W.hen The Super Mario Bros. movie was released in 2023, it came with a rather unlikely tie-in: a range of bath and skincare products from cosmetics chain Lush. The store, known for its devotion to natural ingredients and support of social justice causes, didn’t seem like the obvious partner for a major video game franchise. Because of this, I thought I should give them a try, assuming my flirtation with beauty journalism would be short-lived.
I made a mistake. The collection was so successful that Lush then released a Minecraft range, which I also reviewed, and now there’s a Super Mario Galaxy range to match the new movie. Somehow I’ve become the Guardian’s Lush correspondent and it seems I’m now stuck in a sweet-smelling cycle of video game-branded toiletries. There are definitely worse destinations, so I’m going to move on.
As a dedicated professional, I tried most of the complementary products, including body sprays, shower gels, and lip balms. The new film has Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Peach blast off into the cosmos to help cosmic guardian Rosalina escape the infamous criminal dinosaur Bowser. So naturally, there are a lot of spatial references. The Princess Rosalina Lip Scrub contains tiny edible stars, the Protect the Galaxy Shower Gel has a beautiful shiny shine, and the Shower Jelly has tiny Lumas suspended as if they were floating in zero gravity.
It was the gelatin that I tried first. It’s a little gloomy to wear, like scented ectoplasm, but it has a strong sweet smell that reminds me, in a good way, of Woolworths’ pick ‘n’ mix counter, although sadly that reference will be lost on the collection’s target market. Similarly, the Princess Rosalina body spray apparently has a ripe blueberry scent, but it immediately reminded me of Parma Violets, as well as the giant sticks of fruity gum you used to be able to buy in the 1980s. I didn’t expect this assignment to be so loaded with nostalgia.
Elsewhere, my wife liked the Princess Peach Lip Jelly, thanks to its subtle pink hue and the fact that it’s not sticky like many other lip balms. However, none of us were sure about the Princesa Rosalina lip scrub as it had the texture and taste of wet sorbet. We ended up eating it. My family’s clear favorite was the Luma bubble bath star, which managed to produce bubbles even though we live in an area with extremely hard water and is full of tiny stars. However, it caused the water to turn a disconcerting shade of yellow. Finally, the cola-tinted Mario and apple-scented Luigi shower gels are the same as the 2023 collection, but it’s okay if you liked them and, like me, completely ran out.
The only thing we haven’t tried yet is the huge Yoshi Egg bath bomb. Each egg contains a shower gummy that comes in one of four colors. (This feature has inadvertently gone viral due to the fact that the red starts to leave a trail of blood in your bathtub, which has some little children terrified.) Lush should maybe keep this in mind for Halloween, or perhaps a possible tie-in to another video game movie: Return to Silent Hill.
Are they as pretty as the original set? I think so. If you’re not a Lush regular, you may struggle with some of the more esoteric products, such as the blueberry-scented balm bar, which you have to warm up with your hands and massage into your body. But the shower and bath products are easy to use, and if you like sweet, fruity fragrances, they smell delicious and make fun stylistic nods to the Super Mario Galaxy universe. I’m now awaiting my next Lush toiletries assignment with bated breath and secretly hoping it’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Or failing that, Elden Ring. Starscourge Radahn shower gel anyone?
