01.03.24
The Body Shop has achieved 100% vegan product formulations certified by the Vegan Society.
The Vegan Society represents the global gold standard in vegan certification across multiple industries, providing a trusted trademark for The Body Shop products. The certification process is thorough, with a meticulous assessment of every supplier and manufacturer of raw materials within the product catalogue. For The Body Shop, this meant over 4,000 ingredients had to be validated for over 1,000 products to carry the stamp.
The brand is reportedly among the world’s first global beauty brands to earn the distinction across skincare, body care, haircare, makeup and fragrance. The beauty retailer set the ambitious target in 2021, when a reported 60% of its products already carried The Vegan Society trademark.
"This accomplishment is an expression of our changemaking ethos, and goes back to our roots of championing animal welfare," said Hilary Lloyd, vice president, brand and activism, The Body Shop North America. "Offering a 100% vegan certified product portfolio is an achievement we have been working towards for years, and is not one we take lightly. Our hope is that more global beauty brands follow suit and realize the ways in which natural-origin, vegan, cruelty-free beauty can benefit our people and our planet without compromising product efficacy."
A Milestone in Cruelty-Free Beauty
The Body Shop was founded with a fundamental belief that animals should not be harmed in the pursuit of beauty. In 1989 it reportedly became the first beauty retailer to campaign against animal testing in cosmetics. Just last June, the activist retailer celebrated an historic win in Canada with the federal government's commitment to prohibit cosmetic animal testing; the sale of cosmetics that rely on new animal testing data to establish product safety; and the printing of false or misleading labelling pertaining to cosmetic animal testing nationwide. While the fight continues for a worldwide ban on animal testing in cosmetics, for The Body Shop, a fully vegan product portfolio is the next milestone in cruelty-free beauty.
New Vegan Product Offerings For 2024
Throughout 2024, the brand said it will further expand its breadth of vegan offerings, with new products hitting the shelves as early as January, starting with an addition to its Full Flowers premium fragrance range. Full Magnolia will be available for purchase in-store and online on January 15. Its Peppermint collection will expand beyond foot care to include two new body care products too: Peppermint Shower Gel and Peppermint Body Lotion, both of which will be available for purchase in-store and online on Feb. 12.
Future Organic Growth
The vegan cosmetics industry is predicted to grow with 6.31% compound annual growth rate between 2023-28 and reach $24 billion by 20281. With a reported over one in 10 young people saying that “vegan” is an important factor in their health and beauty purchase decisions, the move from The Body Shop is responding to consumer demand.
By fall 2024, all products on shelf will be certified by The Vegan Society.