Conscious Products: The Body Shop was the start of the conscious brand era

Illustration by Bitter Melon

After a visionary brand created a new category of products, the era of conscious consumerism was born. Starting with seeds and plants, an Empire was founded. But the question that remains is: “Is this brand pure marketing or are their claims true?”.

The Body Shop, a skincare and perfume store, was founded in Britain in 1976, and calls itself as an activist brand committed to the green principle: that every Body Shop product is an ethical exchange with the environment. Learning a bit about this brand recently, my curiosity was piqued, so I decided I had to research it myself to see if the brand’s actions and products really matched the claims they made.

The polemic brand caused a riot by opposing the old techniques of production. They made big claims about the necessity of new, environmentally and socially responsible habits, even for shower products. The brand gained notoriety with the first UK law against animal testing, but with the fame, the rumors appeared, and along with doubts about their ideological concept, and utopian mission. It’s remarkable that they have managed to dodge the controversies running a Charity Foundation that made campaigns supporting causes like renewable energy, support for victims of domestic violence and others.

The more I learn about the Body Shop, the more I see that the brand makes an honest effort to keep its promises. The point is, the brand’s ideal goes beyond having consciousness in their labels; it extends to making the entire process from production to retail be sustainable. Their products are vegetarian, some vegan, and the packages are 100% recyclable. Even most of the employers are people who need opportunity, so the manufacturing is also part of this ethical process.

The Body Shop is not new to the market but they do have an innovative concept. This idea of buying a cosmetic and support a good cause is the signal of the coming revolution. The brand seems successfully at managing its appearance, breaking the idea of traditional manufacturing and commerce.

Lotions and perfumes never seemed so great for us.

Conscious Products is a column by Leandra Wintour in which she profiles issues in ethical consumerism. Got a story idea for Leandra? Email us at 8fortymagazine@gmail.com.