Where did the body shop go wrong?

[Foxes157]

I remember them in the 90s, and remember there stance of being ethical and so many things being relevant to modern society.

Reusable plastics and shopping bags as well as cruelty free cosmetics.

Why did it sell out and become an unethical mlm.

Their aggressive sales people stopped me going in there. You couldn't walk through the door without people pouncing on you.

Such a sad decline, and a classic case of ignoring what your customers want. Their shampoo used to be amazing.

I liked passionfruit cleansing gel too. And ginger shampoo.

Body Shop was only ever able to say 'against animal testing' rather than 'not tested on animals' because they used ingredients that had previously been tested on animals by other people (their own end products never were). Lush were revolutionary in that regard. They didn't use those ingredients.

That's the one lottiegarbanzo! The name of it was bugging me!

About 98% of the products bear no resemblance to the products that they sold in the 90s that were so loved. They were total classics / I can’t believe they discontinued them all and replaced them with really ‘nothing’ stuff. Everything they sell just reminds me of Avon for some reason but really expensive for no good reason. It’s all so mediocre. That and the entire ethical, environmentally friendly message disappeared. If they still sold all the old favourite products and provided the bottle refilling service I would still shop there.

My first ever Body Shop product was a gift, a little bottle of vanilla bath salts, with a hand-written label.

You used to be able to take bottles in for a re-fill. That and a range of sizes, so you could get as much or as little as you needed, was a big part of the original ethos. I seem to remember wandering in with a bottle in, hmm, maybe the early 90s and getting blank looks.

I went in to a branch a couple of years ago to browse hair products but there were non in store, just body products an a ton of hemp hand cream. When I asked I was told shampoo and conditioner were in the stock room and if I let them know which one I wanted they would get it for me I didn't bother. Probably loads of people unaware of the back room shampoos and conditioners.

I agree that it has become pricey, but I appear to be in the minority in that I prefer its more “grown up” range of products. The Drops of Youth and vitamin E skincare is fantastic and The Fuji Green Tea range smells gorgeous.

I really dislike toiletries that smell of any kind of food. Fruity smells, coconut, chocolate etc just smell sickly (and childish, sorry fuzzy peach lovers ) and off putting.

I agree that they are too hasty to discontinue stuff. I particularly liked the vitamin E facial wash bar, but they no longer make that.

Just seeing this thread title in the horrifically named 'trending now' section, and it set of a smell-memory of banana conditioner so realistic, I could have sworn there was a tester bottle under my nose. I know they still do one, but it is not proper, as the packaging is WRONG.

I miss old Body Shop.

I liked the bubble bath when you used a basic bottle and then added essential oil from the scent bar.I loved getting bottles refilled
It was not cheap but there was nothing much else available.It was a go to for yourums/sister's birthday as a young teen and then for yourself once you had a job.
There seems to be less variety now.Dd likes the lip balms in fruity flavours but we buy little else.
Lush is over priced though I like some of the soap but have a sneezing fit after 5 mins due to the overpowering smell as they usually nsist on demonstrating bath bombs.

Oh my god, I can still smell the green glycerine cucumber turtle soap! I never used it, just sniffed it! And being asked if you wanted a bag in the nineties, tantamount to asking if you really wanted that highly decorative river island carrier! Of course I do! It's why I come shopping on Saturday! To show off! Brilliant back then, those glass rods that you tested 32 perfumes with, then bought the white musk anyway

I think it is making a come back definitely. Someone who works for Body Shop had replied on these posts before to say they are moving back to their roots, and you can see that in my opinion. I've bought several times from them in the last couple of years since the new ownership after ignoring them since the Loreal sale in 2006 when they were heavily boycotted.

I bought some soap bars just last week, the kids love the Satsuma and Strawberry ones and they aren't expensive. It was £5 for 3 bars (£2.50, buy 2 get one free).

I'm keeping my eye out now, hoping they bring back the kids range, animal soap bars etc, bath pearls or mini bath bombs, shampoo bars, etc

those glass rods that you tested 32 perfumes with, then bought the white musk anyway ha ha ha ha that takes me back! Although my favourite was Strawberry, which looking (smelling) back was horrifically sickly sweet.

I remember the hand written labels too.

Do they still sell packs of dried henna? I was a frequent user in the early 80s.
It smelled terrible.

Their soap bars are really good.
I do miss the ice blue shampoo, it was fabulous.

Does anyone remember a "mallow" themed product? Probably something-mallow? It came up in a recent body shop nostalgia thread and I couldn't find anything on google but I'm sure it existed!

I liked green apple soap.

I do like the more recent vitamin e range.

If they brought back the perfumes, soaps and bath pearls that might attract some of their original customers back. I've boycotted since they were sold to loreal and now it seems so expensive compared to other brands I've come to trust.

I haven't been into Body Shop for ages but did replace my last Hemp hand cream about three years ago. I used to love the ginger and the banana shampoos, all my offspring liked one or the other too, until they were old enough to buy their own more conventional brands. Oh, and White Musk, loved that for a year or so, I still have a talc that's probably 15 years old and only gets used on the very rare occasions I go barefoot on a beach.

I loved the fact you could buy a range of sizes which made it very affordable, and there were ALWAYS testers available for practically every product, Cucumber cleansing milk was another fave of mine. I seem to remember the Body shop in my town was rammed on a Saturday you could hardly move, now there's hardly anyone in there, such a shame.

Too expensive.

I also think the packaging now is too fancy, I just couldn't be arsed to read them! The old green labels were straight to the point with no faff.

I used to love the dewberry, fuzzy peach, white musk and tea rose ranges. And the animal soaps, kiwi lip balm and strawberry sundae lip balm

Got rid of the animal soaps. I used to love them

I came here just to say that!

I like it a lot more now that it's owned by Natura. It's expensive but they have some good offers and their banana shampoo and conditioner, olive oil soap and matte liquid lippy are lovely. They're definitely missing a trick by not resurrecting some of their classic products - nostalgia sells!

then bought the white musk anyway
💞💞💞
still one of the most evocative perfumes for me 😊
although they're probably change the formulation now