As the year winds down and brands take stock of what truly moved the needle, 2025 stands out as a year of recalibration and resolve for The Body Shop India. It was a year when ambition met pragmatism, when legacy brands had to prove they could remain relevant without diluting their soul. For The Body Shop, the answer lay not in reinvention, but in reaffirmation, of purpose, of people, and of the promise of ethical beauty made accessible.
Looking back at the year that was, Harmeet Singh, Chief Brand Officer, The Body Shop Asia South, framed 2025 as a pivotal inflection point. “In 2025, The Body Shop India recorded strong growth momentum driven by retail expansion, pricing recalibration, and a sharper value-focused strategy,” she said. “The brand reaffirmed its ambition to double-digit growth by end-2025, supported by expanding to nearly 200+ brand touchpoints and improving accessibility through 28–30% price reductions on core products.”
This recalibration was not merely tactical; it was philosophical. As Singh explained, “The launch of locally-made, price-competitive products under the India Edit line and deeper omnichannel integration further strengthened category performance across Skincare, Body care, and Gifting.” She described the year as “a transition year for The Body Shop India, balancing premium equity with accessibility, expanding retail reach, and building long-term category leadership in ethical and sustainable beauty.”
One of the most telling moments of the year came through collaboration. “The Body Shop’s collaboration with indē wild is also a unique strategic milestone, marking our entry into Premium Wedding Gifting,” Singh said. “indē wild is a brand catering to the younger demographics, and this partnership will help both the brands synergize to come together.” At its heart, the collaboration was about shared values. “We are blending two distinct legacies, our ethical, Community Fair Trade commitment with indē wild’s modern Ayurvedistry to offer a unique Gifting experience. These boxes are more than products; they are mindful, premium care packages that perfectly meet the evolving desire of modern Indian consumers for intention and elegance in their celebrations.”
Heritage, Singh emphasised, remained the compass guiding every decision. “The Body Shop’s heritage of natural, ethical, and community-driven beauty continued to guide every strategic decision in 2025,” she said. As consumers became more discerning, “we expanded our India Edit range with locally relevant formulations” and “made ethical beauty more accessible by recalibrating prices across core categories.”
The year also saw a steady cadence of launches that married sensorial delight with storytelling. “We enriched our portfolio with the limited-edition Passionfruit range, bringing a burst of tropical freshness to our body care lineup,” Singh noted, while “the reintroduction of the Spa of the World collection” allowed consumers to indulge in “sensorial at-home rituals rooted in globally inspired ingredients.” The festive season, she added, was crowned with “our Christmas collection, featuring joyful, festive gifting designed to celebrate togetherness and self-care during the holiday season.”
Yet, 2025 was not without its pressures. Competition intensified, cost dynamics shifted, and scaling responsibly across India’s diverse markets posed its own tests. Singh acknowledged this candidly: “The Body Shop India focused on addressing heightened competition in the natural/ethical beauty segment and scaling responsibly across diverse markets.” The response, she said, lay in clarity of intent- “recalibrating prices by 28–30% across core products, expanding accessible and locally relevant ranges like the India Edit, strengthening our sustainability partnership with Plastics for Change, and widening distribution across non-metro cities.”
From a marketing lens, accessibility became the year’s most resonant message. “The ‘More Love for Less’ price recalibration strengthened accessibility and drove higher volumes across core categories,” Singh said. Festive campaigns, too, struck an emotional chord. “Festive launches performed exceptionally well, from Spark A Change 3.0 and its culturally rooted Marigold Bodycare range to the Christmas Limited Edition collection, which offered seasonal gifting and sensorial formats that consistently excite loyal customers.”
She also pointed to the growing power of experience-led retail. “Experiential retail and creator-driven store activations amplified visibility and helped the brand deepen engagement with younger audiences across platforms,” she said, adding that these efforts collectively “boosted reach, relevance, and emotional connection.”
Sustainability, however, remained the brand’s non-negotiable backbone- not as a slogan, but as practice. “We continued to embed sustainability into its business practices,” Singh said. “Key developments included sourcing fair-trade recycled plastic through its partnership with Plastics for Change, supporting waste-collector livelihoods; introducing fully recyclable packaging across Bath, Body, and Haircare products; and expanding circular economy initiatives like container return programs.” She also highlighted social impact initiatives, including “E-tricycle donations, providing safer, sustainable income for waste collectors,” reinforcing that these were “tangible environmental and social impact” actions.
On the omnichannel front, 2025 sharpened operational discipline. “We focused on creating a seamless experience across online and offline channels,” Singh said. Stores continued to serve as “a place for discovery, gifting, and connecting with the community,” while digital channels ensured reach and convenience. One lesson stood out clearly: “The importance of aligning inventory and messaging across channels; it keeps operations smooth and ensures customers enjoy a consistent experience wherever they shop.”
As the calendar turns toward 2026, the roadmap is both ambitious and grounded. “As The Body Shop India prepares for 2026, the company is prioritising retail expansion, omnichannel growth, and long-term brand building while staying true to its ethical and sustainable heritage,” Singh said.
Product innovation remains central, with “some very exciting launches along with the celebrations marking the 50 years of The Body Shop globally” on the horizon. In-store experiences, from “personalised consultations” to “accessibility programmes like Braille signage,” will continue to evolve.
Closing the year, Singh’s reflections reveal a brand that has not chased growth at the cost of belief. Instead, The Body Shop India exits 2025 with clarity—of who it serves, what it stands for, and how purpose, when executed with conviction, can be its most enduring competitive advantage.
