An iconic brand just had a milestone birthday.

I think we all know The Body Shop. And I think we all have our favourite TBS product.  Mine is probably the body butter since it’s so creamy and just absorbs into your skin.  The shower gels are amazing as well, and so is their skincare. And let’s not forget the value sets… Okay, everything at The Body Shop is amazing.

I’m 27 years old and I’ve been familiar with the brand for as long as I can remember, so it came as no surprise to hear that The Body Shop turned 40 years old this past Saturday. The company actually reached out to me to help spread the celebration and write a little about their history.  For example, we all know they are into ethical beauty and truly making a difference in the world, but they were actually the brand to pioneer the ethical beauty movement. In celebration of their anniversary, they recently launched a new Enrich Not Exploit Commitment, with a set of targets to help the brand become the world’s most ethical and sustainable global business.

A little background history, the company was founded in Brighton, Southeast England in 1976 and they now employ more than 22,000 people in 65 countries around the world. 250 million people visit the 3,300 stores around the world every year.

I think we can all think of some iconic products that they have released (for me it’s just the scent Satsuma), but they were super kind to send me a whack of stuff that helped make The Body Shop the household name it is today.  One of their earliest products was the Vitamin E skincare range, which has been loved all over the world since 1977. This range, which includes the first product – the Vitamin E Moisture Cream, gives long-lasting hydration and helps protect against environmental damage. In 1981 The Body Shop introduced the iconic cruelty-free White Musk scent, the first-ever product made with vegetarian musk oil. The scent is still an iconic pillar of the brand, with other fragrances being introduced to the collection over the years, including Black Musk, the latest addition to the range (and Red Musk, one of my favourite winter scents!). In 1985 The Body Shop launched its cooling Peppermint Foot Lotion after London Marathon runners came into the a London store complaining about their sore feet.

In 1992 one of the biggest launches happened, the first body butter. It all started with the scent mango and is now one of the most famous products in their entire range of items. The product has been imitated and copied since, but theirs is still winning awards worldwide. Another iconic product was launched in 1997, the Tea Tree Oil, which is a tiny bottle containing a much-loved natural solution to help keep skin looking clear and blemish-free. Although it was originally sourced in Australia, it now comes from their Community Trade supplier in Kenya.  In 1998 they launched They Body Shop Hemp range, which caused wide-spread controversy when the press wrote about hemp’s relationship to cannabis. Obviously this made the launch a huge success and the product is still popular today.

In 2006, the brand was acquired by L’Oreal, but that didn’t change the spirit of The Body Shop. They went on to introduce 100 per cent post-consumer recycled PET bottles in 2008, the Stop Trafficking of Children & Young People campaign in 2009, and so many more campaigns and iconic products (including the Drops of Youth Concentrate in 2012, which became the number-one selling product at The Body Shop).

When I think of The Body Shop as just a consumer who uses their products, the two things that come to mind are their commitment to ethical and sustainable practices, as well as amazing products for a great value. There are a ton of skincare lines of there and although The Body Shop is so mass produced because of the amount of stores in the world, the quality of products don’t hinder. And I think it’s that commitment to quality and making the world a better place that gets people coming back for more.

Here’s to another 40!

Do you shop at The Body Shop?

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