They’re fizzing – just like their famous bath bombs – and for good reason.

Poole-based Lush enjoyed the best trading month in its 28-year history in December in the UK and Ireland.

Sales of £40.5m exceeded forecasts and beat the same month in 2021 by 13.1 per cent.

They were also up 11 per cent versus pre-pandemic sales in 2019.

The handmade cosmetics giant employs 665 permanent manufacturing staff in Poole growing to over 1,300 in the seasonal period.

It also saw customers flock to its stores.

Physical retail soared, generating growth of 18 per cent versus 2021.

Kat Hannible, Lush UK&I Retail Director, pictured left, said: “We were confident in a return to a more traditional Christmas trading pattern this year, and increased our stock levels and seasonal recruitment to provide the best possible experience for our customers.

“I’m happy to say that our optimistic preparation paid off, and we’re delighted to report these results.

“I cannot over emphasise the credit that is due to our shop and digital fulfilment staff, who have overcome the challenges of this year to deliver a fantastic Christmas.

“We are also grateful to our manufacturing teams in Dorset making fresh products around the clock as the sales kept coming.”

In the UK and Ireland, Lush sold more than 148,000 of its popular Snow Fairy gift sets in the run up to Christmas.

Hundreds of thousands of stand-alone products from the cult Christmas range also flew off the digital and physical shelves.

All the company’s products are made fresh and by hand at one of its seven global manufacturing sites.

The fresh range of seasonal and all year round products enjoyed by customers in the UK and Ireland are manufactured from the brand’s Poole sites.

Lush has several manufacturing, office and research and development locations spread across the Nuffield Industrial Estate, Fleets Corner Business Park, Blandford Road in Hamworthy and Poole Quay.

In the run up to Christmas, specially trained compounders and production assistants in Poole:

• Pressed over 879,330 Snow Fairy bath bombs
• Poured 153,700 Snow Fairy Lush Melts
• Sliced more than 326,640 Snow Fairy bubble bars

Poole is also home to the company’s research and development hub, where new and innovative products are invented and developed before being manufactured on a large scale.

Lush has two retail locations in Dorset – 29 High Street, Poole, and 25 Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth town centre.

29 High Street is the original Lush shop which has been occupied by the brand’s founders and product inventors since Lush was founded in 1995.