Natural product laboratory will improve environmental impact and enhance innovation capabilities   

The Body Shop launches a new 3200 sq. ft., £1m beauty innovation hub in East Croydon, London. Uniquely this new laboratory will see marketing, sustainable sourcing and product development working in partnership to integrate all aspects of ethical product development and sourcing, helping drive innovation and sustainable development much more effectively. The move will support the brand in further reducing the environmental impact of products and give The Body Shop more scope and control over creating innovative new ethical products, using natural and Community Trade ingredients sourced from communities and bio-diversity hotspots all over the world.

Based at The Body Shop’s head office in East Croydon, the new lab will test and incorporate new ingredients sourced from around the world to protect biodiversity and ensure a long-term, healthy and thriving environment for these ingredients. It will also fast track testing and product reformulation, using a unique ingredient database, with an initial focus on reducing the environmental impact of popular products that will have the greatest impact.

Gaetane David, Research and Innovation Director, The Body Shop says, “Today, The Body Shop is as committed to innovation and sustainability as ever. By broadening our in-house expertise, we’re bringing product innovation and sustainable product development back in our hands and to the heart of our business.

“Our investment will not only enable us to accelerate our innovation pipeline but will importantly see us reduce the environmental impact of our product formulas. We will continue working closely with manufacturing partners to deliver best in class products”.

The Body Shop, with 3,100 stores in 66 countries, has committed to reducing year on year the environmental footprint of all product categories as part of its Enrich Not Exploit™ Commitment, which aims to propel it to be the most ethical and truly sustainable global business in the world.  As part of this programme The Body Shop intends to double the size of its Community Trade programme, its unique community sourcing initiative, and develop an innovation pipeline that delivers pioneering cosmetic ingredients from biodiversity hotspots which helps to enrich these areas.

The Body Shop worked with Waldner to develop the lab, which is completely modular and therefore flexible to meet different requirements as the facility develops. 

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