Dublin shoppers are being assailed by sweet fragrances wafting on to Grafton Street from new beauty shop Lush, and bewildered when they step in through the open glass doors.

Brightly coloured soaps and bath bombs presented like mouth-watering confectionery are stacked high, fresh face masks made from ingredients like strawberries sit on ice and prices are calculated by weighing customers' purchases like loose fresh fruit or deli products.

Trendy, hip and green, the Lush concept has been embraced by Dublin consumers since its store opened in the weeks before Christmas. While the Grafton Street store - the former American Ex

press premises - is the first to open in the Republic, there is a network of 30 stores across the UK, and one already well established in the north on Belfast's Castle Lane. Launched in 1995 by Mark Constantine, there are now 100 or so stores in over 14 countries and Lush products are a firm favourite with celebrities like the Clintons, mother and daughter, and Madonna.

The Lush approach to retailing is unorthodox and far removed from the traditional cosmetics company. Customers are encouraged to choose their cosmetics personally from the pick 'n mix cleansing bar, where there are ultra-fresh use-within-24hours products in a chilled fish counter-style cabinet.

Under the banner of "Fresh Hand Made Cosmetics", Lush sells a variety of hand-made products, like the green bath bombs that dissolve in the bath.

The shop's highly visible Grafton Street location, where Lush is said to be paying the equivalent of £281 per sq ft Zone A rent, is of great benefit to the newcomers. Judging by the daily crowds, the spot opposite Trinity College has possibly one of the highest volumes of pedestrian traffic in the city. Adrian Gill, managing director of Lush Retail, said he is delighted with how things are going and "although another shop is not imminent, the thinking would be possibly a second shop in Dublin, and the next city would be Cork".