Karma

Incredible, long lasting and my most complimented fragrance!

Just been to my local store for a bottle of my favourite perfume (Lord of Misrule) after speaking to a lovely lady who works there I ended up buying a bottle of Karma also because it smells so gorgeous! I honestly can’t stop smelling it ..
If you like LOMR I’m sure you will love this scent

Karma has always smelled really strange on my skin, so when I heard it had changed formulation I decided to into my local Lush to try it. I’ve always loved the scent on others and have used the Good Karma shower gel since it came out, but never been able to wear the perfume because it smelled pretty vile on me. Now, however, with the new formula, it smells amazing on me and doesn’t change. It’s definitely more orange at first but dries down to smell identical to the shower gel - patchouli and pine. Delighted to add this to my ever growing Lush perfume collection.
Please, please bring out a wax melt in Karma, lovely Lush team! The wax melts are such amazing quality and I have them all, but there’s definitely a patchouli gap in the range.

I’ve religiously used Karma for more years than I care to remember (probably dating back to the 90’s). It’s the only perfume I ever use; I have absolutely loved the scent and everyone always commented positively on it. I read some of the recent reviews and was worried seeing that there was mention of the scent having changed slightly. Having just come to the end of my last 100ml bottle, I thought, in light of the reviews, that I would get the 30ml bottle (just in case). I hoped I wouldn’t notice a difference but, whilst the smell isn’t off putting, it’s not the same Karma that we have come to know and love (that lovely hippy vibe that comes from Karma is missing … I can’t smell any patchouli at all). I’m not sure that I can return if I’ve sprayed it once? Thankfully the Karma soap I also purchased still smells the same. Alongside the Karma perfume I also bought Lord of Misrule perfume for the first time. It’s bloomin gorgeous! … think this will be my fragrance moving forward … please don’t change this one Lush ;)

I used to buy Karma back in 1996, when lush used to sell it in tiny 7ml bottles with gold lids in cellophane bags with a bubble bar. It was sharp orange, lemongrass, patchouli and fir. A bohemian, comforting balsamic scent that lasted and lasted. The drydown was as beautiful as the top and middle notes. It just doesn’t last long anymore.

Sadly, Karma has undergone many changes over the years, and in 2001, there was a change that ended things for me. I bought a bottle every couple of years, just Incase it changed - and then I got into perfumery and learned about regulations. I know people are disappointed about the changes and I really understand that. I prefer the softer addition of the orange flower element that Karma Kream has. It’s not what I would choose but the last one just smelled terrible on me. The drydown with my chemistry seems much less harsh and resinous than previous versions. Something just wasn’t working. I realise it isn’t what it was, and if it was possible, I would swap every product I have in my collection for the original formula. It’s a scent that has many great memories of being a 90s coffee shop goth 😄 and memories of being a teenager, with my partner of 27 years.

If you’re a bit of a hippy and never smelled this, I recommend it. The DNA is there, but the high points of this once great Lush icon, are just not the same.

2 stars off for having to move with the laws of perfumery, but 3 for the happy memories and better wear and softer drydown on the new formulation. If there’s a way to ever change it, I’ll be first in line, like I was from the beginning, back in the 90s. I still recommend it.