In one of my MBA classes, I remember the teacher giving an example of ‘The Body Shop’ as a company that stands against animal testing. The company’s amazing ethical value just got stuck in my head and I started loving the brand right then without having any experience with its products.

Shortly after completing my MBA I moved to London and entered ‘The Body Shop’ store one day. The store was small, but it was packed with beautiful products. Each product seemed to have a story. You will hardly find any company that puts the ‘environment’ before ‘profit’. The Body Shop is one of those rare ones. The most astonishing fact is that they have consistently maintained their stance to make sustainable products and do campaigns to protect the environment and its people.

The company was founded by the British environmental and human rights campaigner Anika Roddick in 1976. It was a small outlet in Brighton, having only 25 products on display. Now there are 2,500 stores worldwide with more than 300 products. From the beginning, the company used recyclable packaging. Natural ingredients were used for making the products.

You will love the texture and color of all the products of The Body Shop. The fragrances will mesmerize all your senses. Apart from the normal ingredients of rose, coconut, olive, strawberry, and others, they also include exotic ingredients like Himalayan charcoal, tea tree, and even CBD oil. They are always researching on how to provide the best products for your skin and hair using the best ingredients. They mix and match ingredients and change the packaging from time to time for a new and better look.

The Body Shop is the first company to prohibit animal-testing and introduce Fair Trade in the beauty industry. They believe that animals shouldn’t suffer just to put on your makeup. They use vegetarian and vegan ingredients to make the products. Their Fair Trade policy ensures that the local farmers are paid well. The ingredients are sourced from different parts of the world. They give the traditional artisans and the small scale farmers a chance to showcase their talents by including them in their list of suppliers.

The body shop always promotes your inner beauty and stresses the importance of being the way you are. That’s why in their promotional campaigns or website, you will see models having dark skin, freckles on the face, or not so toned body. They tell you to love your body, thus boosting self-esteem.

The company organizes various campaigns to protect human rights. They have conducted campaigns against sex trafficking of children, domestic violence, and raise awareness of HIV. They try to protect the environment by reducing the emission of CO₂, the consumption of electricity and water. They use paper bags instead of plastic so that there is no harmful effect on the environment.

The company is a trendsetter in terms of corporate social responsibility.  Now many companies are incorporating the ‘environmental’ factor in their business policies, but in the late 1970s, it was a rare case. Companies like The Body Shop teaches us to think about more important aspects of business other than just making profits.