While there is no doubt that being acquired by a company as much history and global recognition as L’Oreal provides innumerable expansion opportunities for The Body Shop, concerns have arisen since the acquisition in 2006, as outlined by Cosmetics Design-Europe editor Simon Pitman, due to the “seemingly opposing values” of the companies.

We all know that The Body Shop provides affordable, accessible skincare and beauty products with an ethical stance on their trade and development policies.

When Googling “ethical beauty products”, it is no surprise to have this image show up in the top results.

Then we have L’Oreal — offering a vast range of beauty products with presence in 130 countries, who also pride themselves on a “Code of Ethics” — who have been known to test some of their ingredients on animals.

While it has been verified that the company still maintains its cruelty-free policies, the issue lies with the image that The Body Shop had, in essence, spent decades building with its clientele, and that could be tarnished through ownership from a company with a slightly-tarnished name.  When thinking of The Body Shop’s target market, one thinks of two groups: beauty-product consumers with a low budget, and philanthropic shoppers.  How inclined will these conscientious shoppers will be to support one company, knowing that it directly supports the activities of other?  I myself work in a retail position of a different skincare company, which happens to be situated right across one of The Body Shop’s locations, and I have spoken to several women who have entered our store and purchased products claiming that they are doing so because they no longer support The Body Shop and its, essentially, “unethical” ownership.

L’Oreal is working to correct its reputation, having recently donated over $1 million to anti-cruelty efforts, but activists call it an evasive technique.

Now, figures show that The Body Shop has been increasing its locations at an annual rate of about 8% from 2006 to 2008, meaning that L’Oreal has been effective in its global expansion.  But I wonder, is it worth gaining these new customers who are mainly drawn to the affordability of the products, at the expense of those who supported the company’s ethical policies to the core?