The Body Shop becomes first global beauty brand with 100% vegan product formulations

The beauty retailer has achieved the ambitious target it set itself in 2021, when 60% of its products already carried The Vegan Society trademark. The beauty brand continues to blaze a trail for others to follow.

Refilwe Mashego, brand manager, The Body Shop South Africa says: “We did it! Every single product formulation from The Body Shop is now certified by The Vegan Society. We’ve worked consistently to achieve this huge milestone, an ambition that has been our guiding light, our North star since The Body Shop was founded in 1976.

"We were the first beauty company to fight against animal testing in cosmetics. We were the first major global beauty brand to use cruelty-free musk in our fragrances³ and we have now achieved another global first.”

The Body Shop upholds and champions the fundamental belief that animals should not be harmed in the pursuit of beauty. While the fight continues for a worldwide ban on animal testing in cosmetics, for The Body Shop, a fully vegan portfolio is a key milestone in cruelty-free beauty.

Becoming vegan

The Vegan Society is a trusted trademark as it represents the global gold standard in vegan certification across multiple industries. The certification process is extremely 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. All the products that have been certified will display The Vegan Society logo, showing proof of the product formula’s vegan certification. In addition to this, a wide selection of products will display the word “vegan” on the front of pack. This means that customers can joyfully slather themselves in their favourite The Body Shop ranges without puzzling over labels to check if they align with their values.

Director of Business Development at The Vegan Society, Chantelle Adkins, comments: “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.”

Business as a force for good

Changemaking beauty is entrenched in The Body Shop’s vision that business can be a force for good. Driving positive change for customers, communities, and for the planet are the key pillars that the brand stands upon.

With formulations that are fully vegan, the products deliver superior efficacy and have a longer lifespan. The ingredients are naturally sourced and more concentrated and thus deliver more beauty benefits.

“We enable our consumers to be ethically engaged so that they leave behind a greener footprint for future generations. In South Africa, beauty product standards are changing with a move to more naturally sourced ingredients that are better for the body and more efficacious. We’re excited to be trailblazing this change as part of a global brand with extremely ambitious standards,” continues Mashego.

The vegan cosmetics industry is predicted to grow with 6.31% compound annual growth rate between 2023 and 2028 and reach $24bn by 2028. With the movement growing at this substantial rate, this move from The Body Shop also responds to worldwide trends and customer demands.

Furthermore, veganism is one of the fastest growing lifestyle movements worldwide and ‘vegan beauty’ is on the rise. 95%⁴ of vegans and vegetarians look for vegan/vegetarian certification logos when they are buying into a brand for the first time.

The Body Shop wants to take care of more than just the human body and every changemaker, every customer can make a difference.
“We are tremendously proud of our vegan certification, and we hope that this significant milestone will inspire others to become changemakers for people, for community and for planet,” concludes Mashego.

References:
1. As of December 2023, The Vegan Society has named The Body Shop as the first global beauty brand to achieve 100% vegan product formulations, certified by The Vegan Society.
2. It is possible that old, discontinued formulations which have not been certified by The Vegan Society are still present in the market, as they are being sold through.
3. Crafted with synthetic, cruelty-free musk.
4. According to The Vegan Society Market Insights – www.vegansociety.com