What The Body Shop does

The Body Shop is a 50-year-old privately held beauty and personal care brand founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, headquartered under The Body Shop International Limited (UK), with global operations spanning physical retail stores and owned e-commerce platforms. The company's product portfolio covers four main categories: bath and body (including signature body butters with up to 96-hour hydration), skincare (face creams, serums, cleansers), haircare (shampoos, conditioners, scalp treatments), and fragrance (including the iconic White Musk line introduced in 1981 and revived heritage scents such as Dewberry). All products are 100% vegetarian, certified by the Vegan Society, and never tested on animals, with key ingredients (shea butter, Community Fair Trade aloe vera, organic almond milk) sourced through a long-standing fair-trade program supporting female artisan collectives in Ghana, Mexico, and Spain.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model through both physical retail and e-commerce (e.g., thebodyshop.ch for the Swiss market), with pricing in Swiss Francs across mass-market entry points (CHF 6.42 hand creams) to mid-tier (CHF 49.10 face creams). Customer segments include conscious consumers seeking verified ethical credentials and skin-type-specific buyers (dry, oily, sensitive, combination, normal). The brand has changed corporate ownership multiple times — L'Oréal (2006–2017), Natura &Co (2017–2023), and Aurelius Group (2023 to present) — while local European operations (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) are run by TBS Retail Holding GmbH under franchise license from the UK parent.

Marketing is conducted via a multi-channel mix spanning Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, email/newsletter, and educational website content, with promotional mechanics including tiered discounts (up to 25% off bulk), seasonal sales (up to 40% off), and first-order acquisition codes. Distribution channels comprise owned retail storefronts with a Store Finder and the regional e-commerce platform. The US market is explicitly excluded from operations. The underlying technology is a standard Shopify e-commerce stack with no proprietary platforms, and the brand's differentiation is grounded in ingredient sourcing, ethical certifications, and 50-year heritage rather than technology platforms.

Name

The Body Shop

Legal name

The Body Shop International Limited

Website

https://thebodyshop.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Body Shop is a 50-year-old, vegan-certified cruelty-free beauty brand selling skincare, body care, haircare, and fragrance through owned retail stores and e-commerce in European markets (excluding the US), serving ethical-minded consumers via Community Fair Trade-sourced natural products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Care and Beauty

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Body Skincare (Lotions, Creams, Body Oils) (CRABAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beauty & Personal Care Online Retailers (CRAFADAC), Body Sprays & Mists (CRABADAC)

Keywords

• Natural skincare products
• Cruelty-free beauty
• Vegan body care
• Fair trade cosmetics
• Ethical personal care

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of skincare, body care, haircare, and fragrance products through owned retail stores and e-commerce platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Body Shop is a global cruelty-free beauty and personal care brand that manufactures and retails vegan-certified skincare, body care, haircare, and fragrance products directly to consumers through owned retail stores and e-commerce platforms. The product portfolio spans body butters, shower gels, hand creams, face creams, shampoos, conditioners, and signature fragrances, organized around ingredient families such as Shea, Hemp, Almond Milk, Coconut, Ginger, Tea Tree, Vitamin E, and Edelweiss. Products are sold at tiered unit prices, with bundled routines, gift sets, and seasonal limited editions, emphasizing ethical sourcing via the Community Fair Trade program.

Product overview

The Body Shop is a cruelty-free beauty and personal care brand offering a diverse portfolio of products across Bath & Body, Haircare, Skincare, and Fragrance categories. The core product lines include Body Butters (with shea butter as a key ingredient across the range), Body Yogurts, Shower Gels, Handcare, and Foot Care in the Bath & Body segment. The Skincare range features Face Creams, Cleansers & Toners, Face Serums & Oils, Eye Care, and Face Masks & Peels. Haircare includes Shampoos, Conditioners, and Hair Masks. The Fragrance portfolio includes the iconic White Musk line (introduced in 1981), Dewberry (revived 90s classic), and various ingredient-themed scents like Coconut, Mango, Strawberry, British Rose, and the new White Tea & Elderflower and Passionfruit Limited Editions. Products are organized by ingredient families (Ginger, Almond Milk, Shea, Hemp, Coconut) and key ingredients (Tea Tree, Aloe, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Edelweiss). The brand also offers Bundles & Sets for routines and gifting, including the Ginger Anti-Dandruff Trio, Vitamin E Hydrating Skincare Routine, and Mango Body Care Collection. All products are vegan-certified by the Vegan Society and never tested on animals, with ingredients sourced through Community Fair Trade partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shea Body Butter Rich body moisturiser enriched with fair trade shea butter, providing 96 hours of hydration for dry skin.
• Hemp Hand Protector Intense hand cream with hemp seed oil that repairs extremely dry hands and provides 24-hour moisture.
• White Musk Eau de Toilette Signature fragrance featuring pure aldehydes, jasmine absolute, lily of the valley, and sensual musk for a fresh floral scent.
• Camomile Sumptuous Makeup Cleansing Butter Gentle makeup remover that dissolves makeup in under 30 seconds.
• Vitamin E Moisture Day Cream Face moisturiser with Vitamin E and hyaluronic acid that boosts skin hydration for all skin types.
• Almond Milk Body Butter Gentle moisturiser with organic almond milk from Spain under Community Fair Trade program, providing 96 hours of rich moisture for sensitive skin.
• Coconut Body Butter Silky-smooth body butter that keeps skin soft and moisturised for up to 48 hours.
• Hemp Body Butter Body moisturiser enriched with hemp seed oil for super dry skin.
• White Musk Body Lotion Body lotion with the brand's iconic musk fragrance for a fresh floral scent.
• Mango Body Care Collection Gift set including Mango Shower Gel, Mango Body Butter, and Mango Hand Cream for moisturised and refreshed skin.
• Vitamin E Hydrating Skincare Routine Three-step skincare routine including Vitamin E Gentle Face Wash, Moisturising Toner, and Moisture Day Cream for hydrated skin.
• Dewberry Essentials Collection Bundle featuring Dewberry Shower Gel, Body Butter, and Perfume Oil from the revived 90s fragrance line.
• Ginger Anti-Dandruff Trio Haircare trio including Ginger Shampoo, Ginger Scalp Care Conditioner, and Ginger Scalp Serum for soothing dry, itchy scalp.
• Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash Facial cleanser with tea tree oil that clinically proven reduces blemishes in 7 days.
• Edelweiss Daily Serum Concentrate Face serum that moisturises and protects skin, enriched with edelweiss extract.
• Ginger Anti-Dandruff Shampoo Anti-dandruff shampoo that removes flakes and relieves dry, itchy scalp, part of the Ginger scalp care line.
• Banana Smooth & Shine Shampoo Gentle cleansing shampoo with banana for nourishing care and frizz reduction.
• Tea Tree Purify Shampoo Clarifying shampoo for oily hair and scalp that cleanses and refreshes.
• Strawberry Body Butter Body butter with real strawberry seed oil for a fruity, sweet fragrance.
• British Rose Body Lotion Light body lotion with rose petals, rose essence, and rosehip oil infused with Community Fair Trade aloe vera.
• Aloe Caring Roll-on Deodorant Gentle roll-on deodorant with Community Fair Trade organic aloe vera, suitable for sensitive skin.
• Spa of the World Hawaiian Kukui Body Cream Luxurious body cream from the Spa of the World line featuring Hawaiian kukui oil for rich, nourishing care.
• Edelweiss Smoothing Day Cream Face cream with edelweiss extract providing 48 hours of moisture for resilient-looking skin.
• Vitamin C Eye Glow Serum Eye serum that brightens and illuminates the delicate eye area.
• Mango Lip Butter Lip care product with mango seed oil providing up to 24 hours of moisture.
• Refreshing Passionfruit Collection Summer Limited Edition featuring tropical passionfruit fragrance with notes of juicy passionfruit, crisp apple, and sweet watermelon, balanced with peach and creamy vanilla.
• Dewberry Fragrance Mist Retro-inspired fragrance mist from the revived iconic 90s Dewberry scent line.
• Dewberry Perfume Oil Concentrated perfume oil from the revived Dewberry collection, designed for on-the-go application.
• White Tea & Elderflower Fragrance Mist Spring Special Edition with notes of tonic water, cucumber, upcycled apple puree, white tea, elderflower, and cedarwood base.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products certified 100% vegetarian by the Vegan Society
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Community Fair Trade ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Body Shop sources ingredients through its Community Fair Trade program, partnering with female artisan collectives worldwide. Ingredients include organic almond milk from Spain, Community Fair Trade aloe vera from Mexico, and shea butter from Ghana. The program creates meaningful positive impact supporting local businesses, initiatives, families, and households.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Origins: Origins is a direct peer in natural-ingredient skincare and body care under Estée Lauder's portfolio. Both brands position around plant-based formulations, ethical sourcing, and ingredient-led storytelling.
• Aveda: Aveda is a direct peer in plant-derived, ethically positioned beauty with significant haircare, body, and skincare overlap. Both brands compete on natural ingredients, sustainability, and salon/retail distribution in Europe.
• Burt's Bees: Burt's Bees is a direct peer in natural-ingredient personal care (body, lip, skincare) with similar ethical positioning. Both brands compete for natural-beauty consumers and emphasise responsible sourcing of hero ingredients.
• Weleda: Weleda is a direct peer in natural and certified-natural body care and skincare, with strong DACH retail presence. Both brands compete in the 'natural/clean' segment with overlapping SKUs in body lotions, creams, and bath products.
• Lush: Lush is a direct competitor with a comparable ethical, cruelty-free, and vegetarian positioning in bath, body, and skincare. Both brands compete for the same conscious-consumer wallet across Europe with similar price points and ingredient-led merchandising.
• L'Occitane: L'Occitane is a direct peer in natural-ingredient body care, skincare, and fragrance with overlapping European retail footprints. Both brands emphasise provenance, ethical sourcing, and ingredient storytelling (e.g., shea, almond) at comparable mid-market price points.

Emerging players

• The Ordinary (DECIEM): The Ordinary is an emerging clean-beauty peer that has reshaped skincare with ingredient-led, value-priced products. It competes for the same conscious-consumer segment that Body Shop targets, particularly in skincare, but with a more clinical/proprietary-formulation angle.
• Drunk Elephant: Drunk Elephant is an emerging clean-beauty peer in skincare with a 'biocompatible' ingredient philosophy. It targets the same ingredient-conscious, premium-positioned consumer as Body Shop's skincare range and competes on differentiated formulation philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• Eucerin: Eucerin is a broad incumbent in mass-market skincare and body care (owned by Beiersdorf). It overlaps with Body Shop's face cream and body moisturiser categories with strong pharmacy-channel distribution in DACH/BeNeLux, posing a price-led competitive threat.
• Kiehl's: Kiehl's is a broad incumbent in skincare and body care owned by L'Oréal. It overlaps with Body Shop's skincare category with broader assortment, deeper R&D resources, and stronger global retail presence — a competitive benchmark rather than a like-for-like substitute.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheBodyShopDeutschland
• Instagraminstagram.com/thebodyshop_de
• TikToktiktok.com/@thebodyshop.de
• Xx.com/thebodyshop

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Body Shop