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.

It’s way too expensive. Dd likes their ginger shampoo but it’s £9 a bottle!

I loved the Japanese washing grains

spent a ridiculous amount of money as it was highly recommend on Dermalogica gentle face scrub - to my surprise it’s the Japanese washing grains

Then discovered that Waitrose Pure range (which is really good) also do a gentle face wash that is just like the Japanese washing grains just as good as Dermalogica for fraction of the cost - the smell takes me back to being a teenager

These have all already been mentioned but for me it is:

• No small bottles
• No bubble bath
• No shampoo (apparently)
• Price

I still go there every three months or so to stock up on Vitamin E face cream and Tea Tree face wash but I agree the prices are staggering. Also they have often run out of the face wash. They made the Vit E cream containers much smaller but didn't make the price lower, the assistant tried to tell me that because it was three for two or something it worked out the same but it was always three for two (or whatever) on skincare. She was very nice though - after my mini strop she went and got me the last five proper sized Vit E cream and I am still working my way through them...

Loved it as a teen in the late 80s /early 90s,but then they discontinued the ginger shampoo and the ice blue one, got rid of most of the testers, and stopped doing refills /accepting empty bottles - got told snottily it was a security risk as someone might bomb them...

Also Boots Natural Collection kicked off so I used their vanilla lip balm and stuff instead. Went in one recently and it was better than expected but I'm amazed they've staggered on this long - they just aren't a place to go any more and look always empty.

I signed up for the Body Shop card to receive emails about offers etc. i only buy when they have 30% off, buy one get one half price or 3 for 2. These offers are on quiet a lot and i regularly receive an email with a £5.00 off voucher because of the points i have accumulated.

There's so many natural/ethical/organic/vegan brands now that have way better products and for way less money. Sukin, Natura Siberica, Boots Botanics.....and if I want to fork out £20, I'd rather buy Liz Earle!

Does anyone remember the matte lipsticks in the long tubes! Fuck, they were so dry but everyone loved them!

I go in once a year to get a free handcream with my birthday £5 voucher and thats about it now

Me too.

I'd sell my granny for a little glass bottle of Rose Musk, however.

They stopped being fun....they used to have mad things like colour change bubble bath and liquorice shower gel that was cheap enough for teenagers and students to afford.

Everything is body butter.

The last thing I bought regularly in BS was an absolutely divine smelling sleep spray that was discontinued about 6 years ago - I keep looking for a dupe but no luck yet.
I don’t understand why they don’t bring back the old favourites. I think it’s pretty big abroad though- I’ve seen a few branches in the states and my local branch is always filled with tourists.
I met the daughter of the couple who ran our local branch when I was a teen in the mid 90s and it was like meeting a CELEBRITY . Oh the glamooor of dewberry on tap!

In 30+ years I still haven't worked what body butter is really for. I have never in my life thought 'oh, my skin is all a bit dry and lacking in, oh, melty butteriness. I know, what I need is body butter!'

I like some of their skincare - drops of youth foaming cleanser and moisturiser for example.

If you buy it on 3 for 2 and accumulate points it’s not as pricey.

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

If it's the XHC ones, I saw them in B&M recently too.

I love the body shop stuff, it’s so much better than lush! All my toiletries are body shop 😂 I do only buy offers or sale stuff though. The vitamin e face range is absolutely gorgeous and has made my skin so much better. The grapefruit body wash and hand cream is just amazing as is the banana shampoo and conditioner. I love it more than the 90s as the quality is soooo much better.

I wish to god they’d do something about all the plastic though.

Kiwi lip balm, bath pearls pix a mix. Animal soaps

The thing that killed it for me is they never kept anything or brought it back seasonally. I love their peppermint candy cane and it never came back this christmas

The body butter was always good for preventing stretch marks when pregnant. It worked for me. They must have a really high staff turnover as the staff always look so fed up at having to hassle customers into buying things.

I love the body shop. I get my shower gel and face moisturiser from there. I also love the polynesian body oil.
I hope it doesn't close. They need to increase the range and reduce the prices. I only shop at the outlet.

The Bodyshop used to do a banana conditioner which was literally just like mashed banana!

I use their shampoo, conditioner and giant shower gels. The cactus blossom range was gorgeous- a lovely holiday smell.

I can't remember the last time I paid full price in there, mind.

The Body Shop have a refill service at the store opposite Bond Street tube station.

You can also recycle packaging at their stores:
www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/packaging/return-recycle-repeat/e00011

All their products (make up at least) that are sold in stores in Asia, are made in China.

I stopped buying their things since finding out this (I don’t buy any makeup that’s made in China).

You can still get banana shampoo and conditioner, and also pink grapefruit shower gel. I used to love Japanese washing grains too but also Viennese chalk, which smoothed your face and made it so soft when using alongside the JWG. I used to love the beech lip liner until one I bought just dragged along the skin and left no colour - they must have changed the formulation. I got annoyed when they changed their concealer from a lipstick style twist one to a pencil one which meant you had to buy the special sharpener as well, and it was really wasteful too as it needed sharpening so often.

Does anyone remember the azuki beans, for exfoliation, in a little pull-string canvas bag?

When I used to go in the 90s as a teenager it was a proper activity. We would probably spend a hour in there, testing and sniffing everything, looking at all the expensive baskets, the bath pearls and figuring out what we could get for £2. I reckon a lot of shoppers didn’t spend that much money in there so perhaps now it’s empty because people buy toiletries and makeup quickly or online, and teenagers have other stuff to do nowadays.

Oops, I think that might be the Japanese washing grains.