When 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.
It was the jelly that I tried first. It is kind of gloopy to use, like scented ectoplasm, but it has a strong sweet smell that reminds me – in a good way – of the pick ’n’ mix counter at Woolworths, though sadly that reference will be lost on the collection’s target market. Similarly, the Princess Rosalina body spray is apparently ripe blueberry scented, but it immediately brought Parma Violets to mind as well as the giant fruity bubble gum bars 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 a lot of other lip balms. None of us were sure about the Princess Rosalina lip scrub, though, as it had the texture and taste of wet sherbet. We just ended up eating it. The clear favourite with my family was the Luma bubble bath star, which managed to produce bubbles despite us living in a viciously hard water area, and is filled with tiny stars. However, it did turn the water a disconcerting shade of yellow. Finally, the cola-tinged Mario and apple-scented Luigi shower gels are the same as the 2023 collection, but that’s fine if you liked them and have, like me, completely run out of them.
The one 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 colours. (This feature has gone unintentionally viral due to the fact that the red one starts leaking a bloody trail in your bath, which has terrified some small children.) Lush should maybe keep this in mind for Halloween, or maybe a potential tie-in with another video game movie: Return to Silent Hill.
Are these as nice as the original set? I think so. If you’re not a Lush regular, you might struggle with some of the more esoteric products, like 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’re into sweet, fruity fragrances, they smell gorgeous while making amusing stylistic nods to the Super Mario Galaxy universe. I am now awaiting my next Lush toiletry tie-in assignment with bated breath, and secretly hoping that it is Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Or failing that, Elden Ring. Starscourge Radahn shower gel, anyone?
