The Body Shop

[VEGIHEAD]

Do vegans still buy from the body shop although Loreal own them now.?

They are not on the CCF list anymore.. :(

[paisleyjane]

UGH I *JUST* found out about this yesterday.

I work at The Body Shop, and there are flyers and pamphlets and posters and all these things that talk about them being against animal testing- all the product labels say it - and when we get hired they show us books and movies and stuff about their eithics, so I totally thought it was awesome.

THEN, Yesterday, a customer told me that L'Oreal owned The Body Shop. I was NOT happy!

I am going to try to find out a little more about this. I really try to pay attention where I spend my money so it bothers me that I'm now working for such a terrible parent company.

[beepbeeplove]

L'Oreal has owned The Body Shop for a few years now, but their products are still not tested on animals. I think if you increase demand for the body shop products then maybe there'll be less animal testing eventually, by L'Oreal and other companies too.
As for their products being vegan, a lot of them contain animal-derived ingredients, even if the products aren't tested on animals. I'm not sure if they use things taken from the actual animal parts, but they definitely use beeswax and milk and things like that.

[NZVeggie]

I actually went to purchase something from the body shop the other day and the shop assistant told me that they do not derive any ingredients from animals - what she meant was dead animals as they still use beeswax, lanolin and milk. But she told me that their glycerin is plant based etc. I don't know if this is 100% true as it did come from a shop assistant who isnt necesarily aware of all the ingredients and their sources, but she seemed pretty sure of herself.

As a general rule she said that their nut based products tend to contain lanolin but their fruit based products do not. She was right in regards to their soaps.

Although I have since found out that L'Oreal owns them, I would still shop there.... however I do think I will try and shop elsewhere if I can. But i'm not quite a vegan yet but I am buying all my toiletries vegan from now on...

[TreeManEarthSteward]

Do vegans still buy from the body shop although Loreal own them now.?

They are not on the CCF list anymore.. :(

good question/good point.

I sort of remember on tv something about the author of the business, (proper interview and such although a bit vague to me now) and that was at least a couple of years ago, and for sure what I heard was that she sold (sort of had-?- to sell I think) or part-sold/sell the business?

And evidently so now, one of the two.

[insan0r]

The staff at our local body shop isn't that well informed which products are vegan friendly and which not... One time they told me they would use soy milk instead of cows milk (I still don't believe this). And a lip balm I buyed contained beeswax - and I explicitly explained that honey is a animal derived product too and I want a absolutely animal free lip balm... *sigh*.

So I'm not sure if I should give them a second chance - we still have lush & Yves Rocher in town.

[Susykat]

I don't buy from them anymore...

[megbot]

Isn't silk owned by Jimmy Dean or something? Doesn't the same logic apply? Support the vegan product?

[tree128]

I just got an email from them a few days ago (as I knew little about the shop.)

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for your email to The Body Shop USA. At The Body Shop, we're
proud to announce that all of our products are now produced without
using any animal meat industry by-products, like gelatin or hair. So
they're 100% suitable for our vegetarian customers.

To achieve our fully vegetarian status, we've replaced the natural hair
in our shaving brushes with superior synthetic hair. But don't worry
about a difference to the quality. We already use synthetic hair in our
award-winning make-up brushes, loved by professional make-up artists for
their precision and silky soft bristles.

We're also happy to offer vegan customers a selection of products that
contain no animal-derived ingredients, such as beeswax, at all. These
include our evocative Neroli Jasmin and Cassis Rose fragrance ranges,
our soothing Tea Tree range and our Brilliance Powders, Bronzing
Powders, Shimmer Waves and All In One Face Base.

Why do we do what we do? Because The Body Shop has a long and proud
history of standing against animal testing, and actively supporting
animal welfare. And our move to make all our products 100% suitable for
vegetarians continues our commitment. If you have any other questions,
feel free to contact us.

I hope that you are satisfied with the level of service provided via
this correspondence. If you are not satisfied feel free to give us a
call at 1-800-263-9746. Our office hours are 8 am to 10 pm EST. Monday
through Friday.

Sincerely,
Rachel Y.
The Body Shop USA Care Center

Naturally at The Body Shop and nowhere else
Purchase a Love Your Body Card and Receive a $10 Gift During Your
Birthday Month!!

I was still a little nervous. It is sad to say, but large companies always seem to sell out. :confused:

Regardless--peace.

[Pixelle]

Isn't silk owned by Jimmy Dean or something? Doesn't the same logic apply? Support the vegan product?

That only really works for me when the products stay vegan as the company evolves. A lot of the products at the Body Shop are made with different ingredients now than they were when I was first buying their stuff.

[megbot]

but many are still vegan, no?

[dani_cat]

That sucks cause now I don't know if I should shop there or not. I like that place.

[Pixelle]

but many are still vegan, no?

Yeh. But I choose not to purchase L'oreal because even though the Body Shop brand itself makes a no-test claim, L'oreal definitely do test, even though they claim they stopped about 14 years ago - which isn't strictly true.

On top of that, Nestle, own a 26% (I think that's the right percentage?) share of L'Oreal. And as a lot of people know, Nestle are behind one of the most unethical marketing campaigns ever with that whole baby formula scam. I don't feel like I can live in a way that is totally ethical all the time, but that is a biggie that I try and avoid. With food products, I think buying from an un-vegan company (as you mentioned in your other post) can encourage them to make more vegan products which is a positive thing because it gives us all more choice, but I feel with make-up it's different. It's such a huge industry and the choices are already quite big that I now prefer to spend my money with smaller cosmetic companies that are already totally vegan and aren't testing in any way.

[mommycat]

Wow! I personally know Anita Roddick's sister and I'm sure Dame Anita would not have liked L'Oreal to buy her company. So sad. I never used their products much because they were so perfumy, but I always thought they were animal-friendly and would buy them as gifts.

[Virpukka]

Wow! I personally know Anita Roddick's sister and I'm sure Dame Anita would not have liked L'Oreal to buy her company. So sad. I never used their products much because they were so perfumy, but I always thought they were animal-friendly and would buy them as gifts.

It was Anita and Gordon Roddick who sold The Body Shop to L'Oreal. She got a lot of critique about it. I remember that when that happened my sister stopped to use their products because she was so disappointed.

[paulwalkersgirl]

I've never bought their products anyways, because I find them expensive.

[VEGIHEAD]

Okay Okay...

So I was in the body shop last nite and decided to buy a moisturiser...
I ended up getting it..

I spoke to a lady in there and although they dont know much..
This lady was adement that they still DO NOT test on animals and that they will not
compromise even for Loreal.. And Loreal are looking into not testing too.. YAY...
They are comming up with a fake skin type thing to work on..
Sounds very involved...

So yeah thats my story.. :)

Im in Australia too.. :)

[hopespiral]

It's such a huge industry and the choices are already quite big that I now prefer to spend my money with smaller cosmetic companies that are already totally vegan and aren't testing in any way.

I'm a newbie vegan and am searching for vegan cosmetic lines. Any suggestions?

[sunshinegal]

I'm a newbie vegan and am searching for vegan cosmetic lines. Any suggestions?

what cosmetics are you looking for? Everyday Minerals is a great vegan makeup line. I use this stuff (foundation, brushes, eye shadows, blushes) and it is so easy on your face. It covers well, doesn't clog pores and looks nice.

There is a thread going on right now with people that use it, just search for the thread.

www.everydayminerals.com

[*AHIMSA*]

I wouldn't buy products from The Body Shop either way, as they are usually full of unnecessary chemical ingredients and are not natural and organic.

[Howstarscollide]

I wouldn't buy products from The Body Shop either way, as they are usually full of unnecessary chemical ingredients and are not natural and organic.

+1

The only thing from them that I own are a wooden comb and a wooden brush.

[mgm84]

I haven't bought anything from them in the past few years for political reasons. Not only do they now support animal testing because of Loreal, but they also promote unnecessary violence against human beings. Just do some research online about the awards they have given in past years that are supposedly towards "humanitarian causes". They are one the most political companies out there. Most companies try to avoid giving to any controversial or religious based organizations, however, The Body Shop is not one of those.

[hopespiral]

Everyday Minerals is a great vegan makeup line. I use this stuff (foundation, brushes, eye shadows, blushes) and it is so easy on your face. It covers well, doesn't clog pores and looks nice.

www.everydayminerals.com

Thanks Sunshinegal! I just ordered my sample kit! :)

[aliciam712]

Thanks Sunshinegal! I just ordered my sample kit! :)

we have a thread in the product reviews about everyday minerals, if you would like to join us! :)

[Pixelle]

I'm a newbie vegan and am searching for vegan cosmetic lines. Any suggestions?

Normally, I'd be happy to make some but I'm an Aussie, so my suggestions might not be that helpful or convenient for you to get hold of. Hopefully one of the US-based posters can help you out. :)