The Body Shop is back with five perfumes. There is one standout star

Telegraph

07-04-2025

If nostalgia were a smell, it would be The Body Shop's Dewberry or White Musk. With its responsibly-sourced ingredients and packaging, the brand was decades ahead of its time. When the environmental and human rights campaigner Anita Roddick founded it in a backstreet shop in Brighton in 1976, she encouraged customers to bring their bottles back to be refilled in store to reduce plastic waste (and also because they physically didn't have enough bottles to meet demand).
Roddick's vision and products were a hit worldwide (remember the bath pearls and probably the first place you ever saw a loofah?) and within a few years the products were a household name, and uniquely at that time, many were used by men and women.
However, a nosedive in profits in recent years saw the struggling retailer go into administration early last year. It was bought out of administration in September by a consortium led by British cosmetics tycoon Mike Jatania, who announced a £2 million profit in its first three months under his ownership; he recently announced that they were 'back for good'.
Part of the focus of the new Body Shop seems to be a re-focus on what they were always good at: fragrance. But don't expect the little bottles of hippie perfume oils lots of us queued up for in the 80s. The new fragrance collection, which they began in 2022, focusses on single note floral perfumes. As a legacy to the brand's heritage, it takes care to research and only use responsibly and sustainably sourced ingredients. There are five fragrances in total – Full Rose, Full Iris, Full Orange Blossom, Full Ylang Ylang and the latest, Full Magnolia, £42 each.
My initial thoughts
They're beautifully crafted. My go-to perfume would usually be something classic from Guerlain or Chanel, or if all fails, I love the fresh, splashiness of Dior' s Eau Sauvage, but I have to say these fragrances stand up to my classics and feel like a real find. They smell expensive – and are a refreshing change from the many overpowering ouds and leathery perfumes out there today. It feels rare to find a perfume like this for under £50.
I agree with fragrance expert Alice du Parcq who tells me, 'If you want something minimalist but with beautifully crafted ingredients blended well, these are worth checking out. A lot of time and effort has gone into them and finding a credible, affordable fragrance that lasts well on the skin is hard to find. They are a lovely pocket friendly addition to any spring fragrance wardrobe.'
Using the whole flower
Du Parcq likes the concept that each fragrance uses the entire flower, not just the petals, 'The stalks, the earth, the leaves are all used which give the fragrance a bit more depth,' she says. I like how each bottle has engraved on the back with the origin of the main ingredient. For example, hand-picked roses from Grasse for the Full Rose or iris stems from the South of France for the Full Iris.
Noteworthy is the Full Orange Blossom, which if you're a fan of Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino, you'll appreciate this uplifting citrussy spritz. Like another British perfume brand, Floral Street, the Body Shop's choice to focus on florals is a clever one. Floral perfumes are big sellers – Jo Malone's English Pear and Freesia, Miss Dior, Gucci Flora Orchid and Marc Jacob's Daisy are some of the best sellers worldwide. And to keep the price point down in today's climate is another plus.
The standout star
The newest one, Full Magnolia, has a lovely green (almost rhubarb) quality to it, but the standout for me is the Full Iris which has a crisp dryness. A lot of irissy perfumes can end up being too creamy but as du Parcq says, 'this one isn't too buttery or too green and steamy. It's a lovely place in between. Chanel 19 Poudre is one of the most classic, powdery iris fragrances out there and wearing it feels like putting on a pair of icy cool silk pyjamas. Full Iris has the same cooling feeling.'
Whether these fragrance can sustain the revival of the Body Shop will remain to be seen, but trying these fragrances has reminded me of other British fragrance brands like Ffern, Olfactive O and To the Fairest, who all make accessible perfumes for under £100. In today's world where Gen Z are happy to splurge on an expensive retinol or complex skincare product to give them glass-like skin, will they appreciate the appeal of a beautifully crafted fragrance for under £50? Maybe the Body Shop are targeting its original audience which in my case, I am reeled in.