The Body Shop Becomes First Global Beauty Brand to Achieve 100% Vegan Product Formulations Certified by The Vegan Society

Activist beauty retailer celebrates global achievement three years in the making

NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Today, The Body Shop announces its 100% vegan achievement, making it the world's first global beauty brand* to offer 100% vegan product formulations certified by The Vegan Society**across all ranges including skincare, body care, haircare, makeup and fragrance. The trailblazing beauty retailer has reached the ambitious target it set for itself in 2021, when 60% of its products already carried The Vegan Society trademark.

The Body Shop was founded with a fundamental belief that animals should not be harmed in the pursuit of beauty, and in 1989 became the first beauty retailer to campaign against animal testing in cosmetics. Just last June, the activist retailer celebrated a 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.

Throughout 2024, the brand 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, which will be available for purchase in-store and online on January 15. Fans of the Peppermint range will be pleased to learn the collection is expanding 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 February 12.

"This accomplishment is an expression of our changemaking ethos, and goes back to our roots of championing animal welfare," said Hilary Lloyd, VP of 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 realise the ways in which natural-origin, vegan, cruelty-free beauty can benefit our people and our planet without compromising product efficacy."

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 over one in ten young people saying that 'vegan' is an important factor in their health and beauty purchase decisions², this move from The Body Shop also responds to growing customer demands.

Director of Business Development at The Vegan Society, Chantelle Adkins, comments: "Today we are extending a massive congratulations to The Body Shop for achieving 100% of their product formulations being vegan and certified with The Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark. This has been a massive project for them and showcases their commitment and dedication to vegan beauty. We hope that this significant step sets a global standard for other beauty brands to follow and inspires further change to reduce animal use and exploitation across the industry."

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 4000 ingredients had to be validated for over 1000 products to carry the stamp.

Customers may see now discontinued product in store and online as old stock is sold through. Customers looking for 100% vegan certified products should look for the Vegan Trademark stamp or the word “Vegan” on product packaging when shopping over the next few months. The brand estimates that by Fall 2024 all products on shelf and online will be 100% vegan. For more information, visit www.thebodyshop.com.

Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand and a certified B Corp™. The Body Shop seeks to make a positive difference in the world by offering high-quality, naturally-inspired skincare, body care, haircare and make-up produced ethically and sustainably. Having pioneered the philosophy that business can be a force for good, this changemaking ethos is still the brand's driving force. The Body Shop operates around 2,500 retail locations in more than 80 countries. 

The Vegan Society is the world's oldest vegan society whose co-founder Donald Watson coined the term 'vegan' in 1944. It is a registered educational charity that provides information and guidance on various aspects of veganism, including to existing and potential vegans, caterers, healthcare professionals, educators and the media. The Vegan Society's product registration scheme, the Vegan Trademark, is widely recognised as the global standard for vegan products, ensuring that products are free from animal ingredients and animal testing.

The Vegan Trademark has been helping users identify that a product is free from animal ingredients and animal testing since 1990. Registration with the trademark gives brands the confidence to shout about their vegan credentials. Look out for the Vegan Trademark on over 65,000 products worldwide, including cosmetics, clothing, food, drink, household items, and many more.

SOURCE The Body Shop North America