KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — Malaysian devotees of Lush can finally rejoice as the cult beauty brand opens its first store in the country today in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
In other words, the long wait is finally over for beauty junkies who no longer have to ask jet-setting friends for favours or purchase their beauty must-haves via personal shopper services on social media platforms like Instagram.
Nurul Mohd Rosnu, 23 was among the first few fans who queued up before work and the 23-year-old loves the fact that she doesn’t have to order her items from sellers based in Moscow or Seoul.
“Malaysians go to South Korea to buy Lush but there’s no need for that now,” said the 23-year-old who works in sales.
Gender Studies and International Studies student Iskandar Azani, 24, left the shop with three bags in tow.
He said prices here are more reasonable compared to Singapore.
“Now that it’s available locally, I can just pop by and get what I need. I don’t have to worry about rationing the portions if no friends going overseas to help buy the items,” said the 24-year-old.
Despite having classes, Amelia Chan Yuen Teng, 21 braved the traffic from Cheras and happily reported that saving on international shipping fees was a major bonus.
At the store opening today, those who shop within the first hour will be entitled to a lucky draw where 10 winners will score an invite to the launch event on Thursday.
Lush Malaysia director Harvinder Harchand told Malay Mail it took more than two years to bring the beloved British brand to Malaysian shores.
“In terms of choosing partners, they (Lush UK) were very particular because they wanted to make sure they got the right Malaysian partners with the right ethical values, so they waited,” she said.
The UK brand is known for inventing the bath bomb and earned rave reviews for its handmade cruelty-free, vegan and vegetarian beauty products.
In Malaysia, Lush products are imported from its Japan factory which supplies items to the brand’s Asian stores.
Harvinder added that Lush Malaysia is looking at opening 10 to 15 stores within the next three to five years while online retailing will commence next year.
“Malaysia’s pricing is competitive compared to neighbouring countries like Singapore and Thailand.
“Of course, we don’t have the goods and services tax (GST) now so in a way, we are lucky,” she said.
Lush’s best-selling bath bombs retail from RM35 onwards, soap bars from RM45, masks at RM75 and lip balms at RM60.
Lush Malaysia is located at Lot 4.23.00, Level 4, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
