The Body Shop goes vegan to become first global beauty brand to gain 100% vegan certification

The Body Shop has announced that its entire product range is now fully vegan and certified by The Vegan Society

Beauty brand The Body Shop has championed cruelty-free cosmetics since its inception in 1976 and was the first global beauty brand to fight against animal testing.

Now, the company is going one step further with its ethics and has reformulated its entire range of products to make them vegan.

The Body Shop has removed ingredients such as honey and lanolin from its product range in its mission to become a fully vegan company.

There’s more good news for conscious consumers as all of its products are certified by The Vegan Society, making it the first global beauty brand to receive this prestigious accreditation.

To promote the momentous news, the company’s “Not Yes! Another vegan” marketing campaign will put a playful spin on the stereotypical reaction to a vegan announcement – the eye-roll.

Setting a global standard

Sharing his excitement about the pivot to being fully vegan brand, Chief Executive Officer Ian Bickley told VFL that the company has “worked tirelessly to achieve this huge milestone.”

“We were the first beauty company to fight against animal testing in cosmetics. We have now achieved another global first”, he explained.

Commending the brand on its landmark move, Director of Business Development at The Vegan Society, Chantelle Adkins, said: “Today we are extending a massive congratulations to The Body Shop for achieving 100% of their product formulations being vegan and certified with The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark.”

“We hope that this significant step sets a global standard for other beauty brands to follow and inspires further change to reduce animal use and exploitation across the industry.”

The Body Shop and cruelty-free beauty

In 1976, Anita Roddick kickstarted The Body Shop as a beauty revolution, infusing it with a mission beyond mere skincare.

For a remarkable 30 years, the brand passionately led the charge against animal testing after becoming the first beauty retailer to campaign against animal testing.

However, while The Body Shop has long been celebrated for its commitment to cruelty-free beauty, it has faced controversies that have challenged this status.

In the past, the brand was criticised for its decision to enter the Chinese market where animal testing is a legal requirement for certain cosmetic products.

This move raised eyebrows among consumers and animal rights advocates, prompting concerns about the potential compromise of The Body Shop’s cruelty-free stance.

Despite assurances from The Body Shop that they were working to influence change in China’s testing policies, some critics questioned the alignment with the brand’s historical commitment to animal welfare.

Following the controversy, the brand withdrew completely from the Chinese market in 2014 due to animal testing regulations.

Who owns The Body shop?

Despite being an early champion for animal rights in the beauty sector, The Body Shop came under fire when it was purchased by L’Oreal in 2006.

Many fans of the brand were disappointed by the decision and felt this went against the ethos of The Body Shop as L’Oreal refuses to adopt company-wide policies against animal testing for its ingredients and finished products.

The company was then taken over by Brazilian beauty firm Natura &Co in 2017, and has since been working hard to transition back to its roots by championing cruelty-free beauty and alternative methods to animal testing.

More recently, the company was acquired by private equity group Aurelius for £207m with Ian Bickley, chief executive of The Body Shop, stating the sale would allow the company to open “a new chapter”.

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Featured photo © Scott Jenkin via Getty Images, edited by VFL