The Body Shop
British cosmetics and personal-care brand known for cruelty-free products, ethical sourcing, community trade, and social activism.
Last updated October 13, 2026
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Overview
The Body Shop is a British cosmetics, skin-care, body-care, hair-care, fragrance, and beauty retail brand founded by Anita Roddick in Brighton in 1976. It began with a small range of products and an unconventional retail model built around refillable containers, straightforward packaging, natural or nature-inspired ingredients, and a strong ethical message. Roddick positioned the company as an alternative to conventional beauty businesses, arguing that cosmetics could be commercially successful while opposing animal testing, supporting producers in lower-income communities, and addressing environmental and social issues. The company expanded rapidly through franchising. By the mid-1980s, it had developed a substantial international store network, with many outlets operated by franchisees rather than directly by the company. Its social identity became central to its marketing and corporate culture. Campaigns addressed animal testing, environmental protection, human rights, body image, and community development. The Community Trade programme, introduced in 1987, sought to purchase ingredients and handcrafted items directly from producer communities at what the company described as fairer prices. The brand also formed relationships with Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Cruelty Free International, and other civil-society organisations. The Body Shop became a public company in 1984 and was later fully listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its growth made it one of the best-known international ethical beauty retailers. The brand also faced criticism, including allegations that its identity and product concepts drew heavily on an earlier, unrelated American business called the Body Shop. A 1991 legal dispute with Bath & Body Works over alleged imitation ended in a confidential settlement. Questions were also raised about the scale and effectiveness of the Community Trade programme and about supply-chain relationships, including a palm-oil controversy involving a Colombian supplier. L'Oréal acquired The Body Shop in 2006. The transaction generated controversy because L'Oréal had sold cosmetics in China while animal testing requirements applied to some imported cosmetics, although L'Oréal had announced an end to its own animal testing earlier. Roddick said the acquisition could give her influence inside a much larger company. After her death in 2007, the brand continued under L'Oréal and later received B Corp certification in 2019. L'Oréal sold it to Natura & Co in 2017 for £880 million, and Natura sold it to the private-equity group Aurelius in 2023 for £207 million. The Aurelius period was followed by severe financial and operational disruption. The UK business entered administration in February 2024, with store closures and substantial job losses. Several European subsidiaries entered insolvency or administration, the US business ceased operations and filed for Chapter 7 liquidation, and the Canadian business sought creditor protection. The UK business and the brand's trademarks were acquired in September 2024 by Auréa Group, led by Mike Jatania and Charles Denton. The brand has since pursued restructuring, franchise, and online strategies in different markets. Its status and footprint vary by country, but The Body Shop remains an internationally recognised beauty brand whose commercial identity is closely associated with ethical consumption and activism. L'Oréal acquired The Body Shop in 2006. The deal was controversial because L'Oréal sold cosmetics in China, where some imported cosmetics were subject to animal-testing requirements, even though L'Oréal had previously announced it had stopped its own animal testing. Roddick said the acquisition could allow her to exert influence inside a larger company. After her death in 2007, the brand continued under L'Oréal and obtained B Corp certification in 2019. L'Oréal sold it to Natura & Co in 2017 for £880 million, and Natura sold it to the private-equity group Aurelius in 2023 for £207 million.
History
Anita Roddick opened the first Body Shop in Brighton, England, in 1976. She initially sought to support herself and her two daughters while her husband, Gordon Roddick, was travelling. The first shop carried about 25 products and used practical refillable containers partly because the business had limited access to suitable packaging. Handwritten labels, minimal conventional advertising, and a distinctive ethical message helped establish the brand's early identity. Gordon Roddick later encouraged expansion through franchising. This model allowed The Body Shop to grow internationally without funding every store directly. By 1984, the business had 138 stores, most outside the United Kingdom. The company floated on London's Unlisted Securities Market in April 1984 and subsequently obtained a full London Stock Exchange listing. Its rapid growth made Roddick one of the most visible advocates of socially responsible business, although the business's marketing and sourcing claims also attracted scrutiny. In 1987, The Body Shop launched Community Trade, initially sourcing a wooden foot roller from Teddy Exports in southern India. The programme later covered ingredients and handcrafted goods such as Brazil-nut oil, sesame oil, honey, and shea butter. The company presented the initiative as a way to connect beauty consumption with better producer livelihoods. Critics argued that the programme represented only a small proportion of total turnover and questioned whether its benefits matched the scale of its public claims. A separate controversy concerned Colombian palm oil supplier Daabon and allegations relating to the eviction of families from land at Las Pavas. The Body Shop eventually dropped the supplier after it failed to establish that it was uninvolved in the dispute. The brand also built a campaigning platform. It opposed animal testing in cosmetics and worked with Cruelty Free International from 1989. It established the Body Shop Foundation in 1990 to support human rights, environmental, and animal-protection initiatives. In 1997, Roddick introduced a self-esteem campaign challenging restrictive and stereotyped representations of women's bodies. In 2000s-era corporate programmes, the company continued to associate its commercial activity with biodiversity, ethical sourcing, and activism. The company's reputation was not uncontested. In 1994, Business Ethics published an investigation alleging that Roddick had borrowed extensively from the earlier, unrelated American Body Shop's name, shop format, marketing approach, and product ideas. In 1987, Roddick had paid the original owners for exclusive rights to the name in the United States; that earlier business later traded as Body Time. The Body Shop also sued Bath & Body Works in 1991 over alleged copying of marketing practices, with the matter ending in a confidential settlement. L'Oréal's 2006 acquisition brought the largest strategic challenge to the brand's ethical positioning. The transaction was controversial because L'Oréal had operated in China during a period when some cosmetics sold there were subject to animal-testing requirements. Roddick argued that ownership by a large cosmetics group might provide leverage to influence industry practices. Following her death in 2007, L'Oréal operated The Body Shop for more than a decade before selling it to Natura & Co in 2017 for £880 million. At the time, the chain had thousands of stores and operations across dozens of countries. The brand obtained B Corp certification in 2019. Natura sold The Body Shop to Aurelius in November 2023 for £207 million. The new ownership period quickly became associated with liquidity problems and restructuring. The UK company entered administration in February 2024, and the process led to store closures and hundreds of job losses. German operations entered administration, other European divisions faced insolvency procedures, Ireland closed its stores, and the Netherlands later filed for bankruptcy. The US business closed its stores and online operation before filing for Chapter 7 liquidation; Canada entered creditor protection and reduced its network. New Zealand later entered voluntary administration and closed its stores before a subsequent franchise-led return. In September 2024, Auréa Group acquired the British business and all trademarks. The new owners have sought to preserve the brand while adapting its retail footprint, online presence, and franchise model. The Body Shop's long-term position depends on rebuilding financial stability, restoring customer confidence, and making its ethical promises credible across a more fragmented international network.
- 2024
UK administration and international restructuring
[1]The UK business enters administration and several overseas operations undergo closures, insolvency, or creditor-protection proceedings.
- 2024
Auréa Group acquisition
[1]Auréa Group acquires the British business and the Body Shop trademarks.
- 2023
Sold to Aurelius
[1]Natura sells The Body Shop to Aurelius for £207 million.
- 2019
B Corp certification
[1]The Body Shop receives B Corp certification.
- 2017
Sold to Natura & Co
[1]L'Oréal sells the brand to Brazil's Natura for £880 million.
- 2006
Acquired by L'Oréal
[1]L'Oréal completes its takeover of The Body Shop for £652.3 million.
- 1990
Body Shop Foundation established
[1]The Roddicks create a foundation supporting human rights, environmental protection, and animal welfare.
- 1987
Community Trade begins
[1]The company launches its producer-sourcing programme, beginning with a wooden roller from an Indian supplier.
- 1984
Public-market debut and rapid expansion
[1]The company floats on London's Unlisted Securities Market and has 138 stores, many outside the United Kingdom.
- 1976
First Brighton store opens
[1]Anita Roddick opens the first Body Shop in Brighton, England, with a small range of beauty products and a refill-oriented retail concept.
Products and positioning
Ethically oriented, cruelty-free, nature-inspired beauty and personal-care brand spanning accessible premium retail and franchise channels.
Skin care
Tea Tree
A blemish-focused skin-care range built around tea tree oil and marketed for cleansing and managing oily or blemish-prone skin. It is one of the brand's most recognisable specialist ranges.
Facial skin care
Vitamin E
A moisturising facial-care range centred on vitamin E-themed formulations, including cleansers, moisturisers, and related hydration products.
Hair care
Ginger Scalp Care
A scalp and hair-care line associated with ginger-inspired formulas and products intended to cleanse, condition, and care for the scalp.
Body care
Body Butters
Rich body moisturisers offered in fragrances and ingredient themes including shea, mango, coconut, olive, strawberry, moringa, and satsuma. Body butters became a signature product format for the brand.
Ingredients and accessories · 1987
Community Trade products
Products incorporating ingredients or handcrafted accessories sourced through the Community Trade programme, including shea butter, honey, sesame oil, Brazil-nut oil, and wooden tools.
Fragrance and bath
Fragrance and bath ranges
A broad group of fragrance, shower, bath, and gift products that extends the brand beyond facial and body moisturisation into everyday personal care.
Controversies
2024
Collapse and restructuring under Aurelius
The UK administration and related international insolvency proceedings exposed severe financial and operational problems, including creditor claims, store closures, and job losses.
2009
Daabon palm-oil supply-chain dispute
Campaigners alleged that a Colombian palm-oil supplier was connected to the forced eviction of families from land at Las Pavas. The Body Shop later dropped the supplier after it could not establish that it was uninvolved.
2006
Controversy over L'Oréal ownership
The acquisition attracted criticism because L'Oréal's presence in China overlapped with animal-testing requirements affecting some cosmetics, creating tension with The Body Shop's cruelty-free activism.
1994
Business Ethics investigation into brand origins
An investigation alleged that Anita Roddick had borrowed substantially from an earlier, unrelated American Body Shop's name, shop design, marketing concept, and product ideas.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Forever Against Animal Testing
International
The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International sought a global prohibition on animal testing for cosmetics. Presented by the company as its largest animal-testing campaign.
Outcome. Presented by the company as its largest animal-testing campaign.
- 2017World Bio-Bridges Mission
International
A corporate-philanthropy programme focused on biodiversity restoration and sustainable supply chains, reframing the company's charitable activity around rewilding and ecological connectivity.
Outcome. Reframed the company's charitable activity around rewilding and ecological connectivity.
- 1997Self-Esteem campaign
International
A campaign challenged narrow beauty ideals and media representations of women's bodies, extending the company's activism into body image and social attitudes toward beauty.
Outcome. Extended the company's activism into body image and social attitudes toward beauty.
- 1989Against Animal Testing
United Kingdom and international
The Body Shop began campaigning with Cruelty Free International against cosmetic animal testing. The brand maintained a cruelty-free positioning and adopted Leaping Bunny certification for its products.
Outcome. The brand maintained a cruelty-free positioning and adopted Leaping Bunny certification for its products.
- 1987Trade Not Aid
International
A campaign and sourcing philosophy promoting direct purchasing from producer communities rather than conventional charitable aid alone. It helped establish the Community Trade model and the brand's ethical commercial identity.
Outcome. Helped establish the Community Trade model and the brand's ethical commercial identity.
Brand decisions
2024
Enter UK administration and restructure marketsStrategyBackground
Following Aurelius's acquisition, the UK business faced liquidity and financing difficulties.
Action taken
Administrators were appointed, stores and head-office roles were reduced, and several country operations entered insolvency or creditor-protection processes.
Aftermath
The UK business was later sold to Auréa Group, while the international network became more fragmented and dependent on restructuring, online, and franchise channels.
2017
Sell to Natura & CoM&ABackground
L'Oréal decided to divest The Body Shop after more than a decade of ownership.
Action taken
Natura acquired the brand and its international operations.
Aftermath
The Body Shop returned to an owner whose portfolio was more closely associated with natural and ethical beauty, before later being sold to Aurelius.
Sale price. £880 million (2017)
2006
Accept L'Oréal takeoverM&ABackground
The independent retailer had grown into a major international beauty chain, while L'Oréal offered a large-scale acquisition.
Action taken
The Body Shop agreed to a takeover valued at £652.3 million.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded the brand's corporate resources but triggered criticism over compatibility between L'Oréal's practices and The Body Shop's ethical commitments.
Takeover value. £652.3 million (2006)
Recent events
The Body Shop launches an activist workshop store in Singapore[4]
Reported:
The Body Shop is launching an interactive “activist workshop” store at the Ion Orchard shopping centre in Singapore, featuring product exploration and recycling, sustainable fixtures, and several outlet-exclusive features.
Sources4 sources
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