Seamus Hammond
The Body Shop is a well-known British cosmetics, skincare, and perfume company that has been advocating for animal rights since 1989. The company has been praised for its ethical stance on animal testing and has been recognised as a cruelty-free brand by various sources. In 2024, The Body Shop announced that its entire product range is now fully vegan and certified by The Vegan Society. This has sparked a global movement, with the company being hailed as an icon of animal cruelty-free products. The Body Shop's fragrances, such as the iconic White Musk range, are marketed as cruelty-free perfumes, and the company has committed to using innovative and effective cruelty-free ingredients in all its products.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cruelty-free | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes, since 2024 |
| Parent company | Natura & Co (since 2017), previously L'Oreal |
| Year founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Anita Roddick |
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What You'll Learn
The Body Shop's cruelty-free history
The Body Shop has a long history of campaigning for cruelty-free cosmetics. The company was founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, who opened her first store in her hometown of Brighton, UK, with the vision of selling products with ethically sourced, cruelty-free, and natural ingredients. None of Roddick's products were tested on animals, and the ingredients were sourced directly from producers.
In the late 1970s, Roddick's partner, Gordon, suggested the business grow through franchising. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the company joined several campaigns related to social responsibility and environmental issues. The Body Shop also formed alliances with Greenpeace and Amnesty International.
In 1986, The Body Shop partnered with Cruelty Free International (CFI), an animal cruelty NGO, to campaign to end animal testing in cosmetics. This partnership has spanned five decades and has included campaigns from Canada to Japan to Europe and beyond. In 1989, The Body Shop received the Leaping Bunny logo certification from CFI, confirming that its products are non-animal tested and cruelty-free.
In 2006, The Body Shop was purchased by L'Oreal, a French cosmetics company that had ceased animal testing in 1989 but had begun selling its products in China in 1997, where cosmetics are required by law to be tested on animals. This caused some media controversy, with critics questioning L'Oreal's commitment to ending animal testing. However, Roddick defended the sale, stating that she believed it could allow her to be a "Trojan Horse" within L'Oreal, working through The Body Shop to improve its standards on animal testing and environmental issues.
In 2017, The Body Shop was sold again, this time to the Brazilian beauty firm Natura & Co. The company has since worked to move back to its roots, championing cruelty-free beauty and alternative methods to animal testing. In 2021, The Body Shop announced that all its products would be certified vegan by the Vegan Society by the end of 2023, a goal that was achieved in January 2024.
Today, The Body Shop continues to be a brand that fights for social and environmental causes, with a commitment to creating cruelty-free and vegan products.
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The Body Shop's current stance on cruelty-free
The Body Shop has been a well-known advocate of animal rights since 1989. It was the first global beauty brand to fight against animal testing in cosmetics and was the first company to be certified with the Leaping Bunny logo in 1997. The Body Shop has always been one of the most ethical brands at the mall, and it's wonderful that they're getting closer to their roots again.
In January 2024, The Body Shop announced that its entire product range is now fully vegan and certified by The Vegan Society. The company’s new marketing campaign “Yes! Another Vegan” will be promoting this important change of a brand many vegans have been wishing for.
The Body Shop was previously owned by L'Oreal, a company that refused to adopt company-wide policies against animal testing. However, in 2017, the company was acquired by Natura & Co, a Brazilian beauty firm that has since been working to move back to its roots by championing cruelty-free beauty and alternative methods to animal testing.
Natura & Co has confirmed its cruelty-free status and has not tested on animals since January 11, 2006. The Body Shop's entire line of fragrances is cruelty-free, and the company has been certified by PETA and the Nature Watch Foundation.
The Body Shop has a strong corporate culture, and its employees are motivated to ensure that all the products are made up of 100% vegetables and plants and are forever firmly against animal testing.
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The Body Shop's parent companies
The Body Shop, a British cosmetics, skincare, and perfume company, was founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick. The company has changed hands several times over the years, with different parent companies owning it at various intervals.
In 2006, The Body Shop was purchased by L'Oreal for £652 million. This decision was seen as a betrayal of the company's ethical values by some loyal customers, as L'Oreal did not adopt company-wide policies against animal testing.
In 2017, The Body Shop was sold again, this time to the Brazilian beauty firm Natura & Co. for £880 million. Under Natura's ownership, The Body Shop struggled financially, despite redesigning its stores and introducing a refill service.
In November 2023, global private equity group Aurelius acquired The Body Shop from Natura for £207 million. The transaction was expected to close in December 2023, and Aurelius planned to work with The Body Shop's management team to drive operational excellence and leverage its expertise in omnichannel retail and wholesale markets.
In July 2024, it was announced that a consortium of investors led by the Auréa Group was set to buy The Body Shop for an undisclosed amount. The Body Shop had entered administration (the UK equivalent of bankruptcy) earlier that year and was facing financial struggles in multiple geographies.
Despite the changes in ownership, The Body Shop has maintained its commitment to cruelty-free and ethical practices. In January 2024, the company announced that its entire product range was fully vegan and certified by The Vegan Society, a significant step forward in reducing animal use and exploitation in the beauty industry.
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The Body Shop's vegan status
The Body Shop is a British cosmetics, skincare, and perfume company founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick. The company has been cruelty-free since its inception and has never tested its ingredients, formulations, or finished products on animals. The Body Shop was also the first beauty retailer to campaign against animal testing.
In January 2024, The Body Shop announced that its entire product range had become fully vegan and certified by The Vegan Society. This means that all of their products are now formulated without any animal-derived ingredients or by-products. The Vegan Society's certification process involves meticulously investigating every raw material within a company's formulated product catalogue, and The Body Shop had over 4,000 raw materials to check.
The Body Shop's transition to veganism was not without its challenges. The company had to consider the impact on local communities who supplied animal-derived products and prepare them for the change. Additionally, there may still be old, discontinued formulations that have not been certified by The Vegan Society present in the market.
The Body Shop has also implemented eco-friendly packaging initiatives, such as reducing plastic use, offering a Return.Recycle.Repeat scheme, and working towards making their packaging 100% recyclable.
The Body Shop's commitment to veganism and cruelty-free practices has been recognised by various organisations and consumers. The Vegan Society has awarded them the Vegan Trademark, and PETA and Leaping Bunny recognise the company as cruelty-free.
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The Body Shop's cruelty-free fragrances
The Body Shop is a well-known British cosmetics, skincare, and perfume company founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, a known animal lover and vegetarian. The company has always been one of the most ethical brands, advocating for animal rights since 1989 and becoming the first global beauty brand to fight against animal testing in cosmetics. In 2006, the company was purchased by L'Oreal, a French company that refused to adopt company-wide policies against animal testing. This caused some controversy, with some customers boycotting the brand. However, in 2017, The Body Shop was acquired by Brazilian beauty firm Natura & Co, which has been working to move the company back to its cruelty-free roots. Natura & Co has confirmed its cruelty-free status and does not sell any cosmetic products in regions where animal testing is mandatory for imported cosmetics.
In January 2024, The Body Shop announced that its entire product range is now fully vegan and certified by The Vegan Society. This means that all of their fragrances are not only cruelty-free but also vegan. The Body Shop carries a range of cruelty-free fragrances, including their iconic White Musk® fragrance range. Their fragrances are made with innovative and effective cruelty-free ingredients, and the company works fairly with farmers and suppliers through their Community Trade Program to ensure that all products are made from 100% vegetables and plants.
The Body Shop has a strong commitment to being cruelty-free and has been certified with the Leaping Bunny logo since 1997. They are also certified by the Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark, ensuring that their products are truly vegan and cruelty-free. The company has a strict no-animal-testing policy and does not sell their products in regions that require animal testing, such as China.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, The Body Shop is a well-known cruelty-free cosmetics brand. In fact, it was the first global beauty brand to fight against animal testing in cosmetics and was the first company to be certified with the Leaping Bunny logo in 1997.
The Leaping Bunny logo is a certification that guarantees consumers that no new animal tests are used in any phase of product development by a company, or by any supplier, or by any ingredient manufacturer.
The Body Shop was founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, an animal lover and vegetarian who was against animal testing. The company was purchased by L'Oreal in 2006, a company that does not have a company-wide policy against animal testing. In 2017, The Body Shop was acquired by Natura & Co, a cruelty-free company.
Yes, in January 2024, The Body Shop announced that its entire product range is now fully vegan and certified by The Vegan Society.
Other cruelty-free perfume brands include Shay and Blue, London, Lolita Lempicka, Commodity, and Aesop.
