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.

I wear White Musk and loads of people ask me if it’s White Musk and tell me they used to use it.

As for the shops being rammed in the 80s compared to now - you could say that about most shops nowadays..

Anita Roddick sold out to Nestle.

I remember Body Shop as a teen in the 80s, the stuff they were doing back then about refilling bottles was way ahead of the curve. And their products were reasonably priced - I could certainly afford them on pocket money and Saturday job wages.

Now they're expensive, have lost all of their ethical appeal and other stores do the same thing, much better.

I go in once a year to get a free handcream with my birthday £5 voucher and thats about it now, I just never see anything in there that inspires me or seems worth the price.

I love the aloe Vera moisturizer. It doesn't set off my very sensitive skin, isn't perfumed, works well and feels fab.
I get totally pissed off with the random discounts. Just price it slightly lower all the time.

They went wrong by getting rid of Japanese washing grains that I loved!

The first Body Shop opened in 1976, I happened to be working in the same street.
The idea of taking bottles to be refilled was a bit off the wall in those days and I'm not sure many people bothered, and yes, it was all quite affordable.

Not sure where she went wrong really. I think her husband may not have been completely on board with the ethos.
Then she got ill.

I've rediscovered it recently and actually really like it; like many, i went off when they sold out to Loreal.
I don't think the make - up and creams are particularly expensive although some items are. Most other beauty brands are not cruelty free, and the ones that are tend to be.more expensive than the body shop. I will only buy cruelty free products. Any company that supplies China cannot claim to be cruelty -free. I think younger girls are quite into it now. I certainly rediscovered it because of my daughter.

Gosh I'd forgotten the ginger shampoo. I can smell it now!

I popped into one before Christmas. I hadn't been in for years but remembered they used to have a lovely mother and baby range. Not any more nor any of the old favourites.It was stripped back and just felt like any other store.
The Body Shop used to feel and smell different with the colours and the oddly shaped little soaps and all the little pieces you could buy for £2. I guess teens don't really have an equivalent now.

It was never affordable

^^ This. I was a teenager in it's heyday and remember it being more expensive than Boots or Superdrug or anywhere really so only buying the cheapest products or things on sale and it still being quite expensive, but you paid the prices because it was ethical and the products were nice.

When they bring out something you really like, only to find it discontinued only a few months later.

This.

I gave up when they changed the range of shampoos, packaging, everything really, it was sometime towards the end of the 90's. I used to buy the grapefruit shampoo, wheat spray on conditioner and face exfoliator in a little cardboard tub. They all went and so did I.

I used to find the carrot face or body cream went off really fast and the eyeshadows always changed colour so had already given up on those.

I did try to buy from there but really they had nothing I wanted any more, and then it sold out to animal testing l'oreal and I never looked again.

Do they still sell Ananya? I still have a bottle of white musk in the house - it takes me right back to my youth, but I'd love a bottle of Ananya.

I used to be fascinated by the hamper shrink wrap machine.
You could try and do the same with the hair dryer and cling film. But it was never the same

I was a teenager in the 80's and I thought the stuff was gimmicky and overpriced back then...no way could I afford it......the only thing ive bought from BS in the last 10 years is Japanese Cherry Blossom perfume.

it's sad how Roddick sold out

Possibly distracted by having a terminal illness

Body Shop will really miss a trick if they don’t capitalise on the zero waste popularity and bring back the refillable bottle service. Apparently it was discontinued for being unpopular but it won’t be now.

They could also bring in a range of products with recyclable packing along with more soap

I used to stink of Dewberry. Think I must have used a bottle of the shower gel everyday.

One of my siblings buys me some of their shower gel occasionally to remind us of being teens in the school holidays and our big trip out to the city centre.
I wish they'd do the refills. Not an option at my nearest one (and they get bored with me banging on about it).

They were doing a thing last year where they would swop five empty product plastic bottles for a £5 voucher, but it’s finished now.

Rumour has it that AR hoped that L’Oréal would take the lead from body shop re animal testing, but it never happened, did it.

Body Shop still do the banana and ginger shampoos but there are copies of them in places like Poundland 😃

'it's sad how Roddick sold out'

I think she had more pressing stuff going on

I pop in sometimes as I like the moringa scent and the soaps, but it’s bloody expensive for what it is and I hate being hassled to the extent they do in store. Lush is the same. Let me sniff what I want and stop dragging me to things I don’t want that are on offer whilst rubbing some cream into my hands!

Also - bags of bath pearls. I miss them!

I was watching ‘This Life’ last week and one of the characters (Milly) had one of the distinctive green labelled bottles on her bedside table. Such memories, but I used to visit in the 80’s when the labels looked hand-written. Could only afford the tiny sizes, I longed for the big bottles! I wore the coconut perfume oil.
Memories...

The body shop ALWAYS has online codes for 25-30% discount. I haven't bought anything full price in years from them! Their camomile eye makeup remover is the best I've ever tried, I also use a camomile cleanser and one of their body yogurts so shop regularly from them. But wouldn't pay full price!

The problems with the Body Shop started at the very beginning. I have a friend who worked in the original Body Shop in Berkeley (nothing to do with Anita Roddick). If anyone is interested:www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2004-02-03/article/18201?headline=Made-In-Berkeley-Berkeley-s-Body-Time-the-Original-Body-Shop&status=301

www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2004-02-03/article/18201?headline=Made-In-Berkeley-Berkeley-s-Body-Time-the-Original-Body-Shop&status=301

Another person here who loved the animal soaps.
They used to do some fruity lip balms too that were quite good.

They've not held their market, but also teen spending has changed. I remember spending my saved pocket money in the Body Shop, whereas it's fairly common in my school now for teens to be buying Urban Decay Naked Pallettes at 13. There's certainly a reasonable following of teens who are very clued up on makeup and beauty, they know all the brands and I think quite a bit of that is the social media generation.