The Body Shop’s Changemaking Beauty Initiatives

On a charming rainy afternoon, The Body Shop hosted a decadent and festively inspirational luncheon at the spectacular Beechwood Gardens in Hyde Park. Outdoors, under an expansive marquee, the lush lawns and gardens set the scene for an afternoon of inspiring discussion and festive season spoils. 

Presented by media personality Siya Sangweni, the event unveiled The Body Shop’s Changemaking Beauty initiatives. These initiatives are built on three crucial pillars: 

• Changemaking for You
• Changemaking for Communities 
• Changemaking for the Planet

The Changemakers panel discussion delved deeper into The Body Shop’s journey in their commitment to sourcing the finest natural origin ingredients. They explored the brand’s emphasis on luxurious pampering and the overarching theme of self-love that has become synonymous with The Body Shop.

Changemaking Beauty rests on three pillars – Community, Planet, and You 

Refilwe Mashego – Brand Manager of The Body Shop South Africa – explained, “Changemaking Beauty is entrenched in our belief that business can be a force for good. This was the founding value by Dame Anita Roddick who started the business back in 1976. 

We’ve continued to journey with this belief and by so doing, we ensure that we drive positive change for our communities, for our planet and for our customers.” 

Community Fair Trade – Changemaking for Communities 

The Body Shop follows a Community Fair Trade programme, which is part of the community change-making pillar. Through the programme, they ethically source high-quality ingredients of natural origin and accessories from thousands of producers, farmers, and artisans across the world.

Added to this, The Body Shop ensures that the communities they source from are compensated equitably for their resource and labour. So, when customers purchase products, they’re not just taking care of their own well-being, but supporting The Body Shop’s Community Fair Trade partners. 

To bring it back home, a range of ingredients are sourced from the African continent. The Avocado Body Butter is formulated using avocado oil sourced from a Community Fair Trade partner in South Africa. Shea butter is sourced from Ghana, Marula Oil from Namibia, Tea Tree Oil from Kenya, and Moringa Seed Oil from Rwanda. 

The importance of ingredients – Changemaking for the Planet and for You

The brand’s continued vision is to create an inclusive world, where everybody is treated equally and without prejudice, a world where humans exist in harmony with nature. To help The Body Shop on this journey, they are backed by The Vegan Society as well as Cruelty-Free International. 

Part of Changemaking Beauty is the importance of ingredients. The entire product portfolio has been reformulated. It’s in the process of being certified by The Vegan Society, ensuring that all products are vegan by the end of December 2023. 

“We want to take care of more than just the human body. That’s why we’ve reformulated our entire product portfolio and have it certified by The Vegan Society to have you joyfully slathering yourself in our products, not puzzling over labels to check that they align with your values,” says Mashego. 

Inclusive Beauty 

The Body Shop’s values are entrenched in inclusive beauty. They know that beauty is defined as the holistic connection between mind, body, and soul. The brand promotes self-love and removes itself from toxic ideals of beauty. It casts over one hundred people from diverse genders, ethnicities, sexualities, body shapes and sizes for tests and trials. 

The Body Shop’s anti-GBV Campaign 

The Body Shop South Africa wants to tackle the scourge of gender-based violence. It is a pervasive social ill. If curbed early enough, positive change can be affected for future generations. To create a bigger impact, the brand has started a petition to have anti-GBV education added as a module in the Life Orientation curriculum across schools nationally. 

The brand needs 100,000 signatures by 2024. Petitions can be signed in stores and at Loveyourbodycommunity.co.za. 

To get you into the festive spirit, with each purchase made over the festive season at The Body Shop a portion of the proceeds will be allocated towards the research in getting anti-GBV education in schools. 

Festive Season Products and Ranges 

The Body Shop has launched the Cherries & Cheer and Pears & Share seasonal body care collections. Both ranges are equally sweet and fruity. Both their scents have been created to uplift spirits! It will encourage beauty lovers to indulge in a little self-care this festive season. 

There are also 3 ‘ADVENT OF CHANGE’ calendars. There is a calendar for every taste and every pocket, and they make the perfect gift. The calendars are bursting with surprises and Beauty Lovers will find a Changemaking product inside every drawer and box.

Each of these amazing products are available at The Body Shop stores nationwide and online at Thebodyshop.co.za.