The Body Shop
Personal care products
Founded by entrepreneur Dame Anita Roddick in 1976. In a controversial move, Roddick sold her company to L'Oreal in 2006, who sold the business to Brazil's Natura in 2017, who sold the business to European investment firm Aurelius in 2023. A few months later Aurelius placed The Body Shop into administration and in 2024 it was bought by Aurea Group. It was later revealed that Aurelius paid only US$4.5 million upfront, with the remainder tied to performance-related payments now unlikely to be executed due to the chain's administration.

Overall

Owned UK
Rating B
About the Ratings

Company Ownership

The Body Shop International Ltd
UK
Aurea Holding Ltd
owns 100% of The Body Shop International Ltd
UK
Investment fund
Entrepreneurial holding company with investments in renewable energy, biotech, pharmaceuticals and natural resources. Acquired The Body Shop out of administration in 2024.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Mar 2024)
The Body Shop International Ltd
Praise
The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is an alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs. They work in partnership to improve the lives of workers across the globe who make or grow consumer goods - everything from tea to T-shirts, from flowers to footballs. This company is a full member.
This company has either signed PETA's statement of assurance or provided a statement verifying that they do not conduct or commission any animal tests.
Source: PETA (2023)
Certified B Corporations use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corps meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards; meet higher legal accountability standards; and build business constituency for good business.
In 2023, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change score of B-.
Source: CDP (2023)
Information
This company uses plastic microbeads in some of its personal care products. These particles are not retained by wastewater treatment so end up in the ocean where they contribute to ocean plastic pollution, and are hazardous to sea life. While the effects of microplastics on human health are not completely understood, there are concerns about plastic additives, such as phthalates, which are known endocrine disruptors which are shown to have harmful effects on life.
This company is a member of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA), a non-profit industry association with 560 members from 35 countries including women's groups, brands and retailers, suppliers and NGOs. Through public-private partnership, the GSA promotes industry sustainability, quality practices and standards, and demand for shea in food and cosmetics. Nearly 2 billion shea trees grow naturally on parklands in 21 African countries stretching from Senegal to South Sudan, while 16 million women living in rural communities individually collect fresh shea fruits and kernel for processing. The shea industry provides a critical source of jobs and incomes to often poor and underserved communities.
The Sustainable Food Lab is a network of business, public sector, and civil society leaders from around the globe who are working together to accelerate sustainability in mainstream food and agriculture.
This company is a member of the Responsible Mica Initiative, a Do-Tank which aims to eradicate child labour and unacceptable working conditions in the Indian mica supply chain by joining forces across industries.
This company is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), a not-for-profit, membership organisation that leads work with buyers and suppliers to deliver improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. Tens of thousands of companies use Sedex to manage their performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.
The 2024 WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard evaluates the progress and performance of 285 major retailers and manufacturer companies, focusing on actions companies have taken to ensure their own palm oil supply chain is sustainable and free of deforestation, natural ecosystem conversion, and human rights abuse. This company is rated 'middle of the pack' with a score of 12.13 out of a possible total of 24.
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Aurea Holding Ltd
No assessment data currently available for Aurea Holding Ltd.

Company Details

Type:
Wholly-owned subsidiary
Founded:
1976
Revenue:
805 million GBP (2017)
Employees:
10,000 (2017)
Subsidiaries:
The Body Shop Australia Pty Ltd
Personal care products
The Body Shop was operated in Australia by Adidem Group from 1983 until 2015 when parent company L'Oreal took over. Brazil's Natura bought The Body Shop from L'Oreal in 2017 and sold it to Aurelius in 2023.

Contact Details

Address:
London, United Kingdom
Website:
www.thebodyshop.com

Products / Brands

The Body Shop
Body Shop Cosmetics
Body Shop Skin Care