The Rise and Fall of The Body Shop

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The Body Shop was once one of Britain's largest cosmetics companies. Growing to enormous success during the 1970s and 1980s through a franchising strategy that allowed them to expand quickly and with little risk. As such, Anita Roddick became one of the best known businesspeople in England and was heralded for her activism, something often used by The Body Shop in marketing. However, after going public in 1986, the business changed focused and became far more profit driven, eventually cutting their activist roots to two campaigns a year. This made their activism seem less genuine and more corporate, eventually losing them their audience. Since then, neither L'Oreal, nor Natura were able to bring back it's relevancy despite being in extremely political times and so now, after a final sale to Aurelius, the company is being split into parts during liquidation to absolve debts.
Fashion Channel: / @understitchyt
Patreon: patreon.com/understitch
Peter Kyle's Testimony of Anita Roddick: / 832832950223742
Jon Entine's email:
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Jon Entine's website: archives.jonentine.com/the-bod...
Affiliate Links for Books Used:
Heinemann Profiles: Anita Roddick by Rob Alcraft: amzn.to/48PJ99s
Anita Roddick and the Body Shop by Paul Brown: amzn.to/3IqZ6bk
Women of Achievement by Sherry Beck Paprocki: amzn.to/49Icbt3
Body and Soul by Anita Roddick: amzn.to/3PaQb1H
Business as Unusual by Anita Roddick: amzn.to/3Pb80xw
The Body Shop Book by The Body Shop Team: amzn.to/3PdxJW3
The Anticapitalist Book of Fashion: amzn.to/3wOQEjW

[@underskinYT]

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[@nhlakaaa7048]

i'm glad you're doing ads. I cant afford a monthly subscription of your Patreon so it's nice to know that you are getting monetary gain from this

[@persia888]

I can’t even go into a Lush shop. The fumes of synthetic fragrances radiating out the door is so intense.

[@foximoxi8533]

I went into Lush and was immediately bombarded by the sales person. She insisted I wash my hands with one of their creams. But they don’t have sinks, just bowls of water. So I was sitting there in a busy store, dipping my hands in a bowl of water. 😕 Not the best experience, tbh.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

@@foximoxi8533 A silver lining of the pandemic is that I don't get touched on every time I go into a place like that anymore.

[@meditativesloth4604]

Fragrance industry is so overrated… all these scented laundry items and perfumes/body spray don’t go well with public spaces

[@sararichardson737]

I’m glad I’m not the only one. I thought K was being snooty

[@moonstar9101]

Same! Just walking past, it’s so strong! I wonder how on earth people work in the heavy fragrance all day! It would give me a headache.

[@everlynevins]

I did my highschool internship in The Body Shop in 2000. While it was two weeks of working in the height of Summer, which was miserable, the store manager let me sit in the office to cool down and offered me a free sample of those sprays to cool your feet. And she gave me a back to school basket of samples of my choice. A great memory!

[@underskinYT]

Oh thats so lovely! Im so glad you had such a nice experience

[@beckaj2775]

The ironic thing is this is the perfect time for the body shop. The youth today are so into all these things, plus activisame, standing up for whats right. How very sad, they had such great products when i was a kid 20 years ago. shame

[@emilygooner9697]

And surely cheaper then what the kids are buying now too

[@ISnortGlitter829]

Exactly this is a better audience rather than them going for drunk elephant etc

[@kf5338]

It's cheaper but the products don't work well. Rather pay more for something that actually works

[@ggwurld]

@@kf5338I used them when I was a tween and teen though, and I didn’t need a bunch of active ingredients then. It was affordable and worked for my skin then. They aren’t great now but I wish teens had something similar to what they were then. Most don’t need drunk elephant and Paula’s choice level active ingredients

[@ballslover47]

@@kf5338idk theyre products works wonders for me

[@sheridangreenwood7148]

I was a Manager of two very busy Body Shop stores during the 80s and I can categorically say that I never once saw mouldy product! It was a fantastic time of my life and we all felt a part of something really important. Anita visited our stores several times and was a huge inspiration.

[@underskinYT]

What was she like?

[@impermanent-being]

This brought back memories of the 90s when it felt magical to immerse my teenage self in all the pretty-looking bar soaps and their wonderful smell inside a store.

[@underskinYT]

90s bodyshop was my favourite too 🥰 I love it and I could always trust it to be good

[@GildedGoddess8]

So well done. The Body Shop was one of my go-to spots for bodycare. Their coconut body cream in the brown container gave me the most dewy buttery soft skin. But as time went on, I noticed something was off with the feel of the company, but I kind of brushed it off. I ended up applying for a job there, and that's when I realized they were purchased by L'oreal. So I changed my mind. I literally worked for them for like one day and left 😅. The vibe was off. To this day, I have not found a body cream that does what The Body Shop coconut cream did for my skin. I even went as far as trying to recreate it at home, lol. I did ok, but it just didn't have that 🤌🏾 that The Body Shop cream had 😅. This video was very informative. I appreciate the time, effort, and research done to present this. 🩷

[@mamafreddy]

Maybe LUSH may have something? Since their Chemist went there….

[@waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa9739]

@@mamafreddy I dread the day some big corp decides to pull something on Lush too. Might not be that far in the future considering they're already doing collabs with Nintendo, Mattel and Nickelodeon. They seem to have rolled back in that regard a bit now, but still.

[@kh417]

I use the Trader Joes coconut cream now!!

[@shawneevee7490]

I hate lush. RIP body shop

[@ubs16]

Try skin food by Weleda. Best skin cream ever

[@Alatoimiedlagrubaski]

It's crazy how you as a customer see and feel the change from a genuine, unique business to just another corporation. I used to love The Body Shop. It was different, felt genuine and unique. Suddenly it turned and I wasn't able to put my finger on what exactly changed, but something did and I just never bought from them again

[@underskinYT]

Yeah I totally feel what you mean too. Maybe anita was right to get out when she did

[@sallyjones4557]

it became really expensive for what it was and products that didnt feel or look special?

[@tocotronicon]

white musk from body shop was literally the smell of my teenage years in the early 2000s😄

[@pyenygren2299]

Same for me, for my twenties and thirties.

[@underskinYT]

What did it smell like?

[@Tom_Bee_]

​@underskinYT lily of the valley, jasmine and musk. Don't be fooled by my user name. I'm a man with a beard, as I was in 1991, and I endured a lot of homophobic and misogynistic comments bc I used to use Body Shop white musk body mist whenever the opportunity presented itself.

[@Dormousedreamsofcheese]

Mine was dewberry! 😊

[@hellojerome]

@@underskinYTit was an incredible fragrance reminiscent of Victorian 19th century old England, elegant powdery extraordinaire. The fact that it was inexpensive was a scandal in itself, it might as well cost the price of a Dior perfume it would have sold even more.

[@sparkswolverine]

Dang. Body Shop was superior to Bath & Body Works.

[@kmariamv]

Very much so and still is from a product quality POV

[@underskinYT]

Oh most definitely, B+BW literally couldn't/wouldn't exist without them

[@Unsweetened8618]

Riddick was a thief. She stole.

[@kite6864]

wonder how long they will stay in business now...I don't really see the appeal, the fragrances are hit or miss. usually when you see malls closing down, victoria secret and B&BW are the last 2 stores surviving

[@Unsweetened8618]

@kite6864. That thief got overthrown by B&BW. And the Body Shop store's look outdated.

[@caseynw]

Please do a video on LUSH !

[@underskinYT]

I really should, esp with the link to this and Mark Constantine

[@Dreaming5]

Second vote for Lush video!

[@cassylow9418]

3rd! Used to work for them and I'd really love an in depth study on them! 😊

[@cunty]

agree

[@beckyginger3432]

Lush video! I cannot wait

[@Merelvanpoucke]

I did an internship at The Body Shop France/Benelux HQ in Paris in 2022 and had such a nice experience. I'm so sad seeing how everything is unfolding currently after being bought by Aurelius. My first ever skincare when I was 12 was the tea tree line

[@carvitqmilate9244]

I always adore they're musk perfume But with my currency I need find dupes for that I found one but not to similar more like 57% like white musk

[@_.katura27]

Omg my first skin care was the body hop when I was 12 😮 but i used the sensitive line and it gave me more acne 😂😂

[@zzizahacallar]

I enjoyed the tea tree oil

[@underskinYT]

I remember the tea tree line, me and my friends were all hooked on it and the blotting sheets too

[@ShaneBarker1973]

I use to work for The Body Shop for almost 14 years in manufacturing - I cannot believe its gone so wrong , the company was in such good hands under Anita & Gordon . Such a shame 😞 but happy memories i will never forget

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad you remember them so well, they seem like good people

[@asdf242]

the script is very well written. the video is very well assembled. it’s very interesting to see the historical roots of corporate cause marketing and that it is often as insincere as it feels. i also have a new respect for Anita R. and as usual i love your voice.

[@underskinYT]

Ah thank you so much, I cant wait til you see the biography at the end of the month. The Roddick family have been so helpful to my research 🥰

[@EMSpdx]

This was an excellent documentary! As a young person in the early 90s in NYC The Body Shop was THE PLACE! The shops in Harlems and South Street made you feel welcomed, you could see someone Black, Brown or LGBQT ( or some combo) working there, and the body butters and oil based perfumes were perfect. You could play and walk out with a little something- and talk about issues of the day. I miss TBS, I really do.

[@underskinYT]

It was wonderful in the earlier days, I know everything becomes corporate after a time because it ends up being a necessity, but it stings that it lost its humanity

[@ThestuffthatSaralikes]

I’m in the southern US. In the late 90’s (hmmm? 94-98) I probably paid our local Body Shop’s light bill some months!!😉 It was our first real introduction to skin care that wasn’t Clean and Clear or Noxema… drugstore brands. And “natural products” too. I LOVED that store and still miss the smell…😊

[@underskinYT]

Oh I love that! It's so nice to find a shop you resonate with like that

[@missrobertson45]

Same in Canada

[@KeiPalace]

The Body Shop had great products, that's why people kept coming back, one of the best things was the perfume bar, where you could mix your own perfume oils and then add them to unscented products like body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, etc. I still have some of the perfume oils from when I worked there in the 90s. In the US the competitor, Bath and Body Works opened right next to every body shop, for a while even using the iconic green until a lawsuit, but the confusion frustrated and annoyed customers, and the Body Shop would not advertise in the US even to introduce it to the US public, so the US expansion was pretty much defeated before it began.When Roddick sold the company to L'Oreal, it felt like a betrayal, and another reason why the brand failed.

[@underskinYT]

They refused to advertise until far too late, they felt that they didnt need it and Im not sure why 🤷 also, I wouldve loved to try the products without fragrance bcs I usually react to scented cosmetics

[@reu2002]

‘Enlightened capitalism.’ An oxymoron in terms. Lol. As a millennial that grew up in the early 00s, body shop products like passion fruit lip gloss and mango body butter were a ubiquitous feature of my British childhood. My lefty mum who was generally anti cosmetics for feminist reasons was as always happy to get me stuff from there. They gave me some of my earliest memories of cosmetics so there will always be an element of nostalgia. Fantastic video!!

[@underskinYT]

I remember the mango line so well but the smell was just one I couldnt get on with. I remember wanting it so bad and then just never using it

[@reu2002]

@@underskinYT it was definitely very strong smelling! Now I’m the polar opposite and won’t use anything with fragrance lol. I feel in general heavily perfumed cosmetics have really fallen out of favour and are now pretty passé. That might have something to do with body shop becoming less popular as time went on

[@tumibuchanan2851]

I really appreciate the research and time taken to make these videos. Also....yes please to future 1hr videos. Living for that. Thank you, and I can't wait for the next one.

[@underskinYT]

I would love to do more longer videos like these, Im also trying to improve my editing at the same time tho and omg it takes so long 💀💀 added to the ridiculous research time, Im running out of sleep hahaha

[@williamthompson2941]

this is the most comprehensive review of a business I have seen on YT in the last ten years

[@underskinYT]

ahhhh thank you so much

[@JLB0880]

Fuzzy peach was my signature scent in Jr. High…1992. I’d pay a lot of money to get my hands on some now.

[@yokkijoy]

I loved Leap!

[@goshdarnit]

dewberry girl here❤

[@arlenecargill9883]

I was a dewberry girl too...and so was my gran 😅

[@jacksonmahr8915]

There was a lot of international high street action in the 80s that to a young, unkempt Australian seemed like London was the centre of the world...or at least within walking distance of it. Laura Ashley, Habitat, Virgin Megastores, Tie Rack, Athena, and The Body Shop were pushing new retail ideas and had super-bold personalities. The knew what they were. Now, 30 years later, it's all gone. Some stores are still around, Habitat is still a thing, but the whole spirit is gone because of simple business issues or because new owners don't understand what they've purchased. I'm not sure how it ever comes back, which is a shame. I didn't purchase a thing from The Body Shop - it wasn't made for me - but it was important that it was there.

[@underskinYT]

80s laura ashley was such a vibe and the whole history of Habitat with the duvet blew my little mind when I was studying it in uni. Seemed like a fun decade honestly, Prince, Adam and the Ants, Kate Bush, Vivienne Westwood

[@sandralondon6214]

This brought back so many memories, I worked for the Body Shop from a Saturday sales assistant to assistant manager off and on through the 90’s to early 2000’s. There definitely was a shift once Anita Roddick became a brand in herself and detached from the business. Once she sold to L’Oréal, as workers on the shop floor we couldn’t quite fathom out why as they were the opposite of what the we stood for and very corporate. We just knew it was the beginning of the end. I also heard it was Anita’s biggest regret, selling to L’Oréal.

[@underskinYT]

Oh interesting, I wonder if she wouldve cotntinued to regret it if she was alive today

[@prophetessoftroy]

I loved going into TBS when I was growing up. Especially the perfume oils. They were the only place where you could learn what specific notes smelled like, so you could start to learn what you liked and disliked. It was such a great place, but by the time I had any kind of money of my own, all the shops like that were shut and you could only find it at home parties and Ulta (and nothing smelled the same).

[@underskinYT]

Thats such a shame, I feel apologetic of what happened to TBS, really its a disappointment

[@LondonEE16]

I loved The Body Shop in the UK, even though I was familiar with The Body Shop in San Francisco and spotted it as a rip-off. When I lived in London I enjoyed visiting it as a place that sold cheap and cheerful products that did what they said on the tin, rather than making fanciful claims like they have in the recent past (such as anti-aging products.) I could go in and get a small amount of nice smelling shower gel/bubble bath, some useful face cleanser, an eye gel that helped alleviate my allergies, an attractive hairbrush and maybe some shaving gel for my significant other. Oh, and their great and useful eye makeup remover. When they started selling the type of over-priced products that everyone else sold, there was no longer a reason to go into a Body Shop. For me, that's what did in the brand. It became like every other cosmetic outlet.

[@underskinYT]

Yeah its not well differentiated now and ghats s real shame bcs it used to be so original and desirable. But I think youre lucky to have known both iterations of the body shop

[@lucym7438]

When i worked in LUSH we were told that The Body Shop maliciously stole Mark Constantine's recipes for soap and other products and started their company as direct competition. It wasn't an official part of their training but it was the manager of the shop who told us this at the end of day one group training. It never sat right with me but I never looked into it as LUSH was quite cult like and i didn't want to know that something they had taught us was wrong. That would NOT have gone down well. This video was amazing and very informative, very glad I now know the true history of The Body Shop. Love LUSH's products but the work environment was toxic as fuck and became very very high school bully esque very quickly

[@HeidiSholl]

I feel like you can sense this cult like mentality whenever you walk into Lush 😂 Don't get me wrong, I have bought from, and will likely buy from Lush again, but you can tell some of the people who work there really do think that Lush is God's gift to humanity, and it's not just them being good at sales 😂 The only other shops I've been in where I genuinely believed a cashier who enthusiastically told me "ooh, I love this [product name], I have this too!" were the Disney Store, and the Lego shop. I have no doubt that most of the people I speak to in those shops are as geeky as I am!

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad you found out so much information from my video. Id really like to look into their relationship more because its quite curious to me how he dropped her. I mean it could be nothing, but its interesting

[@lucym7438]

@@underskinYT oh that'd be so interesting! There's a lot of rumour around it so it'd be fascinating to know some actual facts around it!

[@alicevira]

Mark Constantine is no angel. I can't wait for the future Rise and Fall of Lush video

[@EMSpdx]

Uh- huh! I used to love some of the lotions and the perfumes are incredible but treatment of the staff ain't it and the collabs are very weird!

[@jasonm4332]

i cant even walk past the store, let alone walk in-the smell is soooo strong

[@Demi-nz4ti]

I did two trial shifts. It was horrible. They pushed me and pushed me to sell product. They didn''t hire me because i couldn't push as much as they wanted. I ended up being hired by Neal's Yard Remedies and i became one of the top sellers. No pushing. They saw my knowledge and love and cosmetics and hired me. So sad to see they have closed the store i was working at.

[@cocolivvv]

I worked for Lush for a year and it was the most competitive, toxic work environment ever. Even worse our store was located next to a strip club, and the manager knowingly allowed drunken patrons to come oogle sales associates and harass them. Unpaid extra trainings, miserable sales incentives and a toxic corporate culture masked by a public mission they only barely adhere to. Can’t wait for the video!

[@EMSpdx]

@@jasonm4332 I vcan smell Lush from two blocks away- which I think is the point but still! Yeesh!

[@Cookie_DDD]

Nothing brings back memories of the 90’s like the Body Shop scents ❤ I loved the Green Apple and Fuzzy Peach! Great products. I hope it can make a come back

[@underskinYT]

I loved that green apple smell, but my skin didnt :'(

[@rvanderjagt5944]

I remember when The Body Shop came to our area in the US in the early 90s. It was THE place for high school girls to get skincare and a lot of my friends dreamed of working there. Sephora wouldn't open in the US til 1998, and Ulta wasn't a thing yet, so these stores were more popular I think. It feels so strange now to see it gone from the US completely, but the video is right, without the ethical and envionmental focus, minimal refillable packaging, it just stopped being special. If all I want is scented bodywash and lotion, I can get some Sol de Janiero (which now offers refills) or Bath & Body Works.

[@underskinYT]

It was such a fun time for cosmetics as a shopper roght? Felt like there was multiple shops to go through and it was a full day out. I miss good malls or the high street really

[@rrenatabp]

Not only has the body shop lost their edge in regards to their activism, pointed as their key differentiator, they are also not innovating in the product area. When they begun, it seems like the ingredients and the products themselves were also innovative and stood out from other options. I used to love their tea tree moisturizer when I first got into skincare, as it was one of the few affordable options for oily, acne prone skin. However, the skincare market has now changed a lot and finding other options is much much easier, which means they don't have anything to make them stand out in a saturated market.

[@ModernVintage31]

@underskinYT I would love for you to do a video on Crabtree & Evelyn. When I was a young teen my go-to shops for body care products were Crabtree & Evelyn and The Body Shop. Where I lived they were just a couple blocks from each other and I could spend whole afternoons sniffing my way from one end of the avenue to the other. Unfortunately, C&E also has lost what used to make it special - the twee English/natural apothecary vibe. I’ve always wondered what happened to it over the years.

[@missrevenate]

It got bought and sold twice, I think? I used to work at one of the outlets and LOVED the original scents, hand creams and bar soaps. Last I heard before I left, the new owners tried to revamp the brand for the millennial market. Tons of classic scents were discontinued, new scents were introduced and underwhelming; and the marketing was minimal and quite stale. Their old market got turned off while they failed to attract their new intended market. They ended up shutting down a ton of their stores and slowed down their marketing.

[@underskinYT]

Im not going to lie to you I had to google Crabtree & Evelyn for fear I wasnt living under a rock 🥰💀 thrns out they failed in England, but it explains why I recognise the logo because they did okay in Asia and I visit frequently. I will certainly add it to my list though, I love love love learning about new brands

[@jarabaa]

Such a relevant, interesting question. I remember C & E so clearly. Bronnley, Yardley, and Laura Ashley were other earlier firms that sort of tried to develop a similar market. If only this video had looked at these companies. Or the huge cosmetics & perfume companies led by women long before Anita Roddick: Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, Nina Ricci. Instead we get told that Dior was a Nazi.

[@underskinYT]

@@jarabaa I am dying to cover elizabeth arden actually, she lived such a wild life

[@hellojerome]

@@underskinYTit was a mall staple. The products were more elegant than The Body Shop. The packaging was designed to target Gift shoppers, people looking to purchase a gift of cosmetic items would find guest soaps, gift baskets, embroidered towels, etc. It gave vibes of Martha Stewart meets English cottage. Pretty branding, nothing substantial as differentiator. Another brand you might want to discover would be: Caswell Massey . An old lady’s dream of a classic USA cosmetics shop. In general I would say I don’t understand the demise of the mall culture. How all of the sudden people do not spend spare time discovering and experiencing new items but instead shop with a purpose online. That sucks. Thanks for your videos.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

My best friends & I worked at the same Canadian mall in the late 80s/early 90s, one of them worked at the Body Shop. It was a big deal at the time, in our conservative town. They & Le Château & the record shop were known to hire 2SLGBTQ+, punks, political activists, Neo-hippies, & miscellaneous misfits. My friend's manager was an out woman at a time + place filled with homophobia. I remember the grossest things said to harass her. I haven't thought about those days in years. It's wild how deeply some brands touch us, how much they matter to our personal stories. There are still people I know bc a long time ago we both liked the same Body Shop line. Anita's story is eerie & sad. Hope she journeys well.

[@underskinYT]

Thank you so much for sharing that story, the 80s/90s really werent a safe time for the LGBTQ communities, Im glad we have come far from that

[@damienlynch7428]

I added a thumbs up even before I got to the end😊. Your content is allways so well researched, informative and presented in an unbaised way. That I learn so much more than I thought I already knew (even if I was shopping at the body shop back in the 90s) again thank you again for all the work you do.

[@sarahsarahsarah9093]

Same lol

[@underskinYT]

Im so so happy to read this comment thank you 🥰

[@PleatherGirl]

I am Canadian. This is what I posted in February: The Body Shop has appointed insolvency administrators to help save the brand (as far as United Kingdom stores go - other countries will not be part of this directly). I know that the company has been struggling for years but it very troubling that a company that has been around for decades that offers quality products and that is a big name in its industry is in deep trouble. How can The Body Shop be in debt? Why would it let things get THIS bad? A new company took over The Body Shop in November. The company in charge has a very good track record for turning companies around but some people seem to think this won't happen and that they will kill The Body Shop. If you ask me the trouble started when The Body Shop was sold to l'Oréal. This is because l'Oréal has tested on animals and people were worried they might force The Body Shop to do the same. Even if they didn't, a brand that was beloved for its ethical values was now part of a conglomerate that puts profit before animals. People who actively sought out products that did not test animals boycotted The Body Shop. I wanted to but I didn't. It's rather impossible to be an ethical consumer and to do it affordably. I support all those people who boycotted. Good on them! The Body Shop has NEVER tested on animals (but it was not a totally vegan company as some products contain honey - but they have never harmed an animal to create their product as far as I know). Any time I went into the store and they asked me to sign the petition to stop testing cosmetics on animals I signed it. I signed it 3 times. Also, months ago it was announced that The Body Shop products would be sold at Shoppers Drugmart but they didn't say when that would start and their products have yet to be in Shoppers Drugmart. I don't know what the financial situation is for The Body Shop Canada but I am confident in assuming it is not good. A few years ago a bottle of shower gel was $10 (already an expensive price). Now it costs $13! That is a massive price increase. They also recently changed their packaging and I don't like it. They said they did this because it was more sustainable. All the packaging is silver and while it still shows images of the main scent it is before that you could stand at a distance from any product and know what scent it was. Each scent had its own colour on packages that stood out. Now you have to walk right up to it to see what it is. Packaging matters. What really grinds my gears is that whenever companies start getting into financial trouble THEY DO NOT TELL THE PUBLIC AND ASK CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY CAN DO BETTER!!!! MARKET RESEARCH EXISTS FOR A REASON! COMPANIES THAT DON'T NEED TO DO IT DO IT! ONES THAT SHOULD DO IT DON'T! CUSTOMERS are what keeps a company alive, NOT CEOs and other upper management!!! They should be asking people why they stopped shopping there and ask people what they are not offering that we would like! It's not difficult at all! I hope things will improve for The Body Shop but if not it will be a sad day in history should it be no more. Regular customers should start looking for alternatives so they know what's out there should The Body Shop reach the final chapters in its life.

[@ReillyWilde]

This is well stated, especially your paragraph in caps. The company didn’t reach out to their customers & Love Your Body members for help, support, etc. An email may/could have helped them to get the support and feedback they apparently needed to avoid closing their doors. TBS’s ethics stance, “Enrich Not Exploit”, engaged my business for decades. Their closure is a huge loss to me.😢

[@underskinYT]

Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment. Unfortunately there are allegations both from Jon Entine and from Channel 4 that the animal cruelty free aspect isnt conclusively truthful. I forget what the details of that now and I suppose this far past the time of the allegations it doesnt matter now, but I agree very much with what you said. They didnt listen and they paid the price

[@SteffiBhiatch]

All These Videos are so amazing! I can’t even explain! I follow both channels for a while and there is so much work behind these videos! You get my respect! Amazing masterpieces! Thank you so much for entertaining and educating us! There is so much about businesses, brands, marketing and creation of a brand we learn here while you give us real life examples! Thank you!

[@underskinYT]

ah thank you so so much, Im so glad you know and like both my channels. I adore making videos so hopefully Ill be here for a long long time

[@bunniicuula]

amazing video, I loved the inclusion of the articles and other sources. great job! you always deliver with these videos and anticipate your video releases!! also: i don’t know if you’ll ever see this, but would you ever consider doing a video on thee Kevyn Aucoin? the brand and the makeup artist.

[@underskinYT]

Oooohhhhh Kevyn Aucoin would be so interesting actually, he wasnt on my list before but Ill add him 🥰

[@insulaarachnid]

Thank you for doing this video, it was a really detailed look at the business. The very first skincare & perfume I ever bought as an adolescent in the early 90's was from The Body Shop. I remember the smell of the cucumber toner from that time and I still have an old bottle of their Japanese Musk perfume oil.

[@underskinYT]

I think apart from the st Ives Apricot Scrub, the body shop was also mine too, specifically the tea tree line I spent so so much on

[@bec9696]

It was huge for us young tween/early teens in the early 90s in Australia. Now I can honestly say I have only purchased the hemp hand cream since for hubby. I noticed it wasn't so special in the mid-90s. Then those stupid party plans tried to sell us what was in every shopping centre for a markup + postage - um, no thank you! All with the intro stating there would never be new shop opened as that was her dying wishes🤷‍♀️. I guess most of us from that era had their preferred lip barm and body oil fragrance, but we all definitely grew up and realised we can no longer stomach those scents (for me anyway - I want to vomit if I smell vanilla or dewberry).

[@underskinYT]

The scents werent for me too, honestly I wouldve liked an unscented line

[@Laureee578]

It's very annoying how they discontinue products that you like and replace it with crapper versions (recently i have noticed this). Plus, the products are not sealed properly so people dip their fingers in and you don't want to buy it obviously if it's been contaminated (i have noticed this with all of their lip balms). It's disgusting.

[@underskinYT]

ew thats so gross

[@ModernVintage31]

Wonderful video - thank you for all your hard work in researching, narrating and producing all of your “under” series. I really miss The Body Shop as it existed in the 1990’s. The fruity scents, the hunter green stores, the in-store placards about where the ingredients supposedly were sourced from and the ethos behind the brand. They were a part of my coming of age as an environmentally aware consumer. If those shops could exist again with better vetting all around, I would go back. I find Bath and Body Works extremely unpleasant on many levels.

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad you enjoy both my channels, Im so happy to see them grow over time (can you believe my understitch 2 year anniversary is coming up? Im so happy) I agree with what you said, 90s TBS was such a vibe, the tea tree products, the little rollers, I loved it all

[@eleanorchan872]

Thank you for researching and making this video. I love learning about how founders of businesses worked and became successful, including mistakes made.

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad you enjoyed it, a lot of love went into it. I hope you come back for the Anita Roddick biography at the end of the month, her daughters have been so helpful in research 🤍

[@emilygooner9697]

I lived for those little oil bath balls back when I was a kid

[@marnie9063]

They sell them again now! You can find them online!

[@underskinYT]

I used the whole pack the first tome I used them because I didnt understand 💀💀💀

[@emilygooner9697]

@@underskinYT haha you must have been sliding out of the towel after 🤣🤣🤣

[@remicha5052]

Loved it! Thanks for the huge work!

[@underskinYT]

Thank you, Im glad you liked it 🥰

[@SummerFlowers-rl8pp]

I have such respect for Anita. Such a clearly presented and incredibly well researched video. Thank you!

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad you enjoyed it, thank you so much

[@Lotusmama100]

This was so informative! Thank you for the research. In the early 90’s I used some of their products, my favorite being the mango cream. I moved onto other brands, like L’occitante, since I moved to Europe, but was happy that the brand grew, and I was seeing so many stores worldwide. Sometime in mid 2010-2015 I went back to buy my favorite items, but the creams were recognizably of different formula. I figured they had gone cooperate and stopped buying altogether. Now I know why!

[@underskinYT]

Ah Im sorry they couldnt keep consistent for you, but Im so glad yoy liked the video and now you know why they had the formula change

[@ZRSKAAA]

An hour long! Kudos, you are spoiling us 🥰

[@underskinYT]

The biography at the end of the month is an hour as well 🤍

[@iluvSchleeping]

I wish they would bring their perfume oil back. 16 yr old me needs cinnamon spice

[@underskinYT]

You know what I miss that I think they shouldve done? Solid perfume. Love how long it lasts

[@gabrielmoro3d]

Every time you give us a masterclass. Great video!

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad you enjoyed it 🥰

[@qilorarv4999]

As a foreigner coming to uk over a decade a go Body shop was lovely, so popular and quality was great,but soon I noticed drop in quality and stopped shopping there for myself. Ut is sad to hear that after so many years they are closing down. And I am amazed to hear about company's beginnings, as truly that is what people are after nowadays.

[@underskinYT]

Im glad you enjoyed the video so much, I agree its a shame the quality dipped, maybe under new management it can come back

[@Nmh86]

Such a wonderful video, I really enjoyed this and find your work is top notch.

[@underskinYT]

Thank you so much :)

[@drc4168]

Brilliantly researched, presented and produced. ❤

[@underskinYT]

Thank you so much

[@sabinabirnie3761]

I remember The Body Shop in the mid to late eighties, if I recall correctly it was good value for money and I loved their Glycerine soaps like Apple and also Mandarin. Now my local branch isn’t open everyday and very expensive, I’m surprised it’s still going.

[@underskinYT]

My god, do you mean those kind of translucent soaps?! They were bloody everywhere

[@Heykittygirrrl]

I like how you explain things. This is a brilliant video. I'm gonna subscribe ☺️

[@bren9808]

I dont use a lot of body shop products, but those that i do (body butter and shower gel), ive used for years and keep going back to eventhough they r slightly more pricey. I hope they can make a comeback!

[@underskinYT]

Loyalty is an incredibly importtant thing for retail, and even moreso in cosmetics

[@younghokim1994]

Amazing well researched content that I would've never even thought to learn about. Incredibly storytelling as well. Thank you!

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad, thank you so much 🥰

[@thaisgregorio2734]

I loooved the body shop so much when I was younger... especially their serums and face scrubs. The body washes were also really good. I'm brazilian, so I was happy when Natura bought it. As it is a very successful brand here in Brazil, I thought they would reinvigorate the The Body Shop and bring it back to its former glory days. It's sad that it didn't happen

[@underskinYT]

I want to know more about Natura, what is the perception of it in Brazil?

[@thaisgregorio2734]

@underskinYT Natura is a mid price cosmetics brand. Rich people see it as a brand for the for the middle class, but not terrible, and poor people see it as a fancier option when it comes to Brazilian brands. They sell makeup, body washes, moisturizers, fragraces, and some hair products. Their marketing likes to promote them as a brand which uses a lot of "natual brazilian ingredients", especially from the Amazon. I have a mango scented body wash from them that I looooove, and I also used to wear a lot of their makeup when I was a teen, but it is not amongst my favorite cosmetic brands. I think generally their products are ok. You can buy their products directly from their stores (usually located at malls) or from representatives (like Avon). Actually, Natura bought Avon a few years ago

[@dorsvenabili5573]

This is such great quality content, thanks for the upload! I’m subscribed now, and looking forward to watch other videos from you 💕

[@underskinYT]

Thank you for subscribing, Im so glad you enjoyed the video 🥰

[@Kim-xg1vm]

I am old..like before the word "mall" I remember when The Body Shop hit the scene here in the US. I can only say this "Nothing is too big not to fail" I mean nothing. I would look at terms of success that it forced other companies to stop using (or at least minimize) animals in horrible testing. That is a win! As far as every company needs to have some political stance...well .. that is not new either. I like companies staying on natural ground, and being transparent to their sourcing and contents. Thank You for the work that went into making this video☺

[@underskinYT]

I agree with what you said. Every company is bound to fail eventually, even disney, even royalty. But the impact the company made is collossal as is the real triumph of TBS

[@annatwelve]

Thanks for making this video, learned so much from it!

[@underskinYT]

Thank you 🥰

[@sundaymondayinfo]

I worked @ the body shop 1998 till 2004 in the netherlands delft. And it was like a dream come true! Still in love with that time and so proud

[@underskinYT]

Oh I love that!! The golden years, how lucky

[@nicolestewart]

What an excellent documentary 😊. I remember going to the body shop on opening day in Sydney. I used to buy the white musk oil. Omg that stuff was incredible. ❤❤❤❤

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad you enjoyed it, I had no idea the white musk made such a huge impression on people but its in a lot of comments

[@nicolestewart]

@@underskinYT I just checked cause I’m sure I have seen the body shop in the last year and I’m right. The shops are still running over here in Sydney Australia 🇦🇺. Time to grab a bottle of the white musk 😁❤️

[@charq52]

Because my employer forbids wearing cosmetics with “scents” because of colleague sensitivity, I didn’t really shop at the Body Shop…and if I did go into a shop, the smells were so overwhelming..To this day I tend to stay away from any product that has strong scents.

[@momomathebula8297]

This was amazing. Thank you.

[@underskinYT]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lauraxplaura9853]

Beautifully Narrated.

[@underskinYT]

Thank you kindly!

[@nbdjz1058]

i adored their products a few years ago, but noticed it felt off recently, although i didn't know the reason. thanks for this informative video!

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad you liked it 🤍

[@emerybayblues]

I shopped at the original Body Shop/Body Time in the San Francisco Bay Area when I was a student at UC Berkeley until they sadly went out of business. I never shopped at the British version even though they had locations in the San Francisco area.

[@emerybayblues]

@@hillside21 The Original Body Shop went out of business in 2018 :(.

[@underskinYT]

Oh wow thats incredible, what was it like?

[@bravosierra2447]

Wow. What a fascinating look into this legendary company. Currently The Body Shop’s flagship store sits slap bang in the middle of the mall in my city & the thought that it will disappear will just leave a gapping hole in the retail precinct.

[@underskinYT]

I wonder what will go in its space

[@saranyabiswas2057]

Wonderfully in-depth videos

[@underskinYT]

Thank you so muh

[@positivefandom9066]

What a great video! I also enjoyed your accent 💎😊

[@underskinYT]

Thank you 🥰

[@workout5354]

Great work! Thank you!

[@underskinYT]

Thank you too!

[@EXOL_1485]

5th comment The body shop is very expensive in my 3rd world country but I genuinely had no idea that it was founded by such an incredible woman. I also used to think at one time that The Body Shop is a Korean brand.

[@underskinYT]

I think its often on the more pricey end of the high street, a bit like Lush. Its high street but also not superdrug

[@EXOL_1485]

@underskinYT Lush isn't even available in my country so don't really have anything to compare to. We do have some Bath and Body works available but mostly the perfumes since body wash isn't very popular here,most people use soaps which cost like 2$ Superdrug actually has some amazing products at reasonable prices(even when compared to my country's standard)

[@Kasaidy]

A really nice summary of the body shop.

[@underskinYT]

Thank you 🥰

[@didi1406]

I am so excited to watch!! Looking forward to when you do Jaclyn Hill! So much to say about lack of trust in the fan base due to pushing profit over her fans!

[@underskinYT]

Im nervous to do Jaclyn tbh, I feel like there are a lot of people who already know far more than I do 😅

[@jaydee45]

I’ve used The Body Shop products for 30 years; at 74 my skin looks 20 years younger. I’m devastated to learn my favorite products will no longer be available. And the prices, compared to Origins, are low. Thanks for posting this. 😢

[@underskinYT]

I’m so glad you liked it, I’m sorry that your favourite products are maybe going away

[@Camis419]

I just found out this channel and already subscribed.

[@underskinYT]

Im so happy, thank you 🥰

[@jalepezo]

Thank u so much for the video, I am trying to learn business as a minority and you giving experience from women helps me a lot, and makes me understand more without the jargon and male centric attitude of competition and "winners and losers" Kudos from Peru

[@underskinYT]

Im glad you found my documentary educational, thats always my aim

[@evelynwilson1566]

In my twnties, (in the nineties) I loved Bodyshop. I used to buy Ananya lotion - it was fairly cheap, smelled lovely, lasted for ages and best of all their products were cruelty free. It was all I could afford though!

[@underskinYT]

Im so happy to hear it made such a lasting impression on you, was it face or body lotion?

[@hotpink000]

keep these quality videos comingggg

[@underskinYT]

Thank you 🥰

[@missrobertson45]

Going to the body shop as a teenager in the 90s was such a treat. I loved their strawberry perfume oil.

[@underskinYT]

I knew someone that put it on their hair because it made them smell beautiful all day

[@rowanjohnmusic]

Nice one. Consider doing a video on Olaplex. Theres a juicy lawsuit with loreal in that story

[@underskinYT]

I must be living under a rock, I haven't heard of them before

[@rowanjohnmusic]

@@underskinYT they were 2 Californian chemists who changed the hair dressing industry with a miracle product that could actually replenish damaged hair with the very material hair is made from and prevent damage when colouring/bleaching to an extent.

[@notpurrfect6397]

Anyone can launch a lawsuit in the US.

[@thaisgregorio2734]

I would love to see a video on Carolina Hererra perfums

[@delia_watercolors8186]

Great video 🙌

[@underskinYT]

Thank you 🙌

[@thesilentdiva]

She was ahead of her time in a lot of ways All that is trendy now. And I love her leadership style here

[@underskinYT]

Oh definitely, a fascinating woman

[@BellaRainDrops]

Oh god Morello cherry lip balm was my go to in school and White musk perfume ! in the 90s that was. Damn it was such a good shop back then. Thanks for this vid it was great and interesting.

[@underskinYT]

Ah see, Im british, not a lip to balm 🤣

[@lisabrightly]

I've loved the brand since the 90's. There were still two stores left in my area as of last month, I will check to see of they're still open and buy what I can. RIP to Mrs Roddick, she was a phenomenal woman.

[@underskinYT]

What are you going to get?

[@lisabrightly]

@@underskinYT I love the Moringa line. It smells so wonderful, especially the body cream. Thanks for another great research piece, by the way! 🌸

[@tabby73]

Oh I didn't know this all happened to my favourite body care brand 😢 How sad. Fantastic video. Thanks!

[@underskinYT]

Im glad you liked it 🩵

[@Charlottehopkinson]

I went to school with her granddaughter (she is called Osha) and I remembered one day hearing that both her mum and her randomly moved to the states because “things where getting stressful”. I get it now

[@underskinYT]

Im glad to give you that for closure 🩵

[@MuhammadAdamGhamkoley]

After 15 years since starting. I think I can recall it being there 25 years ago in the UK.

[@leas7830]

Thank you for the interesting video! New subscriber here 😊

[@underskinYT]

Im so happy, thanks for subscribing 🥰

[@daynasafranek7807]

Along with online retailers, I always felt that there were too many stores with similar names. Bath and Bodywork, The Body Shop, Bed Bath and Beyond… not all were the same type of store and I just began to avoid them and shopped at places that were easier brands to remember.

[@underskinYT]

It's not a bad point really. I had a lot of comments under my Fenty fashion house video about how similar the name was to Fendi and it put them off. Having a distinct name is really important

[@elipotter369]

I haven't watched this yet, but I've noticed the decline & there's now very few products i can buy there: - they change formulations without warning- so I had to return & stop using the face day and night creams I've relied on for years. It went cheap, ineffective & hurt my skin. - not the first time I've had to drop a product due to this. - in the past, and presumably after it went to L'Oréal they eliminated some of their most popular and also most faithful followers products. - also under L'Oréal management, a staff member told me to put my feedback in writing to the company because management don't listen to any feedback at all coming from the actual shop staff!!! When i heard that, i thought this business is doomed.

[@underskinYT]

Its impressive you noticed two major points of fault for the business. I just hope they start listening to people like you

[@elipotter369]

@underskinYT thank you. Sadly, I doubt it. The latest product change - the packaging was a new look, but they didn't tell anyone the product itself had gone cheap and ineffective, was after this new company. I expect them to completely close at some point - unless they start listening to staff and produce products of quality like the original products.

[@Cos_Why_Not]

Something I've wanted to learn more about ever since reading about the company in Peter Lynch's Beating The Street. Extremely interesting.

[@underskinYT]

I’m so glad you liked it

[@carterivful]

I really do love your work thank you so so much. Really!!!!

[@underskinYT]

Im so glad, thank you

[@MissHouhou23]

We, consumer, don't want to be lectured on anything from any company. I'm a pharmacist and I don't expect a CEO or a marketing person to lecture me about vaccines. Just sell your stuff and shut up!

[@underskinYT]

I think it really depends if thats theyre usp. Like if they have a new wand tip or formula, I would like to know how it works or why they developed it. For ethical stuff too, but of course too much is too much and theres always a risk of virtue signalling

[@sallyjones4557]

absoutely facinating story!! i always remember during school era in the 80s, me and my friends rushing to buy the strawberry oil and peppermint foot lotion..Anita had the foresight out getting out and selling her shares of what would become a sinking ship.. Their biggest threat was the person already working for them.... their chemist who then went on to start LUSH!!!! To this day though i am still a loyal customer and buy their coconut body cream which is good. Maybe what could have saved them was to move out of the high street with the expensive rents , reduce overheads and just become an online only retailer.. i can see this happening maybe even with Marks and Spencer, John lewis in the future within 10-15 years perhaps

[@underskinYT]

I really want to cover Lush, but weirdly there isnt a book on Mark, so I guess Ill have to rely on other sources 🤔 I agree about M&S and John Lewis, Id like to see them find more success online, but really the high street does need them, theyre some of our only remaining anchor stores

[@reneev1010]

Well done!

[@underskinYT]

Thank you

[@marizamentzou3293]

Shopping from them made us feel part of a movement to make the world a better place. I remember wven wearing the body shop tshirt... different era.

[@underskinYT]

Its nice to see yourself in a company

[@lawstsoul]

The humanistic business model presented by The Body Shop was such an inspiration that I run my own business the same way. I learned about them in the late 80's and stayed loyal to the brand right up until the the sale to L'Oreal. What Anita feared was the Welch business model in which investors are essentially parasites, draining a business dry until it can no longer function. My understanding is that while she may have "sold out", the money she walked away with has been heavily invested in the types of philanthropy she was passionate about. Regarding mold in the products...Yeah, I remember that. It's part of the risk with products that don't use synthetic preservatives and stabilizers. I once got a conditioner that had mold in it and the store replaced it without question.

[@underskinYT]

I love to hear Anita inspired you, I goniver her philanthropy a lot more in the biography video and she really did as much as she could, but I unfortunately she died rather shortly after selling, it was quite the shock

[@Bigglesworth78]

How I miss the strawberry perfume essence 🍓 the scent of a significant chunk of my life... sigh

[@underskinYT]

I can smell that and the mango through the screen

[@lilawolfe3341]

im not aware of their background and all these scandals but me personally - i used to buy bodyshop products back in the early 2000s. it was considered somewhat "exclusive" and expensive back then, but now there are dozens of other stores that produces things that are just as good and costs much less and with more interesting deals - that you just dont think about the bodyshop anymore 😄

[@underskinYT]

Yeah, they just didnt innovate and got caught up by their competitors. A shame really