The Body Shop Boycott

Hundreds of consumers declared a boycott of The Body Shop in 2006, after its owner sold the cruelty-free brand to cosmetics giant L’Oreal – which was well-known for testing on animals. 

The boycott called for The Body Shop owner to end animal testing – and saw major success, with the boycott ending in 2018. 

What was The Body Shop boycott?

Naturewatch called a boycott of The Body Shop, after L’Oreal bought the previously-independent company for over £650 million in 2006.

The Body Shop had been cruelty-free since its foundation. But animal rights groups criticised L’Oreal’s own weak policy on the animal testing of cosmetics ingredients.

Following the buy-out, John Ruane, director of Naturewatch warned, "If you spend your money at the Body Shop, it could now go to animal testing."

Natura buyout

Naturewatch maintained its call to boycott The Body Shop in 2017 after the brand was bought by Natura, Brazil’s largest cosmetics company for 1 billion euros.

Animal rights activists had hoped that the buyout would return the brand to its ethical origins. But hopes were crushed after Natura refused to answer questions about its own cruelty-free claims.

Supporters of the boycott wrote to the company demanding transparency. And in December 2017, Natura responded, announcing a new policy on animal testing.

Crucially, the new policy banned ingredients that have been tested on animals since March 2013. This is known as a fixed cut-off date (FCOD), and is what Naturewatch calls ‘the gold standard’ for all cruelty-free products.

Almost all ingredients in cosmetics have been tested on animals at some stage in their development. But companies with FCOD will discourage current or future animal testing and often avoid buying ingredients that have recently been tested on animals.

Is there still a boycott call against The Body Shop?

Naturewatch lifted the boycott call in 2018, after Natura announced its new policy. It was a major victory for campaigners, who had protested against the company for over ten years.

Who currently owns the Body Shop?

In November 2023, Natura sold The Body Shop to private equity company Aurelius, which called in the administrators a few months later. More than 80 stores closed, with the loss of more than 750 jobs, and suppliers were paid just a quarter of the £219 million owed.

The following year, a consortium led by the investments group Auréa bought the Body Shop brand in September 2024. Auréa also owns plant-based cosmetics firm Herbivore Botanicals, hair care company Scandinavian Biolabs, and make-up brand Dcypher.

Auréa Group bought 113 Body Shop UK stores and also gained control of the Body Shop's assets in Australia and North America. 

Auréa calls itself "a specialist private equity firm focused on Beauty, Wellness and Longevity". As we explain below, it may well be implicated in animal testing.
 

Is the Body Shop still cruelty-free?

The Body Shop itself has always been cruelty-free in terms of animal testing, but has previously used animal products like honey, shellac, lanolin and beeswax. In 2024 it announced that it's completely vegan with all its products certified as vegan by The Vegan Society. 

Its owner, the Auréa Group, however, does not have a policy prohibiting animal testing for its other brands. The company operates in industries where animal testing is ubiquitous, meaning that its ingredients and products are likely to have been tested on animals. 

The Body Shop therefore receives a poor rating in Ethical Consumer’s animal testing policy overall. 

Ethical alternatives to The Body Shop

There are a growing number of ethical alternatives to The Body Shop, which are prioritising environmental and animal rights issues.

Some of our Best Buy companies include:

• Flaya which sells cruelty-free and vegan perfumes and aftershave
• Lucy Bee which sells cruelty-free, vegan deodorant and other toiletries
• Conscious Skincare sells cruelty-free, vegan skincare, shower gel, soap and shampoo
• Friendly Soap makes palm oil free vegan soap
• Queenie Organics makes 100% organic and vegan skincare products.

Each of our health and beauty guides lists many other vegan and cruelty-free options, as well as providing an overall score for tens of brands, so you can check how ethical they are overall.

Which other health and beauty companies face boycotts?

A number of other health and beauty companies face boycott calls.

Campaign group Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) calls for a boycott of AHAVA, over its presence in Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. According to the group, “Ahava cosmetics has its production site, visitor center and main store in an illegal Israeli settlement.”

Israeli settlements have been declared illegal by the United Nations, and have caused the massive displacement of Palestinian communities. They have been linked to serious human rights abuses.

L’Oréal still faces a long-running boycott call from NatureWatch Foundation for its animal testing stance.

In September 2024 campaign manager for animal experiments at Naturewatch, Natalie Harney, said in an email to Ethical Consumer that the campaign group “pleased to see that L’Oreal’s animal testing policy has improved and that it will no longer test ingredients on animals in any circumstances.

“However, L’Oreal’s policy does acknowledge that its products could still be subject to animal testing by health authorities in China. In this day and age, we believe no cosmetic company should accept animal testing as a trade-off for market access. For this reason, our boycott of L’Oreal remains in place.”

Nestlé, which owns 20% of L'Oréal, has also long been boycotted by consumers. Nestlé has been the subject of boycott calls around the world since the 1970s for its irresponsible marketing of baby milk formula.

Baby Milk Action, the campaign group behind the boycott call, accuse Nestle of "contributing to the unnecessary death and suffering of infants" through its aggressive marketing practices, which promote baby milk formula as a superior option to breastfeeding despite evidence to the contrary.

In 2025, more than 90 West Papuan tribes, political organisations and religious groups likewise called for a boycott of the brands Pantene and Herbal Essences. The boycott targeted multiple companies using West Papuan palm oil, which is causing widespread destruction in the region. 

Indigenous groups in the state – which is controlled by Indonesia, but with longstanding calls for independence – point to ongoing “ecocide” in the rainforest due to the industry, home to the world’s largest palm oil plantation.

Ethical Consumer’s animal testing rating

Ethical Consumer rates all companies that are involved in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, animal nutrition, and household, toiletries and cleaning products on their approach to animal testing.

While many companies claim not to test on animals, policies can be riddled with loopholes. For example, they may not test finished products on animals, but may still be using ingredients that have recently been animal tested. They may not be involved in animal testing in the UK, but be choosing to sell products in China where animal testing is often mandatory.

Few consumer-facing brands directly test on animals now. But we think they should still be making an effort to reduce the risk of animal testing occurring in their supply chain.

Our animal testing rating gives companies a score out of 100 – so you know which brands to trust.