She opened a shop because she needed income. She sold refills because she was short on bottles. The name came from Berkeley. Anita Roddick didn’t just sell cosmetics—she used the shop to do something else. The Body Shop’s 30 years, one direction.
“If it’s not for the public good, what are we doing?”
— Anita Roddick, Founder, The Body Shop
Born in an air-raid shelter. October 1942, Littlehampton, England. Parents came from Italy. One of four siblings.
A Child Raised in a Shop
Legal father Donato Perella ran a restaurant. Birth father was his cousin Henry Perilli, who operated an ice cream and soda bar. Mother ran a café. After school, she helped her mother.
Trained as a teacher at Newton Park College of Education in Bath. Taught history and English at Maude Allen School.
1976, her husband Gordon Roddick was away in South America. She had two daughters. She needed income.
Between Two Funeral Parlors
1976 in Brighton. She opened her first store. Funeral parlors were on both sides. She had 25 products.
She sold them in refill containers. Not for the environment. She was short on bottles. Customers brought empty bottles back to refill. She recycled everything. She attached a story to each product. She said she’d sell without exaggeration.
In 1996, she told The Third Way: “The Body Shop was originally a series of happy accidents. It smelled good, the name was funky, and it was between two funeral parlors. It wasn’t an elaborate plan. It just happened that way.”
Six months later, she opened a second store. Gordon returned and joined.
The Name From Berkeley
The name wasn’t hers. In 1970, there was a Body Shop in Berkeley, California. When she visited there in the early 1970s, there were three stores.
In May 2002, Jon Entine of The Globe and Mail reported that Roddick had copied the name, concept, and early brochure from the Berkeley Body Shop. Her early brochure was nearly identical.
When expanding into the U.S. market, she purchased the trademark from the original owners for $3.5 million. They signed a non-disclosure agreement. The original Body Shop changed its name to Body Time. It operated until April 2018.
The Shop Did Other Work
The shop wasn’t just selling cosmetics.
In 1990, she founded Children on the Edge, an organization for disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.
She joined Greenpeace. She worked with The Big Issue, a newspaper sold by homeless people. She was among the first companies to engage in fair trade with developing countries. She was among the first to ban animal testing on some products. She said business was a force stronger than religion or government and should provide moral leadership.
Ruby, a Size 16 Doll
In 1997, she created her most successful campaign: Ruby. A size 16 doll. Some said she resembled Barbie.
Red-haired and nude. Hands behind her head, hair blowing in the wind. Planned by ethical communications firm Host Universal and photographed by Steve Perry.
Launched in the U.S. in September 1997. This was an era when cosmetics advertising featured only thin models.
The Ethics Company That Was Sold
By 2004, there were 1,980 stores. Customer base exceeded 77 million worldwide. The second most trusted brand in the UK, ranked 28th globally.
In March 2006, L’Oréal bought The Body Shop for £652 million. The problem: L’Oréal conducted animal testing. Part of L’Oréal’s stake was held by Nestlé, criticized for its treatment of third-world producers.
She died September 7, 2007. Chichester. Age 64.
Soulpapa Marketing’s Perspective
For Anita Roddick, the shop wasn’t the purpose. It was the tool. She didn’t open a shop to sell cosmetics. She opened a shop to do something, and that something was always outside the shop.
She opened a shop because she needed income. She sold refills because she was short on bottles. She took the name from Berkeley because she didn’t have one. She told a story with each product because she had no advertising budget. And with that shop, she helped disadvantaged children, stood with Greenpeace, engaged in fair trade with developing countries, and rejected animal testing. In 1997, she put a size 16 doll in her ads. In a market that used only thin models.
By 2004: 1,980 stores, 77 million customers. That number was not the scale of cosmetics, but the scale of the cause she carried. Decisions to ban animal testing and trade fairly with developing countries changed supply, and that supply was built into 1,980 stores. Today, the order is reversed. The cause is put into copy first, while supply and price stay the same. Roddick ran the shop first, and what she changed was the supply. For 30 years, from 25 products between two funeral parlors in 1976, she kept going in the same direction.
References
- Anita Roddick — Wikipedia
- The Third Way Interview (1996) — The Third Way
- Body Shop Origins Report (2002) — The Globe and Mail
- Anita Roddick Quotes — Quoteswise
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Anita Roddick create The Body Shop’s name and concept herself?
No. When Anita Roddick visited Berkeley, California in the early 1970s, there were already three Body Shop stores. According to journalist Jon Entine’s report in May 2002, Roddick copied not just the name but the concept and early brochure almost exactly from the Berkeley Body Shop. When entering the U.S. market, she later purchased the trademark from the original owners for $3.5 million, they signed a non-disclosure agreement, and the store was renamed Body Time.
What was the background behind the 1997 Ruby campaign?
The Ruby campaign, launched in the U.S. in September 1997, featured a size 16 nude doll at a time when cosmetics advertising exclusively used thin models. Planned by ethical communications firm Host Universal and photographed by Steve Perry, the campaign directly challenged industry beauty standards and is considered the most successful campaign in The Body Shop’s history.
How was it problematic that The Body Shop, which opposed animal testing, was sold to L’Oréal?
In March 2006, L’Oréal acquired The Body Shop for £652 million. The problem was that L’Oréal conducted animal testing, and further, Nestlé, which held part of L’Oréal’s stake, was criticized for its treatment of third-world producers. The Body Shop, which positioned animal testing bans and fair trade as core brand values, was sold to companies on the opposite side of those values, causing major controversy at the time.
Insights from Soulpapa Marketing — Korea’s digital marketing agency.
Original Korean article: https://soulpapa.co.kr/2026/06/20/ceo-interview-the-body-shop/
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