Beauty brand Lush has a massage bar that is freaking its users out! After a few days of using the soap in the shower, the massage bar supposedly sprouts plants in the drain. However, the company said there is no reason to panic about it.
The Lush product is called the Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bar, and despite its name, it doesn't have magical properties like Jack's beans in "Jack and the Beanstalk." Lush created the product for soothing tired and aching muscles, and works wonders for runners or athletes who engage in a lot of physical activity. Some reportedly also use the massage bar for chronic body pain, instead of taking pain relievers.
Wiccy Magic Muscles is filled with fresh ingredients like cocoa butter, jojoba, cinnamon and peppermint oil so that one experiences a warm and tingly feeling when the soap is applied to the skin. The bar also has aduki beans, which are commonly used in Asian cuisine. Aduki has a vivid maroon color and rich taste. It's great for making red bean ice cream and other desserts, but is believed to stimulate to the body.
A photo posted by Kate (@moonlitlushie) on Mar 6, 2016 at 6:39pm PST
When planted, aduki beans usually emerge between 10 to 20 days in a cold climate, but it looks like the plant has been thriving well in users' warm and moist shower stalls. Photos of the beans from Lush's massage bar that have been growing in showers have gone viral on the internet.
Lush's cofounder, Helen Ambrosen, is aware of its soap's quirky effect, but advised its consumer base not to be alarmed about it. "We use organic aduki beans to create a texture in the massage bar, so that you've got small bead-like shapes to massage the muscles," Amrbosen said. "In order for the beans to germinate they must have been left in the shower for a few days. The results you get just go to show how fresh the ingredients really are."
You don't actually need to be in the shower to use the massage bar, as Lush instructs on its site that it should simply be glided on the skin and left to melt. "As massage bars are made with natural butters and oils, take care to ensure they absorb completely before putting on your best PJ's."
"These massage bars aren't intended for use in the shower but it's easy to see how these seeds can sprout in drains and potentially cause damage to plumbing if they were to get caught in drains," cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos said. "Traditional preservatives used in cosmetics protect against the growth of bacteria, yeast, and mold but won't prevent these aduki beans from growing when exposed to the right conditions."
