A Brand Built On Lies - The Body Shop’s Shameful Decline Into Irrelevancy - Behind The Beauty

[@isileroglu]

Naming it the BODY SHOP between two funeral parlors… WHAT?

[@Aya-xc7su]

THANK YOU! My first thought!

[@Marz_Bars]

Maybe it was foreshadowing?

[@kindseyvaughn8667]

Really is, especially when you consider you can make soap and candles with human fat and skin. The Nazis even made lampshades with human skin. The French did similar during the Reign of Terror.

[@AngieDeAguirre]

Honestly, it sounds like something I'd do. I love dark jokes (not punching down jokes, but joke about the concept of human mortality).

[@KBlo21]

Yeah I mean I think I would have just bc the curiosity of the situation would probably make people want to come in hahaha

[@monicawilliams1843]

This explains why The Body Shop tried to sue my little spa business out of existence when they came to America. They tried to claim they owned the rights to my company’s name and all of the products that my partners and I ACTUALLY researched, designed, and produced from ACTUAL natural resources. Unfortunately for Body Shop. I had a lot of clients in the legal biz that loved our little company and came to our rescue. F The Body Shop and its “founder.”

[@zunerazari]

Tats so sad. I hate such big Giant companies who try to kill the small business

[@miriam4235]

Oh bla bla. 'natural' means precisely nothing in this context. Either you also dont mind a bit of purposely misleading or you didn't actually do research.

[@Reticence9zen924]

There was also a similar 'Body Shop' in California that could be seen as something Anita Roddick copied.

[@DarkAngel71180]

@@miriam4235wtf rude. You don’t even know a damn thing about her business to be out here running your mouth like that. You didn’t even say anything relevant to her post. You just want to whine. Keyboards are really giving miserable ass people big balls and even bigger mouths. Like Gtfo 🙄

[@dozzer009]

@@Reticence9zen924 Omg yes! It started in Berkeley I believe. I loved the oils they had…and I’m now smelling patchouli lol 😂

[@georgiavompiri5394]

They are true pioneers! They kind of invented what we call "greenwashing" before it was even a thing. Sustainability & Circularity Strategist here. Thanks for the insight!❤

[@sharimeline3077]

I remember in the 70's a lot of us fell for advertising that made things seem natural, like Herbal Essence shampoo and Sweet Earth perfumes. But the Body Shop took greenwashing to the next level for sure.

[@FancyMargot]

Kind of invented?

[@greschenbrecker9856]

😂😂😂

[@alicevenom8234]

I’m not sure if finding novel ways to lie to consumers is worthy of the term “pioneer” 👀

[@Nancy20012]

You make it sound like a positive thing calling the scammers pioneers

[@lornadonohoe7806]

The Body Shop should never have abandoned their very basic 'handmade on a kitchen table' look. They went all fancy and sophisticated with their packaging and store look, became like all other cosmetic brands, and lost the eco conscious teens that were their biggest customers. They all presumably migrated to Lush who have kept that raw and basic styling. I knew TBS were doomed after the restyle.

[@ar50000]

More recently, they started only selling large sizes, which is too expensive. The original smaller sizes were great, becos you could try out lots of products, and not break the bank.

[@shendisackett]

I thought the same. It used to be affordable and suddenly the prices went crazy as well. That was after they were bought out though. As a 90s teen I used to love going in there and buying basic skincare and the animal shaped scented soaps, oh and white musk!

[@lindatannock]

​@@shendisackettwhite musk was my fave!

[@shendisackett]

@@lindatannock mine too! I have no idea how many bottles of that I went through 🤣🤣

[@AlissaSss23]

​@shendisackett that's very silly. ALL THE PRICES for everything EXPLODED over the last 10 years. The rent and properties price are the worst

[@m0L3ify]

I worked for The Body Shop in 1998 and I was so upset to find out recently that everything they told me about the company was a lie

[@sharimeline3077]

I used to go in their shops and absorb all that BS, and believed every word of it. I was so proud of myself for being a good Body Shop customer, like I was doing something good for the world. I learned my lesson though, I realize now that companies green-wash an awful lot, and you really have to do research on them before falling for their marketing.

[@dottieland7061]

I used to go in with my friends on a Saturday. And spent my pocket money. I feel totally conned when I heard about this. I would have rather have spent my money elsewhere

[@DeeDerry]

Trust me, from lip balms as a teen to creams, oil and make up as an adult...my favourite foundation and powder was from The Body Shop...But not for years now 😢

[@amyrodwell17]

I worked in a (The BS 😂) store on and off from 1999 before I went to uni, and went back for work during holidays. Who knew! Not me 😢

[@lolalouise9503]

She sounds just like Meghan Markle, no integrity or original ideas, a pathological liar and plagiarist of the highest order, not to mention the Queen of frivolous litigation.

[@xkyrainnesx]

Hi James, I was a body shop at home consultant and area manager for 5 years before they very suddenly told us it was all over. You wouldn't believe some of the things I could tell you about how poorly we were treated- I believe we were what kept the brand going for as long as it did. I'd be happy to chat about it privately!

[@Anna-Rose-]

Didn't Anita Roddick and Mark Constantine have a partnership of some sort?

[@meghanallen1554]

@@Anna-Rose- He created TBS items for about 15 years in the beginning before selling the intellectual property rights of those products to Anita for 17 million in 1991. So basically, he was a contract employee for awhile.

[@JK-ct1qw]

Damn, I wanna hear this! There’s a podcast that might be interested in your stories, let me find the name! It’s run by someone who came out of LulaRoe

[@mahamstring5576]

I wish he’d talked about the MLM Element of it!!!

[@dancing_fig]

I think that the podcast/YT channel that @JK-ct1qw meant was Roberta Blevins' channel? Alternately, Hannah Alonzo might be a good bed - both discuss issues related to MLMs while being very human about it all. I'm also really sad that Robert didn't discuss this aspect of things at all, and so I'd love to hear about your experience!

[@BeantownMrs]

Mom's Birthday - Body Shop Teacher's Gift - Body Shop Dad's Birthday - Whiskey😂😂😂

[@foxymusic217]

Or TieRack

[@evda4919]

So true there a time when I gifted everyone I know a body shop gift set

[@schneeroseful]

For me it's the other way round 😂

[@kamilahsinclair8185]

Lp

[@dottieland7061]

Yeah or a teenagers birthday

[@rhi_danceswithwolves]

I worked at a Body Shop store in Australia a long time ago. I had nasty allergic reactions to a lot of the products, including EYE MAKEUP, but my manager still forced me to use them, and to put them on customers’ skin. I wasn’t even allowed to wear gloves, even when I showed her what it did to my skin. I could never understand being forced to demo a body cream on a customer’s arm when they could literally do it themselves. That manager made me cry on almost a daily basis, but head office loved her… I quit and never shopped there again. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@dblockjamaica]

I could never use their products because they would make me break out. I was confused bc I thought their products were supposed to be natural and good.

[@Fiona86555]

Same experience in the US. I wouldn’t buy their makeup, so they made me put on from the testers. My eyes always reacted.

[@LittleWaffle]

That sounds like legit torture, wtf ? So sorry you had to deal with such bs ❤

[@kittipilla]

Ah! I worked for them more recently but also in Australia, and had the same experience! The whole demo situation was a nightmare, customers got so turned off by it being pushed on them but we got scolded if we didn't do it. I had allergic reactions and had to go to work with a face covered in hives, like yea, someone is SO going to buy face cream from a girl with hives 🥴

[@jennybaldassaro8643]

@@dblockjamaica peanuts are natural, and some people are highly allergic to them. Natural does not equate to safe for everyone.

[@laurakate6573]

I stopped liking them when I found out they were an mlm, I had no idea there was so much more.

[@diamondsngunns88]

Yes that’s what I thought this documentary was going to focus on. I was very surprised to learn about everything else! 😮😮😮

[@missy2mrs810]

I had no idea they were an mlm! Gtfo

[@beckyanderson988]

​@missy2mrs810 the og is not and the mlm body shop stole the name

[@Hannah-zw9ow]

@@beckyanderson988I’m pretty sure the body shop, the one in the video, started an mlm program and then shut it down when they got backlash

[@FeelTheRainOnYourSkin]

It was Body Shop Home or "at home" and it got shut down 😬

[@KekeMedKnacke3070]

I worked at the body shop for 6 years, I didn't get an employment contract during all those years. My boss told me "We are all like family here and don't need that" everytime I brought it up.

[@KekeMedKnacke3070]

There's much more to my situation, such as guilttrip when I got sick or was on vacation so that I would work during these times. Also scolding and manipulation. I'm so happy to have left this all behind.

[@victory6924]

It's incredibly unprofessional to not have a contract. Had my own experiences including the lack of contract with a company founder and found out that this is how they take advantage of people who don't know better. I'm sorry for what you went through, and happy that you are free 😊

[@JK-ct1qw]

Hey! This podcast is run by an ex-LulaRoe member and might be interested in hearing from you:

[@yassine8935]

When these capitalist corporations lead with "were like a family " I'm leaving because it tell me your not going to respect me and other employees labor and are gonna expect free/cheap labor with a smile on my face. It's a red flag to me , because we actually getting treated like family ny paycheck wouldn't be low enough for me to barely be making it above the poverty line and my labor would actually be appreciated not exploited. I'm soy you had to go through that these capitalist will drain every ounce of labor out of you and be mad your not kissing their feet for labor you had to do .

[@Gaius_Sinstone]

Is that a UK thing to have an employment contract? No one has that in the US unless you’re a fixed salary employee

[@funsizedi88]

JUST THIS YEAR a good friends fiance was working for them, when she showed up to the store locked/a note on the door. They didnt even tell the stire manager that they were closing. So, all of a sudden, she was out of a job, 2 weeks after being promoted to a keyholder managers position. Jesus christ, that is some bullshit. She wasnt given any notice nor did she even recieve her last paycheck! Its been 4 months, still no pay or new job yet.

[@Missfoxtooyou]

My location in New York was only given two weeks notice as well, but fortunately I received my last check but no severance pay.

[@calihhan4706]

That's horrible! But that must be in the US, right? In the EU or UK this couldn't be happening.

[@josefinarivia]

@@calihhan4706 It can and probably did happen in both EU and UK, but they breached regulations. It's a franchise, so it's up to the respective company to correctly handle that specific store that they manage. Sometimes when a store has to close down quikcly like that, the employees are an after thought. :( An article released in march 2024,by independent claims that: "Body Shop admits breaking employment law with ‘brutal’ last-minute mass sacking...numerous women about to go on maternity leave were among those fired with no notice". Also in UK, P&O broke the employment law when they in 2022 fired 800 people without notice. But atleast it's illegal and something can be done, but it can also be difficult at times to enforce these laws, especially if the company disappears during the process.

[@KarinaSankarsingh-vi9ri]

I’m serious when I say this. If she can tell her to get a job at a high class restaurant. Why? Bc she WILL regain financial security again bc the tips are awesome. And it gives time to look for a job she might want more

[@funsizedi88]

@KarinaSankarsingh-vi9ri I've been trying to tell her to be a server/bartender. She says her anxiety cannot handle it. I've been a server off and on since I was 16, and you are right, it always holds me over.

[@Da_bear-ij9gm]

How can anyone really think any company is anti capitalist? If she was truly anti capitalist she’d be selling that stuff at a little booth in a farmers market or giving it away to friends, not becoming a globalized brand

[@SydMercado]

So real.

[@jopeteus]

"anti-capitalist" "selling" Pick one

[@rainbowditto9033]

My only experience with the body shop was also my first experience with makeup in general! I asked my mom to take me to get makeup when i turned 13, and we went to the body shop and met the nicest woman ever. She didnt try and sell my mom a bunch of stuff, told me i should only ever wear eye shadow because i was too young and pretty, and even gave us a sample for vitamin e lotion for my eczma (it helped a lot!) I had no idea that the body shop was, well, like this until this video. It makes me feel even more like i got super lucky. I hope that woman is doing great wherever she is :)

[@dawnpratt4608]

It's pretty disguisting as a young child of 10 upwards I was paying extra to buy their products like many others believing we were saving animals.

[@jocelynmontoya8084]

The segment about the B&B Works closing down suddenly reminded me when I worked at Aaron brothers (when they were still operating and had entire store fronts) I will always remember doing my closing shift, then coming back the next morning for work only to find the store closed and giant signs all over for a liquidation sale. No warning beforehand, no nothing. Even my manager looked gobsmacked and spent the day writing reference letters then took us all out for lunch. Spent the last couple months of that job helping a third party company gut that store. Remember, any company with a fiscal responsibility to shareholders and profit will never be on your side.

[@sharimeline3077]

I'm so sorry that happened to you.

[@jocelynmontoya8084]

@sharimeline3077 is what it is, and the next job I got, I used to propel myself into my career job. That experience helped teach me important lessons when it comes to dealing with businesses, though!

[@thatcarlchick7655]

"Remember, any company with a fiscal responsibility to shareholders and profit will never be on your side." This should be carved into giant monuments in every single state.

[@neilhughes8808]

As one of their head office employers who was part of the 40% cut, I can testify that the whole situation was a shhh show. It felt very much like the administrators did their research to get away with as much as they could while steamrolling over everyone who dedicated themselves to trying to keep the company together. I even moved countries to America for a role and only 3 months in, I was told that I had to move back, causing me huge financial and emotional fall backs. The hypocrisies were insane. It was the passionate employees who kept the company values, never the ones in charge. Blind ambition without awareness.

[@joannasldr6456]

just a correction: animal testing still happens on non-chinese cosmetics in china, their new policy just doesn't demand it before it being sold. instead, any non-chinese brand selling cosmetics in physical stores in mainland chine "might" be tested on animals if the agency responsible so chooses, without letting the brand know beforehand. so L'oreal still isn't cruelty free.

[@Steampunkfox143]

I heard about that! I swear I heard that either the Body Shop or another company had gotten in shit because it came out that their "Non animal tested" products was tested on animals but they were claiming otherwise because they said "WE never did it so we didn't have to say it might have been" which is insane to me.

[@joannasldr6456]

@@Steampunkfox143 truly, and these days i see so much l'oreal products listed as "cruelty free"... like how??

[@sharimeline3077]

@@joannasldr6456 I suppose they think if they don't do the animal testing themselves, then their hands are clean.

[@dismurrart6648]

Also, some stuff like retinol are pretty much made by loreal and then private labeled by smaller companies so it's hard to say if even your super ethical small company is actually cruelty free. Getting megacorps and china to stop animal testing is the only way to make sure we aren't buying into it.

[@joannasldr6456]

@@dismurrart6648 if they're certified to not be using ingredients by suppliers that test on animals, they don't use retinol from L'oreal. there's thankfully other (smaller) suppliers of retinol that don't test on animals :)

[@Nail-it_with_Alice]

I worked for the body shop when they were owned by L’Oréal they are exactly the same as any other retail, obsessed with sales, small hourly contracts a week (but expect you to be available everyday and have no life) no progression. I remember we were encouraged to tell a “story” about the ingredients 🤣

[@englishrose5483]

F***k that.

[@Nail-it_with_Alice]

@@englishrose5483 exactly, and that’s why I left. Towards the end I was working at two different stores and had very few days off because they were so understaffed as the higher management was so disorganised

[@Giulorma1121]

When I was a kid in the early 90’s (living in Wycome) the highlight of my week was going to the body shop and smelling all the perfumes. Buying bath beads and animal shaped soaps. Such great memories! It’s a shame the company wasn’t so great.

[@sharimeline3077]

I miss Ananya so much, it was my favorite of perfume all. I used to get them to scent my lotions and body wash with it. Curses on them for lying to us about so many things.

[@PassiveAgressive319]

It was the mango soap for me

[@Lola-AreaCode212]

​@@sharimeline3077 Ananya was AMAZING. It was my signature scent for ages. Those little bottles of oil were great.

[@mercury_rising]

I loved the Satsuma ❤

[@zzizahacallar]

Yeah I was a teen in the late 90s and was saturating my skin with tee tree oil

[@aysebm]

True story but I worked at The Body Shop in Victoria Station in the early 2000s and Anita walked in with her granddaughters. She grabbed see bobbles and a hair brush, asked to go out the back to do her granddaughters hair and of course we obliged because, you know it's Anita! When she was done she thanked us and was on her way. It was only afterwards that we realised that she hadn't paid for the hair bobbles or the hair brush 😳 we had to ring our area manager who told us to simply write it off on the stock. She wasn't ceo at this point either. Just the face of the brand. So yeah that happened 😳 😂

[@Count990]

That’s hilarious

[@Anna-xz6hy]

When I worked there , they would make us work8-10 hour shift with no break or lunch on busy days like holidays. Management told us that bereavement days when an employee’s uncle died was her vacation days ….

[@MearnieToon]

🙄🤡

[@dnr2089]

Yes, I worked there once but only lasted a month. The boss was horrible. She even timed you washing the make up brushes after someone had a makeover. 🤨

[@stephaniebillman5673]

I feel like the companies who outwardly preach how good and ethical are, always are the most abusive to their employees

[@harlsqirl]

that is just straight up evil

[@MearnieToon]

@@harlsqirl 🙄 Let me guess you are in debt and b🔥tch about how unfair it is

[@helenlynn1839]

Finding out myself and my colleagues/some of my closest friends, some of which had worked for the company for 15+ years had lost our jobs after weeks of watching the company fall apart was heatbreaking. We were left with minimal to no advice on how to claim our redundancy through the government and waiting for the payment left us with scraps to live with for weeks. It's truly put a sour taste in our mouth which is a real shame as we stood by this company fiercely for a long time. Sadly, I won't be surprised when the brand disappears for good.

[@dariennights]

The United States has no tax funded severance program, so employees with more than 2 decades of tenure received nothing. We were told on a Friday morning, at 9am, that our jobs had been eliminated and the US would cease all operations. All health insurance benefits were also terminated without notice. It took me over 2 months to finally begin receiving unemployment benefits.

[@Emmuzka]

Could you make a rise and fall of Yves Rocher? While the Body Shop shopping experience laid heavily on the store visit, Yves Rocher was the Queen of mail order. Their mail order brochures, selling tactics, and the little figurines they gave away free were legendary. At some point if felt like in my country there was only one anti-aging cream available; Yves Rocher's brown case one.

[@jackykaandorp2264]

I totally fell for their fairytales as a young teen. It would be amazing if he did.

[@herrflick1244]

I used to get y ves rocher in the late 70s to 90s. They had a wonderful foundation in a beige tube, made my skin look fantastic until they discontinued it. They had a lavender scented cleanser and lavender toner in a bottle with a green fliwer shaped lid. Loved their foot cream after a hard day's work. Loved chevrefeuille perfume and ispahan. They always seemed to be giving away watches,scarves and bag hamamelis body lotion was good too.i remember that rich night cream matching daycream and eyecream, it was a bit too rich to use except in very cold winters. I still have a bott.e of clea and their monoi oil products i use in summer it has lasted so long and hasnt gone off. I wonder why they didnt make it. I remember putting their little stickers on the orderform and paying by cheques every month foor the instalments if i wanted a big order for christmas and birthdays.😊s

[@lipstickzombie4981]

The Yves Rocher shops in my current workplace (Saudi Arabia) seems to be on the way out. They stopped selling their makeup now and the shops look unappealing compared to the Middle Eastern brands. I get the feeling YR might exit the market earlier than TBS here.

[@suzannebernert]

I love their lip balm...my mom still gets the catalogues and the appeal is still the same for us

[@IsabelAud]

OMG my grandmother bought boxes and boxes of stuff and couldn't use it all up before she died :(

[@amhell2741]

Body shop is quite expensive in Poland. I can buy organic, natural skincare products for much, much less in my local drugstore...

[@studiostyx7075]

I worked at the Body Shop in the very early aughts and it forever killed my faith in the stories these brands sell through their products: fair trade, global issues, integrity in consumption and absolutely ethical treatment of employees. Whatever Anita set out to do and maybe even did for awhile was long gone by the time I arrived and it was very clear that we were there for one purpose only: to make as much money as possible--for them. And yeah, I know, that's capitalism blah blah but the cognitive dissonance with the Body Shop was insane. I was treated horribly by management and their minions, there were zero benefits or employee initiatives, but all day long we had to effect an act for the customers that we lived in this hippie-dippy bubble of kind beauty when it was anything but.

[@Nettietwixt]

I have a really clear memory of Body shop being sold to L'Oréal. The outrage was so enormous. I think the Body Shop was so part of people's regular in person shopping that any change felt really relevant to so many people in a way that other brands weren't. Their products were also affordable enough that we could buy something as teens with pocket money and certain products were in every bathroom pretty much. I only learned they were an mlm and their shady origins much later but it was hard to make it all make sense with the ethics they portrayed.

[@sharimeline3077]

Just goes to show you, companies lie and greenwash all the time. Fortunately we can research the brands we buy from fairly easily these days. We couldn't back then.

[@kataratify]

When they sold out to L'oreal I noped right out of ever buying anything from them ever again.

[@claresherman2278]

The l’Oreal thing was a huge scandal, but people still think it happened after Roddick died… I worked for The Body Shop for two weeks in the 1980s. It was hideous and I ended taking them to the small claims court for unpaid wages ( I won).

[@Andrea-tf1le]

Would love to hear how and when they became an MLM. They had a whole branch of the company called "The Body Shop at Home" which didn't come to the US until about 2020 I believe.

[@mbel22]

It was much earlier! I got the pitch at a party in the 2000s! I never heard of it again after that though.

[@Andrea-tf1le]

@@mbel22 Wow I didn't realize that they had been around that long.

[@donnaroberts281]

@@mbel22same! I went to a party in about 2003-4.

[@claresherman2278]

@@Andrea-tf1leThe Body Shop started in the 70s!

[@Andrea-tf1le]

@@claresherman2278 The company as a whole started in the 70's but it didn't become an MLM until recently

[@-S.M.M-]

I didn't pass their trial period last year for not stalking the clients enough. They set unrealistic sales goals and the workers are usually stressed out. I also loved their unproved claim that their edelweiss extract products are more effective than retinol....

[@unrulycrow6299]

The edelweiss vs retinol thing cracks me up because a worker there tried to get me to get the serum and like, girly I use The Ordinary for that, sorry. Alas their new formula for the Vitamin C moisturiser works even better for me than the previous formula (went from cream to a lighter gel), so Idk what to do now, because I don't feel like supporting such a shady company, yet at the same time some of their products work extremely well for me.

[@mjk7055]

I used to love Body Shop so much. When I was in high school in Germany, Body Shop was basically the only 'brand' I really knew, and I used their face wash, foundation, eye shadows, make up brushes, really anything I could get with my allowance. When I moved back to Korea a few years later, even though there are so many more skin care/make up brands that are really good, and there weren't that many Body Shop stores, I remember the first year or so I still kept trying to buy from Body Shop. Eventually, I found more Korean products that work well on me, plus it was just such a hassle to find a Body Shop store, that I kind of forgot about it and haven't bought anything from them in over a decade now. A few years ago I saw a video that said it's an MLM which already completely threw me off, but I had no idea about all the rest that James shows in this video! Wow, it's so much worse than I thought. I'm glad I stopped buying from them, but also a bit sad for my past, younger self who so passionately used a lot of their products, spending all the money I could on them, thinking it was the best thing for my acne-prone sensitive skin.

[@gunsmithcat]

Ich habe ihre Körperbutter so geliebt! Habe sogar die CDs in den Boutiquen gekauft. 😢

[@clairemartin922]

My daughter worked for the body shop for years. She just left. She was bullied for years by the managers there. I was atva point of reporting them to trading standards . Thanks for getting the truth out

[@sdg2450]

I will say i always used to get "the body shop" & bath and body works confused all the time - they felt like essentially the same store in the mall

[@lolamurder1882]

Same, lol.

[@WuraolaFagbamiye]

I just realised they were different last year 💀very similar

[@PiXie232]

Omg LOL I’m just now realizing that the entire time I was watching this video, I was thinking he was talking about bath and body works 😂 Yeah I clearly have the same problem lol too funny

[@monicapatton1405]

I thought the Body Shop was so boring compared to Bath & Body Works.

[@toniprekker]

​@@monicapatton1405And funny, I always felt the opposite! IMO, Body Shop had good, "natural" fragrances, and Bath and Body Works was stinky, artificial stuff.

[@LaNomRah]

I worked at a couple of the top performing body shops in NYC in the mid 2000s. I am completely flabbergasted. We definitely knew nothing about these controversies. It was almost cult like in the way that you had to learn about the ingredients - where they came from and the benefits- as well as being tested on these things and also consistently monitored on if you were relaying this information to the customer along with upselling them. As someone commented earlier they really are a pioneer in greenwashing. What i do remember quite clearly working there is how deathly afraid everyone was of the district manager at that time. To the point that whenever she was to visit we'd have to work extra hours preparing the store making sure it looked exactly like the diagrams and instructions that were sent out, and that shelves were stocked to the max for the promotional time period. And when she came she'd also test you on product knowledge and critique whether or not your clothing, hair and makeup was regulation ( they only provided an apron). I also remember at one point that it was a company wide issue that employees were not being allowed to take breaks, to the point that a memo went out stating that it was the law that employees should get their legally mandated breaks. Thank you for this video and presenting all this information. It flipped a switch in my brain in terms of my experience working there and how much was wrong with the entire way the business was set up and how employees were treated. I enjoyed my time there - it was my first real job making my own money as a teen heading off to/in college. I loved the products and at that time I'm my life enjoyed the perks of free products at launches and the employee discount was great. But i also am speaking as someone who never got to work full time hours (another issue) . So disappointed to learn it was a house built on lies from inception.

[@ellyjessie8500]

OH my god. I am LITERALLY SHOCKED. I didn't know about any of these!!! I remember being obsessed with the Body Shop as a kid! This is insane. WOW. I Love this Behind the Beauty series already!

[@cometvaudin9496]

I actually worked at the Guernsey store right from Nov 2022 until February 2024 as a part time job. I actually loved it, my team was absolutely amazing. Though, the problems ended up being with those at the top of the chain. A week before I was due to leave (I found a full time job, nothing to do with TBS), we found out that our store had been sold, coming into effect the next day. We couldn’t even ask questions because the UK people on the call didn’t even have any answers. The whole thing was shrouded in mystery - we heard that we would hear from the new owner “soon”. “Soon” meaning a couple of weeks. We had no clue what was going to happen with the store. Eventually, the closures were announced. But Guernsey and Jersey weren’t shut by admin - we were in a completely different situation. It turned out Body Shop International had shouldered the burden of running the shop onto the holdings company, taking all the benefit from it. The closing sale was done cash-only to pay the remaining staff, as there were questions about whether they’d be paid for their time since the sale.

[@sugaredbugs4823]

oh hey, I'm from Guernsey too! it felt like the shop disappeared so suddenly! I didn't buy much from there but I loved going in and smelling all the testers 😅

[@katl8825]

Years ago, The Body Shop's body butter was my holy grail, specifically the coconut and shea flavors. Literally no other cream/butter I tried could save my hands from cracking and splitting in the winter, but TBS's was the perfect mix of moisture, hydration, and occlusion. But nothing good lasts, they did a massive base reformulation a few years ago and doesn't work as well for me T_T crazy to see how much was going on behind the scenes...

[@MsBNoodle]

Have you tried L'occitane's shea butter one?

[@katl8825]

@@MsBNoodle I have, I picked up a set from Costco a while back I believe! But unfortunately, they didn't feel very long lasting and the moisturizing didn't feel as deep, I found myself having to constantly re-apply and still not enough :(

[@MsBNoodle]

@katl8825 ah shame I hope you find something that works I get the same and it's very painful

[@PaulaRoxana-pi3gj]

Let me know if you find something (or other commenters do), I used to buy their Hemp ultra dry hands creme because it's the absolutely ONLY product that makes my hands at least a little bit better. I have very dry hands that look very old (I'm mid 20s, but had this issue since high school), used to have my skin cracking open too. I refuse to use petroleum or paraffin (Nivea cream has it), anything else even labeled as "strong" doesn't work at all. Only makes it feel soft for a while, then it all comes back to how it wash after just a single wash or when I run out of product ☹️

[@skielahjayne2659]

Omg the body butters were EVERYTHING. Was gutted when they changed the formula. The new formula is just a cheap cream now

[@grunge_surf_witch_uk9130]

The Body Shop was my favourite shop growing up in the 80s!! As a teenager in late 80/90s the Body shop was absolutely packed with us teenagers it was like Christmas every Saturday it was that busy!!! … Then in 2000s they started getting staff to go up to you when you walk in started loosing its vibe. .. shop seemed empty 😕Still love white musk and many things. Loved pineapples facial wash too,bath pearls etc

[@Plane_Jane]

I worked in the BS in the late 80s and we didn't have to hound staff. I wouldn't have been able to do that.

[@jai_b]

Early 90s as a teen, every girl in my school had those tiny tub of lip balm, I had kiwi & the oil perfumes..dewberry. Mid 90s, I adored their make up!!

[@Leesa111_0]

I loved the dewberry oil in the early 90s 😊

[@9whilenine]

Yes! I had the kiwi one and it was amazing!

[@Samsam1990s]

I’ve got a dewberry and tea rose oil still which i treasure. I wish they would’ve kept the classic perfume oils

[@KitraNtheFirst]

I remember the kiwi lip balm being in Jane Magazine or one of those & when I got it I felt so cool.

[@9whilenine]

@@KitraNtheFirst I loved Jane magazine!

[@remilyshelton]

I remember when the San Francisco Bay Area Body Shop changed its name to Body Time. I always assumed that they were sued because the British shop had the name for longer. It's a shame that they didn't know that they'd been ripped off. They might still be around today. They were always my favorite "Body Shop" and their China Rain scent was a classic.

[@ameliat8981]

Body Time on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley was my favorite place in highschool.

[@RuthDeane]

When I was a young teenager in the late 80s / early 90s, I loved the Body Shop. Especially their ice blue shampoo which made my frizzy hair all smooth and shiny like nothing else I’d tried! And of course at that time we knew nothing about the reality behind their ethical claims and took what they said at face value. I was annoyed when it all started to come to light, but by then I’d moved on to other brands who were doing the same sort of things, but cheaper and better. Great video, this very thoughtfully and fully covers all the issues, lies, and controversies over the company’s lifetime - it’s clear you put a lot of work into your content, and it really shows. 💜💜💜

[@ssmith543]

Was waiting for someone to mention Ice Blue shampoo. Loved it!!!

[@TheDevilChrno]

Ice Blue Shampoo was the best

[@Plane_Jane]

I used to work in the BS in the late 80s, ice blue shampoo - forgotten all about that! So many memories of old products.

[@bajanboinoho5378]

I’m showing my age now. My skincare journey originated in the 80’s with the body shop and loved the glycerin oatmeal scrub and the kiwi lip balm. Early 90’s I graduated from Clinique to Clarins. In the millennium, I’m now between LaMer and SK-II.

[@naemkosarkosar507]

Glycerin and oatmeal you can make that yourself!

[@ellenbsmiley]

There used to be an auto body repair place in my town called "the body shop" across the street from a cemetery

[@TheDevilChrno]

There used to be a swingers club called The Body Shop across the street from a cemetery in the town I went to college 😂

[@jeffdiggs7030]

So she stole went to the oringal Body shop, brought stuff, stole they name and trade marketed it and sued Bath And Body works and the original bodyshop and think nobody was gonna find out her corrupt ways smh she's a sick person.

[@Unsweetened8618]

She stole from American women. And try to be slick about it.

[@riviemayele-tamina6896]

The prices have gone up and the quality has gone down…used to love their hemp hand cream (loyal customer for 12+ years) and the formula changed and not for better!

[@ChrystalVanDusseldorp]

That cream helped my husband heal the eczema on his knuckles about 8 years ago, but I stopped buying it after the formula changed. ☹️

[@SiilNilam]

Yes, the new vegan formula is crap compared to the old one

[@monicapatton1405]

I really love Hempz, specially pineapple for hemp lotion. Been using it for 20 years now wow

[@PaulaRoxana-pi3gj]

Same that was the only cream that can help with my extremely dry hands. Literally nothing else works for me

[@StephanieSpielberg]

I work there and don’t get me started. The new formulas are fucking awful. Look for batch codes that start with XV - those are the last of the good ones.

[@susanrombak7959]

Great Vlog, it is like a documentary. I recall the rise of the Body Shop in the late 80’s to early 90’s and would always stop at one while shopping at the malls. Eventually I would hear word of mouth of stories of their controversy with the founders however this was before the internet and I never knew details of what was happening. It was vaguely said that the products were not as natural and that the founder was shady. Thanks for the biography and telling the story! Cheerio from across the pond✌🏽

[@Miobambino]

I was at secondary school in the 90’s and you couldn’t walk around a corner without smelling White Musk and Dewberry body sprays! TBH, no other retailer came close to The Body Shop with those fragrances in my opinion! Shame the quality dropped below par rapidly! I’m truly shocked at this. I knew bits, but wow! 💜

[@ChrystalVanDusseldorp]

I live in SoCal and didn't know any of the controversial stuff. I've used their products for decades, but had been buying from Ulta the last few years. I've moved on to Tree Hut for body wash, scrubs, and butters. Thank you for the information. 🖤💜🖤💜

[@jojomarch]

A very well known beauty journalist recently did a column on basically 'save the body shop, they're amazing'. Such corkers as how they were a trailblazer and their amazing hiring practices. Oh how I laughed.... the employees I spoke to in a closing branch said they were having to re-apply for their jobs, and let's not start on the trailblazing. Mind you, this was the same journey who gleefully posted how much they loved Eurovision this year, so I guess reading the room, or the facts isn't their strong point. (Rant over) Brilliant video, so good to see a brand expose video thats so well researched and organised

[@luciagianquitto4010]

I watched only 10 minutes of the videos and i already feel like Anita never was anti capitalism and against animal testing

[@eurodara]

oh, seeing how horrible Eurovision was this year, I am totally not surprised that journalist is so delusional about body shop too

[@iditgreenberg]

What’s the problem with enjoying the Eurovision?

[@lucyla9947]

​@@iditgreenberg Simply put Israel as a member of the European Broadcasting Union is allowed to participate in Eurovision. Due to the I/P conflict going on a bunch of people began calling for the EBU to blacklist Israel from Eurovision, which didn't happen so many people participated in boycotts and protests over this. Note this is completely bullshit, as Israel is nowhere near the worst country as far as Human Rights Records go that was allowed into Eurovision, and nobody was throwing a fit about the others (such as Azerbaijan).

[@lucyla9947]

​@@iditgreenberg My comment isn't appearing on my end, so I'll restate it, due to the recent I/P conflict many people have begun calling for a Boycott of, and Protesting Eurovision for not blacklisting Israel (Qualification for Eurovision is determined by membership in the European Broadcasting Union, which Israel is part of, and therefore Israel qualifies). Do Note, as far as Human Rights Records go, Israel is nowhere near the worst country in Eurovision, even if we are counting only extremely recent history (just look at Azerbaijan). So IMO, the protests and boycotts are really silly, as they only threw a fit over Israel, and had absolutely no problem with the countries that have a considerably worse record. Like if you are going to call for a Boycott due to the participation of a country with a questionable Human Rights Record, you should be willing to do that when it comes to all participants that have such a record, not just the only Jewish State in the competition (aka Israel).

[@ariesunicorn8225]

I’m shooketh! I remember going on a science school trip to the Body Shop factory in the mid-90s. Body Shop stores are now either completely empty of customers, or permanently closed.

[@theyouofyesterday6254]

Me too! I was at school in Eastbourne so it wasn't far to go. Anita Roddick gave us a talk herself, and it all seemed really great and ethical etc. (I think our school got banned after that trip because too many kids stole things from the shop... 😢). My mum had been a long term follower of TBS, due to the eco credentials.

[@ariesunicorn8225]

@@theyouofyesterday6254 I had to laugh at your school getting banned for knicking stuff 😂 You reminded me I still owe my science teacher £5 for the tote Body Shop canvas bag!

[@AshFaye]

I used to work for the Body Shop back in 2017 when it switched for Loreal to Natura. I enjoyed it at first and never realized how many lies were taught to us in our training class, until your video showed me just now. But I'm honestly not surprised. While I never met anyone higher up than my district manager, they were all extremely toxic. Aside from our starting team, they only hired people they personally knew like family, friends, etc. I was lucky to get a new job before things got messy. If anyone wants the full story I'm willing to tell it in another comment lol.

[@lyxfeldt]

Tell us!!!

[@neko1542]

Tell us! 👀

[@AshFaye]

@lyxfeldt @neko1542 Where do I even start lol. Well we opened a brand new store. One of the key holders (girl 1) had some serious potential to be Assistant Manager, so the District Manager and our General Manager wanted to train her and boost that potential for her promotion. They basically promised and guaranteed she would have the position after a certain amount of time. Then another girl (girl 2) was hired, she personally knew our manager outside of the workplace. Within a month, girl 2 was promoted to a key holder. After about 6 months for most of us, about 3 months for girl 2, our District Manager came in for a visit to discuss the Assistant Manager promotion. We suddenly found out that girl 2 would be promoted to Assistant Manager, which we were shocked by. Girl 1 had been doing all this extra training work for nothing apparently. Girl 2 hadn’t done anything to really show she could be a manager. Our other key holder (girl 3) decided to step in and talk to our District Manager about the decision, because we were all upset about it. Apparently she took this as an attack and girl 3 had to sign a reprimand form. Girl 3 ended up walking out that day. We kinda just accepted the decision they made which we were pretty sure it was because girl 2 had been partying with our manager and promotions were just a popularity contest now. Anyways, I left not long after that but I got the run down of everything else that happened. The General Manager was fired because she forgot to send in the monthly deposit. Girl 2 was fired for fraud because she would sign up customers for rewards but would use her email to steal their birthday coupons. Girl 1 quit and became a flight attendant. Basically everyone I knew left and the store is probably closed now.

[@AshFaye]

@lyxfeldt @neko1542 Where do I even start lol. Well our team had opened a brand new store. We had 2 key holders and one of them (girl 1) had been promised and started to train a bit for being our assistant manager. The District Manager wanted to see more progress with her before fully giving her the position. A couple months later they had hired girl 2 as a regular associate, because she was very close with our Manager outside of work. She ended up getting promoted to key holder within a couple of weeks. Our District Manager came in for a visit to discuss the assistant manager position. We were all shocked when we found out girl 2 was getting promoted to assistant manager instead of girl 1, who had been working extremely hard for the position. Our other key holder, girl 3, knew we were all upset over the decision. So she decided to discuss it with our District Manager. Apparently she felt attacked by the discussion, so she made girl 3 fill out a reprimand form. Girl 3 quit and left right there. I left not long after that, but I heard about the rest that happened. Our Manager was fired due to not sending in the quarterly payment on time. Girl 2, who became assistant manager, was fired due to fraud. Essentially she would put her own email into customers reward accounts and steal their birthday coupons. I honestly learned that in our store it was just a popularity game.

[@tabby73]

Please tell!

[@Sassysequins716]

This was so well done! I knew of some of their controversies but never everything. It’s a shame they weren’t who we all thought they were. Thanks James for doing an amazing job!!!

[@Shinerybox]

Those fruity glycerin soaps were fascinating to me as a kid, and their honey lip balm in the tube is still my holy grail honey lip balm that I've been trying to find a replacement for. Preferably from a company that doesn't suck. After I moved to America, I noticed that the products here just weren't the same. Very grainy, very low quality, which surprised me because I thought they were all sourced from the same manufacturer. They definitely fell off my radar when I realized that it was all just so crappily made and they would discontinue things after just a couple of months it seems.

[@purpur9327]

Have you ever tried the Nuxe Rêve de Miel honey lip balm? It's available in stick, tube and tub form, and it's really good. I always used the stick, personally, and it's my favorite lip balm apart from the L'Occitane shea stick

[@tdb7992]

The Body Shop was massive here in Australia too. British stores will often has a presence here, and Australian stores (like Typo) often has a presence in the UK. The markets are very similar.

[@sarahjones6323]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention The Body Shop at Home (their MLM arm of the company). That’s why I thought they were sketchy. I had no idea about this other stuff!

[@CindyyCindz]

So excited for this new series!! I actually worked at the Body Shop in Brighton in 2009. I remember many people coming in and questioning the ethics all the time, specifically since it was owned by Loreal then. It was a horrible place to work, the managers put an insane amount of pressure on us. One of my teenage friends at the time died of bone cancer, and the body shop were sponsoring(?) teenage cancer trust. There was literally a picture of my dead friend's face in our store on the charity board (it was just a coincidence). It reminded me every day of her death, and I was literally asking every customer at the till to donate because I was passionate about it (I never mentioned my friend though of course!!). My managers probably loved that I tried so hard because of my dead friend. It makes me feel sick to know how much money the company was probably profiting from that. But anyway, the managers were very abusive and mean. No one lasted there. We had to come 15 minutes before our shift to read information about the company, and know the figures. If you were a few minutes late (like, 12 minutes before your shift started) you were told off and told you were late. It's one of the worst places I've worked. But I did honestly like the products. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your series! And I love the long format videos

[@LuanaOnMaui]

Oh gosh… in the 90’s I was such a Body Shop devotee. The banana hair products and Satsuma soaps were my go-to’s. And they had a certain shade of lipstick that I so WISH I could find today!

[@LoloDawn]

My 21 year old step daughter uses the banana shampoo!

[@beth4928]

That satsuma soap is such a throwback, wow. My dad loved that stuff. Anything citrus smelling, he thinks is fantastic. Made him a very easy person to buy for 😅

[@bobonline1981]

I worked for them in the early 2000s and the manager raided the charity tin to top up the till when the sums didn’t add up. And when customers brought their empties for us to recycle, it all just got dropped in the normal trash.

[@sylvialuisa]

Gosh, I worked at Body Shop from 2015-2018 and had no idea of any of this, totally believed the stuff they told us about the brand's history and ethics! We knew the L'Oréal stuff because that was that era but not the rest. I've always been so loyal to the skincare, long after I worked there, but they just kept discontinuing everything I liked! There are still a handful of products I love, but not nearly as many as if they'd kept their stock the same! We were also told the name was a deliberate joke because of the funeral parlours. Very Sweeney Todd. Sidenote - James, what is on your skin in this video?! That GLOW! 😍

[@taylortiwari7118]

For what it’s worth, I love this format of video. Coupled with the way you always present facts, it is super engaging and informative.

[@Liz-in8lu]

I second this

[@H.A.-zr2wc]

NGL i loved the body shop in the 90's. NOTHING came between me and my White Musk. Not even my severly inflamed skin caused by one of their face creams 😂😂😂

[@BarbaraT.]

I used to love their white musk scent!! If you weren't there, I don't think people today can understand how unique and cool The Body Shop was back then, in the UK especially.

[@H.A.-zr2wc]

​@@BarbaraT. Exactly!!! I'm from the Netherlands and they were huge here. The stores are still open

[@estopesto2647]

😂

[@Vonononie]

I was a fuzzy peach girl

[@michellekennedy4426]

Oh i'd forgotten about white musk,teenage me loved it,went through bottles of the stuff😂.

[@cparks2716]

I was called in for an interview with The Body Shop. I showed up and was told that they would be with me soon. I waited for over an hour only to be told that they weren't actually hiring, but they would validate my parking if I spent $25. I felt scammed and swore to never set foot in one of their stores again.

[@EmmaValentine]

Used to love the body shop as a kid, but looking at the shop everytime I walk past it in town its a graveyard

[@saharaowl9712]

This is so true, every time I walk pass its empty with shop assistants.just.standing around

[@8jaime8]

I worked for the Body Shop on Robson St. in Vancouver, Canada, for one day in 1990 when I was 18. A woman came in to buy neck cream, which only came in bizarrely tiny pots. She asked me for another size and I jokingly said ‘your neck isn’t that big.’ The customer laughed, but the manager overheard me and fired me on the spot. I had gotten the job because my best friend had worked there for a year. She used to have terrible gas from eating so many beans on her vegetarian diet. When she knew she needed to fart, she’d sneak up behind customers and let rip a SBD, then disappear - leaving them wondering what the terrible smell was. I was almost impressed that one small girl could make the whole highly-scented shop smell so disgusting. Your mention of the Japanese washing grains (adzuki beans?) unlocked long-buried memories. I remember trying that stuff and thinking that washing dried beans down my sink twice a day would very quickly ruin the plumbing. It was gross. And their face powders back then were so orange, cakey and patchy that it was crazy they even released them. The cucumber cleanser, and the OG vanilla and OG mango perfume oils were incredible.The perfumes in particular were some of the best I’d ever used, as far as how perfectly they harmonised with my skin’s scent and how long they lasted. Despite how horrible that company was, I’d be tempted to buy those products now if they were made available again. Unfortunately, they changed the formulas some time in the early 90s and they just weren’t any good anymore.After watching this expose, I’m now wondering if it’s because they had to change the products since they were being caught lying about their ingredients around that time. Thanks for the unexpected hit of nostalgia. Weird but very happy memories!

[@onecatshortofcrazy12]

Wasn’t there more drama between them and Lush? Something about Lush creators claiming The Body Shop stole their ideas too?

[@nadiahassan5307]

Yes there was! Mark Constantine was very open about his hatred of Anne. But this video was already quite detailed, I suppose he couldn’t find a place to put it.

[@HayleyGC]

It's interesting that lush was founded the same year the article about the body shop came out. I don't believe Roddick was what she said she was, but its clear that Constantine had an agenda also.

[@EllenPenelo]

Great video! I used to be a regular customer of the Body Shop, mostly as a teen funnily enough. Over time I realised that it had a thinly veiled MLM side which started to put me off. Then I learned a little of their dodgy ethics, and I stopped shopping there. Small note- having worked for a B corp company who I can't name, the B corp label is 100% greenwashing. I've seen firsthand the waste generated, the staff treatment, the facilities, and so on. I've stopped trusting companies just because they have paid out for some kind of eco certification.

[@barose1]

I used to shop at the original Body Shop in Berkeley, CA, but I had no idea why they changed their name until now 😮.

[@michelelong2986]

Same here! I used to work at Living Foods on university, (who knows what that is now) and used to shop there.

[@michelelong2986]

I always thought that was where they 'started out'

[@amandamare]

When I was a teenager in Germany (early 2000s), I loved going to The Body Shop. White Musk was my favorite perfume. I also bought most of my gifts there. For me, the sale to L'Oréal was a real betrayal. I found it unacceptable. From then on, I reluctantly went elsewhere. Fortunately, there were and still are good alternatives. Also, the fact that The Body Shop never managed to bring plastic-free products to the market is really weak. I mean, you can find them in any drugstore today (solid shampoo, conditioner, etc.). How can a brand that promotes itself as ecological miss these important changes?

[@ArtemisFowldigger001]

The body shop Norway filed for bankrupcy just last thursday, the 30th of May, though it has been bought and the new owners will be reopening some stores it seems. It’ll be really interesting to see how long it lasts

[@phantombcat3243]

They shouldn’t have switched all their formulas to vegan. Nobody likes the reformulations and they made a huge mistake when they didn’t listen to their customers. Glossier suffered a similar backlash when they reformulated their balmdotcom to vegan and we all hated it. They listened to us, heard us loud and clear and brought back the old formula of the glosses but also still offered the vegan versions. I feel if Body Shop did something like this and listened to their customers more they would have been fine. I remember their really defensive response when they said something about other businesses were to blame for their shutting down. That attitude alone, blaming others instead of trying to see what they could do better is another reason they failed.

[@andreapopescu7794]

I worked for The Body Shop from 2016 - 2018. I was threatened to be fired because my look was “too natural”, I had to wear minimum 5 pieces of makeup and thick foundation was mandatory. Also, the amount of paper, cardboard, etc wastage was awful, the whole store changing of campaigns every 3 months was ridiculous, no recycling system either, all to the bin. I was a store manager in the UK.

[@vvitch-mist20]

It should be a red flag for people when they support ethics, but go onto the stock market, AND if they have extremely rapid growth in a ten year period. Both of these things tell me The Body Shop never actually wanted to do good after they noticed how much money they could make. The second any company gets shareholders it stops being about whatever the original belief behind the brand was, and becomes all about making these parasites money. The same can be said for rapid growth since Stanley Cups are being produced at an alarm rate to meet demand, or it did, and they ended up having lead inside of their products, something that should NEVER be in something that holds consumable liquids. When you grow fast you only think about how to make money short term, so things like ethical production goes out the window.

[@herefortheshrimp1469]

Apparently that’s a standard thing for tumbler makers - not saying it’s good but it’s not just a Stanley cup thing! Also, I work at a company that is solely focused on trading and market watching and you couldn’t be more right. NOTHING actually matters to a public company except for GROWTH year after year. They will literally be sued by shareholders if that isn’t the main goal 🙃 morals over the sake of extreme wealth for a few

[@bellyjewel]

Wow James, that was an impressively researched and presented piece. I've been aware for a while that the Body Shop had some controversies and was floundering, but I didn't know about all of this. BTW I'm in California and I remember hearing about how Anita basically forced the original Body Shop, later Body Time, to give up the Body Shop name, but I never realized that she had stolen their entire concept. Sadly, Body Time is no more, after having folded a few years ago. i miss them much more than the Body Shop stores I used to go to--in the days when I actually liked Body Shop.

[@hindypearson]

I used to love the Body Shop, particularly because of their stand against animal testing and buying ingredients from small local producers worldwide. I don't recall the articles you mentioned, but I do remember the announcement they were selling to L'oreal and that's when I stopped buying from them. I realised what a hypocrite she was. Someone who really cared about cruelty free products would never dream of selling to a company that does test. I've never looked at them since.

[@MiraCassandre]

Same, I stopped at that time too. I was quite disappointed

[@kimberlywelch4198]

I had no idea about any of this!!! As a teen in the 90's, i LOVED the Body Shop! I swore by the banana conditioner, strictly for the smell!! I also loved the wooden comb they had for my naturally curly hair. I've only been able to find one like it since.

[@dkeinow]

As a teen in Manila, The Body Shop was a brand only the rich can afford. Or anyone who had a family or friend from abroad who can bring home those products when they visit the Philippines. I only had one gift set from the Body Shop in the early 2000s

[@lipstickzombie4981]

They first brought the lip and cheek tint trend in the Philippines. Those came in a tiny bottle with a nail polish style brush. 😅

[@caroline6309]

I can't believe what this company has done! So many lies, I am shocked. Sadly I have bought quite a few things from them in the past until they closed all their stores here in Germany. I feel sorry for the employees who were treated so unfair. Glad this business is over!

[@Cait491]

We had a huge body shop here in South Africa, the shop is so tiny now, I'd be too scared to walk in a knock everything over 😅

[@denisha8596]

Plus they have 3-for-2 sales all the time... but the shops are still empty.

[@lily5952]

I was looking for a comment from a Saffa lol. I signed up for a bodyshop loyalty card as a young uni student nearly 10 years ago and I never got the promised birthday voucher. When I tried calling them they said they didn't even have my card number on the system. Yikes. And you're so right about the tiny stores. I would feel so nervous because a lot of their products are in glass or seem fragile. I see they attempted a rebrand and still sell their stuff in clicks. I wonder if they will continue.

[@suepi3686]

I bought a face powder from this brand about 30 years ago. I did give me the ugliest rash and I never get rashes, I don't have sensitive skin. I thought, that they should at least use ingredients, that are known to be safe. Never bought anything from this brand ever since.

[@dumbnhung]

I know you probably couldn't include everything you found out about The Body Shop but I think its important to remind people that they also had an MLM component with their own army of boss babes. Also, The Body Shop Canada was actually forced into bankruptcy because The Body Shop UK actually took all of the money The Body Shop Canada had in its bank accounts to pay off the UKs debts, leaving Canada to go into a deficit it coudn't afford.

[@RetroMonkey1999]

I still have a bottle of the old fashioned design of Satsuma. You will pry it out of my cold, dead hands. I'm American and grew up in a rural area, so I didn't find The Body Shop until after I graduated in 1999. I never got super into it, but I adored satsuma, strawberry, white musk and mango. I adored getting to chose my scents and do custom mixes.

[@margotchanning1822]

Satsuma was my favourite body butter!! And back in the early nineties I wore their white musk perfume oil and oceana...I can still smell oceana now when I think about it 😢

[@MadAboutSkin]

Cant wait to watch this as I wondered what happened to the brand.. love you James - epic content as always x

[@hayleyjade6741]

I was a manager in Australia, saw the handover from the Wise Foundation to Loreal in Australia. I got out not long after that. It wasn't until I left that I realised how much it was like a little cult. I no longer work in retail and I've never been happier!

[@abigailsara]

I remember being a kid in the late '80's/early '90's and my mom getting body shop products from my grandmother for Christmas. I thought they were soooo fancy, after my first surgery in 1991 my aunt & grandma made me a little get well basket and it had a little pot of kiwi lip balm in it, (it was exactly like the laneige lip sleeping mask), I am embarrassed to admit that even after it was long empty, I kept that little pot on my dresser 😂 I don't think I've ever used anything except that lip balm, a shower gel and a bath soak/bubble bath from them. I was shocked when I recently heard about the MLM side to them, in the states they were just small stores in our malls.

[@KarinaSankarsingh-vi9ri]

Here in the states bath and body works did take over and they had amazing yearly sales. The body shop was a bit of an afterthought but it was always around I remember and bought things occasionally. Once I heard it was tied to mlm marketing I was done. And I’ve been over bbw for years as well. Good story you had me captivated 🤩!

[@solveigw]

The Body Shop just went bankrupt here in Norway, like last week. I loved TBS as a young teenager, but now as an adult I found them quite boring. The controversies didn't help. I did like their coconut dry oil, though, but that was discontinued here in Norway some years ago.

[@9whilenine]

I loved their lip balm in kiwi in the 90s. As a teen shopping there wasn’t intimidating, like in other stores, and you could test products freely unlike anywhere else at the time. I had two of their makeup brushes for literal decades because they were so fantastic and only recently threw the last one out. When they reformulated the lip balm formula (which I didn’t yet know was a common thing companies did cause I was a teen), I stopped shopping there. This was all in the 90s. My obsession with the Body Shop was relatively short lived, but it was strong.

[@lk-l2818]

TBS was huge in my youth, but not something we could afford. When i was older i used and enjoyed a lot of their products, but Lush was starting to take the attention away from them.

[@MirelaMusicUK]

I've been working at The Body Shop since November and knew absolutely nothing about it beforehand. I work at one of the few franchise stores left, which is what saved it from being closed down! This video was super insightful and somewhat disappointing to learn about, despite the fact that I've been extremely skeptical of it's ethics in conversation with some of my co-workers, who actively chose to work there for moral reasons, as opposed to myself who just desperately needed a job lol I think you're completely fair in this video with your critiques, however, I will say that like everything, there's so much more nuance - but I'm coming from a place of having to work at the store and be the one directly consulting with customers. Ultimately, fuck the capitalists that rake in all the profits based on actions that exploit others. But we're the ones that have to live and work within a society that functions that way, just to get by. The best part about my job (bearing in mind this is something I do just to pay my bills, which is hardly does) is when people (usually an older woman) come in nervous and insecure about themselves and they leave the store with so much confidence and are practically glowing because of the support I could offer them. I tell them that they do not need any of the products we sell, and try to build them up as much as I can without the involvement of any products. Usually they've never used makeup before and are wanting to start but don't know where to begin, so I offer them a free consultation and try to work around their wants, and it's honestly the best feeling to brighten someone's day like that. The other day a woman told me that nobody notices women once they turn 40 and it upset me so much. My point is that the all the corporate bs is one thing but those of us actually doing the work are the ones trying to make a difference in our own ways. We have somewhat of a community there that I actually really love. Last thing I want to mention though is that presenting all the information like this is fantastic, and I want to thank you for all the time, effort and research you put into this (I've been subscribed to you for a few months now and love your content). However, despite how it seems though the media e.g. the boycott, which from what I've learned, definitely had an impact on the company. But from my personal experience with customers, most people just do not care. Not really. When it went into administration and we were worried about losing our jobs, the influx of people was insane! I was initially hired over the Christmas period and it was even busier than that period. People were bulk buying their favourite products out. It wasn't primarily the regulars, but people who claimed they'd not been to the Body Shop for years, and retelling their childhood stories, and how much of a shame it would be if they could no longer buy their favourite soaps. My colleagues who have worked their much longer have discussed the hypocrisy and callousness of a lot of customers who stopped buying from the Body Shop years prior only to bulk buy, (spending in the hundreds!), the moment that they thought it would be taken away. Don't get me wrong, we had some customers who were actually sympathetic towards the actual employees who lost their jobs, instead of crying about how they wouldn't be able to buy a fragrance they hadn't even thought about since the 80s. The panic buying died down after 2 weeks and at this point, we're all just sick of having to answer the same question each about 3 times a day from customers wondering when we're closing, 4 months later! It's just exhausting. As retail workers, we're lucky that most of our customers are absolutely wonderful and as I mentioned before, there's definitely a community feel, which is the only reason I even care for the work that I do because, no, I don't care about the giant corporation that I never believed in to begin with. I wish that everything Anita portrayed herself to be in the beginning was true. The word entrepreneur gets thrown around so much it's lost its meaning but that's what she was. I don't think she was a bad person and I do think she wanted to do those things but really "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" and I truly believe that. Anyway, sorry for the ridiculously long comment! I don't know how this happened and I hope it makes sense! I was just surprised to finally see someone talking about all this pop up on my recommendations and I'm glad it was from you! Thanks!

[@EmmaSWright]

Omg YOUR SKIN HERE🥵 pleaseee tell us what you’ve used for that glow! Love your storytelling as always

[@hotpinkcrayolas]

I just miss the animal shaped soaps they had in the 90s. I ownded so many of them that I still have one or two knocking around to make my knicker drawer smell nice 😂 x

[@stephanieorr221]

I worked in a body shop, as a seasonal worker one Christmas when I was in college. Worst job ever. Was treated so terribly by the regular staff.. Mind you it was in the year 2000. But still. Body shop, take it or leave it. Great video.💜

[@SteamyPMcGee]

When I was a kid (30 years ago) I loved the Body Shop for the little bath marbles they sold, they were oil balls that completely dissolve in the bath. Now I'm grown I like their chamomile cleansing balm and mini hand creams.

[@grat2010]

James, hair and skin are looking fabulous 😍! If influencer work ever fails to inspire you (hopefully it will NEVER), I honestly think you have a calling as a journalist. This type of video has such a journalistic feel and I am all for it! You take such care to gather the facts and it shows. Nothing is sensationalized. Just the facts with a sprinkle of well-deserved snark sometimes in some of the videos. The best blend of personality and facts.

[@gemcarrx]

I agree! He could discuss any topic and I’m interested because he’s so passionate. A great storyteller and gentle shade thrower when deserved 😂

[@dontknowdocare]

Personally as someone who turns beet red when I enter a slightly heated room I absolutely cannot stand how often he complains about his nonexistent/ non-visible rosacea. That's just vile.

[@gemcarrx]

@@dontknowdocare I’m sorry you have to deal with that but just because his might not be as intense as others and he doesn’t show it on camera doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. The internet is cruel, I wouldn’t want to film if I was feeling self conscious about my skin.

[@christopherbird2739]

He looks greasy af

[@JeanGenie100]

@@dontknowdocareIs that why his face is shiny?

[@Alyse_bell]

It was them opening an MLM side of the business that was the final nail in the coffin for me. I already had been boycotting the brand for a while but when they decided to open a predatory business model like an MLM was even more disgusted. Glad that they are going done the tubes but I feel sorry for the people who are losing their jobs.

[@daisyjohnson7588]

Their fuzzy peach scent body wash was EVERYTHING to me at 16, and i recall them being a fun place to go in hoghschool. But before I heard anything about them being an MLM I stoped going just because they stopped carrying the products that were well liked. Also last time I went in one it looked like a knock off Aveda

[@josiecolquhoun]

Friend of mine worked in body shop and its costs them literal pennies to make the products… the mark up is about 600%!!!!!

[@Sarah-Ra]

Enjoyed listening to this thanks. A real eye-opener. Growing up in the 90's i constantly smelt of Dewberry, Vanilla or Fuzzy Peach. Really thought The body shop was groundbreaking for its time, shame it turned out to be a bit of a sham.

[@theyouofyesterday6254]

Fuzzy peach! 🍑🍑❤❤

[@allieren]

I worked for The Body Shop back in the late 90s and it’s still one of the favorite jobs I ever had. Back then a lot of the stores were franchises and the owners were local to my hometown which I think made a difference for our team. I was in my late teens and early 20s and I loved the products and loved what I thought the company stood for; I didn’t put much effort at that age into researching the claims and I was sad to hear it was all a lie. I had coworkers who worked there for years, even after the franchisees sold the store to corporate, but they didn’t stay much past that. I haven’t shopped there in years but I loved their old mango body butter and Dewberry body wash which sadly hasn’t been available in the US since the 90s.

[@PinkyFruitcake]

I was so disappointed; they once sold their soul to L'Oreal. I have not shopped there since.

[@maryamxocanzrzad3504]

It’s really interesting how Body Shop is hated in the USA. In my country it is considered a good brand with good products and we didn’t have a pyramid scheme either. So yeah it’s insane how wrong they went in America :D