At Lush’s South by Southwest activation, the body-care company is showcasing not just bath bombs, but also truth bombs about big tech.

The brand’s Lush House pop-up at the annual Austin event opened on March 10 with a focus on “digital divestment,” highlighting the brand’s 2021 choice to exit TikTok and Meta-owned social platforms due to ethical concerns. As part of the activation, the brand commissioned a research report with U.K.-based survey company Opinium Research to learn about people’s sentiments around ethics, social media and brands. The pop-up features a series of related talks with Lush execs and other activists in the space, including Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. And of course, it is also showcasing its signature bath products.

With heavy tech industry attendance at SXSW, the pop-up is “a conversation starter, let’s put it that way,” said Annabelle Baker, Lush global brand director. She described the pop-up and its programming as “a little bit of a prod” to big tech. The series of talks held March 10-13 will conclude on Monday with a talk between Baker and Haugen about how social media can be “sustainable, open-sourced, community-controlled, iterative, accessible and life-affirming,” Baker said.

According to the report, which surveyed 8,000 U.S. adults between February 13-21, consumers are all for a decision like Lush’s. It found that 73% of respondents think brands should exit “unethical” social platforms, and 75% believe the same for regular users....

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