Which beauty and body-care company did Anita Roddick found in Brighton in 1976?

Anita Roddick founded The Body Shop in Brighton, England, in 1976. She opened the first store to support her family while her husband, Gordon Roddick, was traveling in South America.

The business became known for products marketed around naturally inspired ingredients, refillable packaging, and opposition to animal testing. Roddick also promoted fair-trade sourcing and ethical campaigning, helping make social messaging part of the company’s public identity.

The Body Shop expanded internationally through franchising, becoming one of the first major cosmetics businesses to use that model extensively. It was later acquired by L’Oréal in 2006 and sold to Natura &Co in 2017. These ownership changes do not alter its founding by Roddick in Brighton.