To wish The Body Shop were back in all its 1970s glory?

[SabineUndine]

Honestly, all the earlier talk about baths has got me going. I've got Bayliss and Harding strawberry and pomegranate shower soap but it's not Body Shop strawberry body wash with sea salt. Oh, how I miss the multifarious bath gunges they used to do.

I loved the tobacco flower perfume.

Also white musk, and rose musk oil. Loved the rotating white perfumery tester table.
I got a little facial brush I got ages ago and it's still going strong- great for buffing skin with cleanser.... Years and years before sonic face brushes.

I haven't been in to the body shop for years. Or bought burts bees stuff either- bar their lemon butter cuticle cream. They've sold out too.

I use dr organics stuff from Holland and Barrett now. It's wonderful - no parabens sls or nasties.

I loved the animal soap, the mountain gorilla that I think smelled of liquorice or aniseed was my favourite. I also loved Dewberry. I had a body shop notebook with all save the animals stuff on it too.

The last time I went in there for a foundation, about 3 years ago, I was coerced into buying £50 worth of makeup by the "helpful" assistant who assured me I needed it because, and I quote, my face "looks tired and needs an overhaul." I was 25

I was too embarrassed to say no and I've never gone back since.

Does anyone else remember, mid to late 80's that they would BUY your nail clippings off you???

I have such a vivid memory of discussing this at school but never actually did it.

Was that true or was someone having a laugh?

Oooh, the peppermint foot lotion was wonderful. I use to keep it in the fridge and rub it in when I got home after a long night dancing. Now I use H2Oplus mint foot rub I discovered whilst staying at Disney's Grand Californian. Popped it in the mini-fridge and it was heaven after a day in the Parks.

I haven't been in a Body Shop in ages. Not sure why.

I used to love White Musk perfume. I used to drive to my then boyfriend's (now husband's) place on a cloud of White Musk. It's a heavy, cloying perfume that I wouldn't wear now.

However, I have been known to sniff a tester of it and remember.....

I buy my make up from there but it's expensive.

I am the proud owner of a 1960s spray bottle of Mary Quant's Havoc perfume. I sniff it now and then and it still smells exciting. Wonder if I'm sitting on a gold mine.

Ah bugger, I started buying Body Shop banana shampoo recently thinking they didn't test on animals.

Back to Lush. I can trust them, right?

Captain as long as you're not pro-hunting with hounds: one of the organisations they support is the Hunt Saboteurs Association. Plane Stupid is another. But they don't test on animals!

hefzi do Body Shop or Lush support Hunt Sabbers?
I'm hoping you say Lush, as I don't know if I could bite the bullet and go back on my Body Shop ban since L'Oreal took over.
I hate the thought of giving money to them, the main company have noqualms what so ever testing on animals, so while the Body Shop's stuff might not be tested, the profits are still going to a company that does!

I miss their Dewberry stuff, the scent of my childhood!

Thanks, am not pro hunting so Lush is all good in my book.

Oh and YY to everyone saying they used to be about reducing waste, ethics and environmentalism.
Now they are just a flashy, expensive arm of L'Oreal, whoare trading on the old ethics to sell, but in reality it's just as unethical as their main brand stuff.

those soaps made in the shape of animals

I used to love them . When I was little every Christmas I'd get a little Satsuma moisturiser and bubble bath in a woven bag as a stocking filler. It was lovely and really cheap. Went in a few months ago and not only do they not do them any more but the prices in there were ridiculous.

I'd forgotten about the green labels. My first experience if them was when I was about 10 (late 70s), a friend of my mum bought me a little bottle of their bubble bath with a handwritten green label on, saying it was from a new shop that had opened somewhere nearby (we lived on the South coast, not sure if it was the original Brighton branch). Happy days.

Aww, Dewberry five oils lotion was my fav, along with the pink grapefruit soap. I used to love the banana hair putty and so many memories of the coconut hair gel, I can smell it now, along with the pineapple face wash.

Anita Roddick was an amazing woman, such a vision. Sadly L'oreal own The Body Shop now. Enough said I think.

She was certainly a brilliant bullshitter, who made millions believe she had ethical standards that she promptly lost when offered enough money by L'Oreal.

YANBU, the Body Shop used to be such a thrilling place to visit. Now it is sad and empty.

I bought lush when it was cosmetics to go, remember a huge pot peanut butter body scrub

I still wear varying scents of body shop white musk

I had a weekend job in the body shop from when I was 16 to 21. They used to raise the prices every six months or so by a pound or two an item a time for no apparent reason. It's now so so expensive the make up costs the same as a luxury brand like Estée Lauder. Having said that I really love s couple of their products but agree that all their great things (bath pearls!) have now gone for some reason.

Every so often they would have a sale and get loads of ancient stock back including banana shampoo etc. However it was years old so that put me off.

I used to love the perfume bar, particularly the lemon oil. I also used to like having baskets made up. Loved the banana conditoner and kiwi lip balm.

The Body Shop is a prime example of how selling out totally ruins a brand. The Body Shop we all knew and loved is nothing like the one we see today. This isn't nostalgia speaking. It's gone from a customer friendly Boho/studenty eco vibe into an overpriced Body Butter Boutique with pushy sales tactics.

I go into my empty branch occasionally to sniff the fragrances ( which are hit and miss but generally good), and I'm followed from the door to the fragrances and back again by an assistant who comments and describes everything I look at. "Oh yes, that's a very nice one. That's a new one. Have you tried this one? etc"

But yes I still wear Body Shop White Musk and whatever anyone else thinks, I think it's a classic.

I think if Lush etc made up baskets/boxes of things people had selected eg. Soaps, lip balm, bath bombs etc it would be popular now as kids would like making up gifts for their friends. Better than ready made gift boxes where you can't have exactly what you want.

Has anyone mentioned the Rice Bran Scrub? I never see it on these threads! Lovely stuff. I even used to use it (very gently) on my face.

I think they do some good things now, particularly face masks. The problem is, I feel like they've tried to be more sophisticated, and pricier almost as if they want to "grow up" with the women who were spending their pocket money in there years ago, but the women who can afford their new prices will probably shop elsewhere. They should have worked on ensnaring a new generation of teens.

I used to love getting my passion fruit cleansing gel refilled as a teen. It felt so natural compared to the oxy and clearasil aimed at teens.

Honestly thought I'd dreamt the Japanese washing grains so glad others remember them. They were great.

Online you can often get 40-50% off no wonder the shops are empty.