bath bombs will be joining the range on the Lush app, website and in selected stores on World Bath Bomb Day (27th April 2024). Find out more about bath bomb pressing parties at Lush stores across the UK on World Bath Bomb Day by visiting Eventbrite.