The Body Shop

In 1976, Anita Roddick opened The Body Shop in Brighton, England, as a tiny storefront selling body lotions. Today The Body Shop boasts 1,500 branches in 47 countries. The company manufactures and sells natural-ingredient-based cosmetics in simple and appealing recyclable packaging. The ingredients are largely plant-based and often come from developing countries. All the products are formulated without animal testing. The company also helps developing countries through its Trade Not Aid mission, contributes to rain-forest preservation efforts, is active in women’s and AIDS issues, and set an example for recycling. Yet, like many businesses striving to be socially responsible and profitable, The Body Shop has faced intense scrutiny and suspicions about its ethics. It has also been the victims of its own success and has been edged out by younger, fresher protégés whom it inspired.

Competitors, such as Bath & Body Works, Aveda, and Origins, are all unhampered by an expensive social mission. Declining store sales, particularly in the United States, have jolted The Body Shop into some new management and marketing moves. Outspoken Anita Roddick has stepped down as CEO, although she is still actively involved in crafting the social agenda and developing new products. One of her initiatives, Hemp, a line of hempseed-oil body care products, promises to put The Body Shop in the spotlight again and rev up sales. Advocates of industrial hemp, a nonnarcotic relative of marijuana, say the fast growing crop provides an environmentally friendly alternative packaged and consistent with The Body Shop’s environmentally conscious philosophy.