To wonder what happened to Body Shop?

[Handbaghag]

Where have they gone wrong? Why are their shops so dead on the high Street. They were buzzing in the 80s. Is it online shopping? Lush?

It didn't even occur to me to go into the local branch of the body shop last week when I was specifically shopping for toiletries and beauty products.

Had it still been the hippy shop of my teens and twenties (pre Dewberry and White Musk everything, I'd have been straight in there, smelling the different essential oils (and buying tangerine, camomile and the cocoa butter body stick), looking at the massive gift baskets I'd never have the money to buy and just feeling more at home there than the fancy department store counters.

I went to Lush today and almost had a heart attack at the prices!

I stopped using when the sold to LOriel.I didn't know it had sold again.
The last time I went in the range was limited.
If they brought back refillable containers,reintroduced basic body wash and a scent range that gets added and reduced the price a bit.
I'm not to worried about the staff as those from Lush are so much worse,lecture you on products when you know what you want and just want to pay for it!

Have only read page one so far but it would be interesting to hear from anyone who works in The Body Shop or Lush to see what their thoughts are on these comments.

There's one in our main city train station and I popped in recently for the first time in over a decade expecting to be able to buy refillable products and non plastic packed stuff e.g. hair shampoo bars. Didn't have either so I didn't buy anything.

It's around 40% cheaper to buy via a consultant. My friend has a FB page. No point in paying the store prices anymore

I find the packaging and scents uninspiring. There are too many products (with the exception of shampoo and conditioner weirdly) and I find it all rather confusing . A couple of years back they re released a few oldies - raspberry ripple bubble bath, ice blue shampoo, passion fruit cleansing gel and banana conditioner. It was all rather exciting for a while. Then it slipped back again. That said, their shampoos and conditioners are good. They do a good job.just uninspiring scents and packaging.

I have no idea how it survives. There’s a real gap in the market for a body shop type place. Lush is good but I find their range a bit limiting. They don’t do make up for instance. With the right people behind it I think body shop could reignite. Ps. Body shop if it is you posting to do research... bring back fuzzy peach! I loved that.

NC for this but MN can confirm I've been here years .

I work for The Body Shop (head office) and just wanted to make a point re animal testing: we definitely did NOT change our stance on that when owned by L'oreal, we didn't become cruelty free once bought out by Natura, we never stopped being cruelty free in the first place.

One pp made the point about China and this is a huge issue. Any cosmetics that sell in China (as in legally, on purpose by that company!) are tested on animals, that's Chinese law regardless of what the company's own policy is. A lot of companies that might purport to be crueltyfree sell in China so actually their products will be tested on animals over there. We don't sell in China and won't until that law changes. We do have stuff made in China but that doesn't have to be tested as it's exported and not for sale there.

I know there are a million other points people have made (many justified!) but I don't want to turn this into "Ask me anything" (as I'm off to bed ) but really wanted to clarify on the testing issue.

By the way, refills, keep your eyes peeled...

I also don't know how it survives. Standards for these sorts of products have increased hugely since Body Shop was founded. You can now get a great variety of good quality shampoos, shower gels, make up, handcream etc in Boots, Superdrug, supermarkets and even pound shops. That's not even to mention online shopping. That said, their branches are shutting on a regular basis and I can't see it surviving on the high street much longer.

I do like their olive shower gel and body butter mind you, but I'd never buy them unless there was a deep discount.

I used to love : (and now departed products)

their henna (I used the Extra Red)
their sugaring kits + cotton re-useable strips (I use Nads Sugaring now)
their Seaweed soap
honey+oak mask scrub
passionfruit gel
raspberry ripple showergel

More recently
Absinthe handwash (which I used in the shower )

I bought a couple of bits for DD (I went in when it was quiet) got a few sample sachets of facemask for her to try

I would really be gutted if TBS vanished .

*I went to a body shop party 20 years ago - it’s not new. It’s nowhere near as bad as Poonique lol.

I do ignore all the consultants asking for sign ups that being said. It just doesn’t seem as pushy as some others? Maybe I just don’t see them as often*

@Fruityb you’re right, the “party plan” MLM element (Body Shop at Home) has been around for yonks. Over at the anti MLM Coalition we haven’t noticed BS@H being any less bad than Younique etc in terms of the financial losses incurred by sign ups. I’ve concluded that there is no good or “better” MLM!

Ah movingin if we all put our Bring It Back lists up , can you take them to the product team?

Go'wan Go'wan Go'wan Mrs Doyle voice

I still have a bottle of white musk, mango, passion fruit and vanilla perfumes. Found them the other day! Christ knows how old they are, but they still smell the same. Maybe I should sell them for a fortune on eBay!

Please do an AMA @movingintherightdirection

Re the product feedback, I can't really go into details but there are huge changes that have started since our sale to Natura that we really hope will start to increase the affection that I think we lost. It feels like we are 'home' again after being slightly for a few years. As Miranda would say "Bear with, bear with...."

I am wearing one of there newish perfumes and I use the ginger shampoo and conditioner and my kids the banana. I would love it if I could refill them again and I think it would be very popular

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/anita-roddick-capitalist-with-a-conscience-dies-at-64-402014.html%3Famp&ved=2ahUKEwjK6JGOuaHkAhUE-aQKHSRKC28QFjAdegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw010UAoNqGIPRLylY9RQlMl&ampcf=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/anita-roddick-capitalist-with-a-conscience-dies-at-64-402014.html%3Famp&ved=2ahUKEwjK6JGOuaHkAhUE-aQKHSRKC28QFjAdegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw010UAoNqGIPRLylY9RQlMl&ampcf=1

ha ha, I'm in awe of people who do AMA - I'm too fucking tired to commit to that, sometimes I only remember I've asked a question on a thread a week later .

But I will send an email of all the oldies that everyone loves (and we constantly talk about animal soaps, fuzzy peach and raspberry too so you never know...)

They lost me when they stopped the almond range of shower gels, body butter etc. (I have very dry skin and quite like a body butter!)

@youokhun I am an avid follower of the anti mlm coalition. I rarely see consultants for Body Shop tbh but I despise MLM and all it stands for. Body Shop could get rid of that surely??

I salute you and your cause however!

@movingintherightdirection

Please can you show others in head office this thread? It seems to be that we all used to like the body shop and would like to see it do well.

Common themes:
Loved the 80s range - bring back the faves (Inc animal shaped soaps, ice blue shampoo, raspberry ripple bubble bath and passion fruit cleansing gel)
Loved the different sized trial bottles
Refillables and shampoo bars much needed
Bottles make from recycled ocean plastic?
Ditch the body butters
Those things would definitely have me returning as a customer.

I loved the body shop as a young teen. The animal soaps and the vanilla perfume. I was very disappointed when it was sold to L'oriel. I'm getting back into it now although I never buy full price. Love the vitamin E range, oils of life, camomile cleansing balm, facial sunscreen. I do hate the way the staff jump on you as soon as you set foot in there though.

There is certainly a bit of a market gap for a good high street brand to start doing refills.

Hey, it's okay ladies with unwanted tubs of body butter. We can just offload it all to Ravioli!