LUSH, the Poole based manufacturer and retailer of fresh handmade cosmetics, is 50th in "The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For 2008. This is an improvement of 18 places compared to 2007.

UK retail director Liz Bennett said: "I'm so pleased that we've improved so much on last year! It's always an incredible achievement to be part of the top 100 best companies to work for in the UK, so coming 50th is amazing for us."

The only beauty company to make the listing, Lush scored highly in several categories, most notably scoring top spot for staff believing the company does a lot for the environment.

Staff also gave a top 10 score when asked if they find their teams fun to work in; employees say colleagues care for each other, go out of their way to help each other and they get a buzz from working in their teams.

Lush currently employs 1,534 people, with 415 people in three manufacturing units in Poole. It currently has 89 shops throughout the UK, with over 510 shops worldwide and is present in over 40 countries, with manufacturing sites across the world.

Since establishing 11 years ago, Lush Cosmetics has been driven by innovation and its ethics.

Lush operates a strict policy against animal testing and supports Fair Trade and Community Trade initiatives. Lush leads the cosmetics industry in combating over-packaging by running public awareness campaigns and developing products that can be sold naked' to the consumer without any packaging. The company was awarded the RSPCA Good Business Award for 2006 and 2007, along with the 2006 PETA Trailblazer Award for Animal Welfare.

Mrs Bennett said that having been included in the list last year it was difficult to repeat this success. She concluded: "I think it's much harder for companies as they have grown - to maintain these standards - and I'm incredibly proud that we have."

The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For is a guide to the best employers in Britain.