The Body Shop quietly drops 100% vegan claim, drawing criticism over transparency
Key takeaways
- The Body Shop has dropped its 100% vegan claim after reintroducing animal-derived ingredients into select products.
- The lack of a formal announcement has sparked criticism over transparency and consumer trust, particularly from the vegan community.
- The move comes during a broader brand recovery period following administration, store closures, and ownership changes.
The Body Shop is no longer completely vegan. The skin care company has quietly reintroduced animal-derived ingredients into its portfolio and adjusted its marketing accordingly.
The British brand has not officially announced the switch, but some product descriptions now include non-vegan ingredients, and the company has removed its completely vegan advertising.
Nicole Whittle, the content creator behind Vegan Beauty Girl, received this statement from a company spokesperson after she noticed the change: “We can confirm that 100% of our product formulas are vegetarian, and the majority are also vegan. However, we can no longer claim to be 100% vegan due to the introduction of a few specific product ranges.”
“Because of this, we’ve updated our communications and no longer advertise ourselves as 100% vegan on our website or in our stores.”
Vegan rollback
The Body Shop became the first global beauty brand to exclusively stock vegan-certified products in 2023. Now, the brand’s Spa of the World Kukui Body Cream lists beeswax as an ingredient.
“Please rest assured that any product labelled as vegan on our packaging has been thoroughly checked and is completely 100% vegan. We take this verification process very seriously to ensure transparency and trust in what we offer,” The Body Shop told Whittle.
The Body Shop’s vegan branding has shifted without a formal announcement.
The other named non-vegan product is the hemp-based Hand Protector Cream. However, the cream is still on The Body Shop’s online store with the main product image showing “vegan” on the tube. It is unclear which ingredient has demoted it from its vegan status.
“We have heard overwhelming feedback from our customers who asked us to bring back some of the original formulas, which they loved and missed,” The Body Shop told Plant Based News on why it dropped its completely vegan title.
“The majority of our products will continue to be vegan (and they are all clearly labelled as such), all of our products will remain vegetarian, and all will continue to be certified by Cruelty Free International.”
Whittle called the rollback “irresponsible” and said that the move “erodes trust.”
“You don’t make a huge song and dance about being 100% vegan, then quietly roll it back without clearly telling people,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Body Shop loses shops
The Body Shop has had a tumultuous past few years. In February 2024, it entered administration, just one month after announcing it had achieved a fully vegan lineup.
The company faced many store closures, including 82 in the UK that closed permanently. Investment firm Auréa then acquired the brand in September 2024 and has been working toward it regaining its stability.
Later, The Body Shop opened a new store on Oxford Street in London, UK, as part of its ongoing transformation. The store showcases the brand’s latest technology-driven retail design. The shop represented a comeback for the brand, focusing on the competitive beauty landscape intertwined with technology-driven personalization.
